Tearing down strongholds
posted Thursday, November 17, 2005 :: 6:26 AM
“Now may the God
of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may
abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13
Romans
15:13 indicates that we can be filled with joy and peace, which are
fruits of the Spirit, in believing, and so confirms that the fruit of
feelings and actions follow the root of our thoughts and beliefs.
Likewise, the feelings that we habitually experience show up the lies
that we are believing, no matter how subconsciously, and from those
feelings we can identify the strongholds that must be torn down.
With
the Lord’s help, we can tear down the stronghold of the lie that
produces the ungodly thoughts, by building up a stronghold of truth in
its place, allowing the Holy Spirit to develop the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. The Scriptures contain the truth, and it is the word of God which is the weapon of our warfare,
which is mighty through God for the pulling down of strongholds. We
must find the Scriptures that bear witness to the truth, and then use
them as a weapon to attack and tear down the stronghold of the lie.
Tearing
down the strongholds of lies built in our hearts will be a process that
will take a certain amount of time, and consistent, determined assault
on our part. It will require discipline and commitment. Rome wasn’t
built in a day, and either were these strongholds. Keep that in mind,
and don’t give up or be discouraged, but “let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”
When
I was a new mother, I really struggled with depression. Now I believe
the root of the depression was nutrition: I was putting out more
nutrients in bearing children and nursing them than I was taking in.
But I didn’t know about nutrition’s connection to depression back then.
I just knew I was depressed. The emotional pain in my heart was 24/7.
But when I learned the principle of tearing down strongholds, I applied
it rigorously and consistently in my life. I saw results in just a few
weeks, even without improving my nutrition, so don’t give up!
to be continued ...
Previously: Truth sets us free
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Update: continued in Establishing a stronghold of truth
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