It is so much easier to see strongholds in someone else than in yourself. To see them in yourself you have to really look for them. You have to know that you are lying to yourself if you say you do not have them.
The best definition I have studied of a stronghold is a place in your thinking where the enemy hides a demon.
I am guessing a lot of people who might read this just closed up when they read "demon". But call it what you want. I prefer to give it a face so to speak. I also called murder and lust and deception "spirits", which I would categorize as "demonic" but I would not force anyone to use my nomenclature. Choose your own.
A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet.Though I do not think you can ever really get to the root of the truth of anything that goes on with man and man's mind unless you get down to the spiritual warfare that is fought on the battlefield of man's thinking. Another blog for another day though perhaps.
This post is about my identified stronghold. Patterns of my thinking that have built a snare, a stronghold that hides a demon of criticism. Lately I have come to identify this habit of mine and have come to set myself against it. Yet it is not easy to overcome.
All day yesterday I worried over this habit. Knowing it is not helpful and likewise, in one relationship in particular it is disobedient, I examined it and judged it as a behavior that I had to change.
Then the air conditioner would not work when I turned it back on after it froze it and bang! I went straight to the e-mail and banged out an electronic attack of criticism. I told you blah-blah-blah. You do not listen blah-blah-blah. Your procrastination blah-blah-blah. Your part of the solution is the simpliest but must be done first blah-blah-blah. Why can't you just blah-blah-blah? Why do we always have to blah-blah-blah?
That nothing I said in the e-mail was untrue does not let me off the hook. It was critical. It was criticism. I could have as simply said, "A/C froze up again and won't come back on now. Will call repairman in the morning to set up a service call. Will have them call you to take care of billing."
That e-mail would have sufficed to take care of everything that I needed and would have done it without criticism. In fact it would have built up and expressed confidence in the person I sent it to that I knew they would take care of their part.
We all have strengths and weaknesses. All of us have areas where we could be criticized without any defense because the charges would be true. But I don't want to be anymore one of those people who points out those faults or flaws or weaknesses in other people; especially not in the people I love.
So how do I root this spirit out of its hiding place and get rid of the thinking, the stronghold, that gives it refuge in my mind and my actions?
In the Book of Joshua, we find the biggest strongholds standing against the Israelite conquest of the Promised Land: Jericho and Ai. Jericho is where I looked to see how to tear down the stronghold in my life.
I chose Jericho because I have tried it with conventional tactics: capturing thoughts, renewing my mind, letting go of stinking thinking. All of these are Scriptual, but this is a stronghold so I went to the Scriptures looking for how to deal specifically with a stronghold.
Because once the A/C e-mail caught my attention, I realized the whole weekend had been filled with criticism of others. Where I could have lifted up or spoken more gently, teaching more like my Master, reacting like one who follows Him, I had been critical and criticism is always harsh. So I went to the conquest of a stronghold in the Bible that was dependent totally upon the supernatural.
I recognized a warning in the first verse of Joshua chapter 6. The inhabitants of Jericho were shut in; jeering from the walls actually, but shut in all the same. They knew Israel was there for them; to conquer them despite their strong walls. And they knew God was with Israel. So I know that in our strongholds, once we identify them, the enemy knows we are coming and that God is coming with us.
So that they don't just pack up and run for the hills when they see us coming is because they don't believe we can do what God will require for us to have victory. The spirits it seems are betting creatures. They know God can kick them all the way back to hell, but us they do not fear and with us they are willing to roll the dice and take the chance they can stand safe in the stronghold.
Because God is with us yet we have built this stronghold where they/it takes refuge and stands against us. We have built it with our thinking and now they/it defend it. Mine (this time) is criticism, but everyone has them. When your thinking says God does not love you, God is not with you, God does not care about you; when you are negative, critical, bitter -- these are all evidence of a stronghold.
I think that is critical (forgive the pun!) that we understand: strongholds are built out of our own thinking. That is why we have to be the one who tears them down in our own lives. But we cannot do it alone. We cannot do it without the LORD.
Read Proverbs 14:12 and Isaiah 55:8 and understand for this battle you have to clean up your thinking. In other words, you have to scuttle it, get rid of it, certainly suspend it. This is a faith alone exercise. You are going to walk to it, face it, acknowledge it, then let God smash it.
In Joshua 6:2, God promises Joshua the victory. We have to understand that victory is ours as well. We walk by faith. Build up your faith. Read 2 Corinthians 2. Roman 6 is awesome. Colossians 2: 6-15. These build your faith. And if you do not "get" them; go online and read the commentaries on them. Read them in different translations. Read the reference Scriptures in the commentaries. Pray about them.
And shout the victory. Praise God. In our area 91.3FM the Edge plays contemporary Christian music. I love Country, classic Rock, classical -- a lot of different music, when I am in the trenches, when I am in a battle, I do not listen to anything but praise and worship.
Truth to tell, I keep my TV on the Church Channel or the Word Channel or God TV or TBN or DayStar all the time when I am in a down-and-dirty spiritual battle. I may not be sitting in front of it paying rapt attention, but I am guarding my eye-gate and ear-gate -- guarding my thinking -- Reminding myself that I win. Jesus bought me with a price. I am covered by His Blood.
And when I have done all I can, I simply stand. Sure in the knowledge that God has got this.
So stronghold of criticism -- I'm circling the walls reminding myself that God is awesome and faithful and I don't have to fight you by day and I am singing praises and remembering the Word and the promises by night. Get ready to come down stronghold, because I'm getting ready to start shouting and watch God do mighty things.
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