Strongholds

I've been studying about strongholds.  II Corinthians 10:3-5   We are human, but we don't wage war with human plans and methods.  We use God's mighty weapons, not mere worldly weapons, to knock down the Devil's strongholds.  With these weapons we break down every proud argument that keeps people from knowing God. With these weapons, we conquer their rebellious ideas, and we teach them to obey Christ.  

As the devil's days grow shorter, we see strongholds growing stronger.  A stronghold is anything that ranks in a higher position in our mind than it should becoming the consuming force within us, rather than God.  It can control us so that it is the main thing we meditate on. A few obvious strongholds are unforgiveness, loss, grief,  various addictions etc.  Basically, anything that strangles the abundant life within us.  A stronghold consumes so much of our emotional and mental energy that our intended purpose lies dormant, squelched by the stronghold.  The stronghold controls our thoughts.  We are mastered by it.

Strongholds are like minefields.  They liter the path we're walking, attempting to prevent us from having a intimate, personal relationship with Christ.  Strongholds have strong holds on us. We have to identify them to start to break their hold on our lives.

Our pastor taught this last week on Strongholds within the church.   I saw very clearly that at different times in my life I'd been fooled by the enemy and fallen into one or more of these strongholds. 

1. Church-ism - diminishes the gospel to activities at church.  It creates a pretense that I'm living for Christ, but has me in a cycle of activities, not necessarily in relationship with Christ.
2. Legalism - ignores the fact that you can't please God by what you do.  It causes self-righteous attitudes, I'm doing it right.  It can keep us on a treadmill of being good/doing good.  WORKS, WORKS, WORKS.  A legalistic person thinks they are right.
3. Activism - Identity is reduced to standing up for what is wrong - we replace the relationship with Christ with fighting something. 
4. Biblicism - need to be expert students on the Bible.  Biblicism can replace the relationship itself with the Bible....We worship God, not the Bible. We've all probably met someone that has the bible in first place but they don't operate with a heart of love or radiate Christ.
5. Fellowship-ism - we should provoke one another to toward relationship with Christ.  If we replace the relationship with fellowship, then that too can become a stronghold.
6.  Mysticism - Worships emotions and experiences instead of pursuing relationship.   

We're called to be His salt and light and the enemy of our souls will detour us anyway he can.  He'll use good things that look right and deceive us.  He'll use bad things and then fill us with guilt.  He'll do anything to keep our focus away from the intimate relationship that Christ desires.  He's been successful with me in many areas...I want to break free and walk in victory.  His Word is my sword and prayer keeps me in communion with Him. Those two things are my path to victory.  With His word and prayer, He'll help us take back the territory the enemy has stolen.  We must choose to learn to think His thoughts about every matter rather than our own or the enemies and knock down the strongholds..  Gal 5:1b Stand firm then and do not let yourselves be burdened again by the yoke of slavery.