Are you living the life you hoped for…
the one you dreamed about? Or somewhere along the way did it get derailed, disrupted, even destroyed by someone else? And where were you during those events? Not the physical you… but the mindset you. Did you hideout in a stronghold? Could you still be in one now?
These are tricky traps
these strongholds. Just the name alone, stronghold… would cause us to think of huge a fortress with thick impenetrable walls, built on a high hill that would be hard for us to miss as we came upon it in battle. But the fact of the matter is, strongholds are quite well disguised and function more like prisons of our attitudes, thoughts and mindsets.
The easiest way
to explain them would be to tell you a story. These are the real life events of our newest Warrior, Rachel. She was living out the most romantic, love-at-first-sight story until her meddling father decided to serve his own interests and steal her wedding night. But believe me, that doesn’t cover the half of it.
Because without knowing it, Rachel became trapped in a stronghold that kept her from enjoying the unlimited love her husband offered and all the beauty God had intended for her life. She struggled from that point on, searching for a way to earn love, never realizing that it was free.
Strongholds can begin…
as simple as excuses we allow ourselves so that we don’t feel so bad when things don’t go our way. But over time, as we continue to reinforce the same excuses over and over, they can become a habit. These habits then begin to build walls that become barriers to our becoming who God desires us to be. When we continue to avoid the hard things… when we allow the excuses to keep us from facing the truth, they become strongholds that we cannot see past. This is just one example of a stronghold. (There are several more that I detail in the podcast and free resource.)
But if we desire…
to break free of these strongholds, we must first acknowledge the truth, knowing that we are stuck in one. Only then can we work on renewing our mind with right thinking, replacing wrong, disabling thoughts with those that empower us to overcome.
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Romans 12:2 NKJV
And each day of the battle, as we need help, God will be there, ready to help us. All we need to do is cry out to Him.
I cried out, “I am slipping!”
but your unfailing love, O Lord, supported me.
When doubts filled my mind,
your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.
Psalm 94:18-19 NLT
In order to get a better understanding of this, let me encourage you to first, listen to the podcast. Then download the free resource to gain a deeper definition and understanding of how these strongholds may be affecting you personally. Should you still have any questions, I’d be happy to help you. Please just leave them in the comments section below.
Enjoy the podcast on the media player below, or on your favorite podcasting app.
If you learned lessons from the life of Rachel, you are likely to also learn from the life of the Woman with the issue of blood . It is detailed in Episodes 012:Finding God in My Pain, and 013.How to Hear from God.
As always, you can use the search bar in the right column and enter any topic or use the categories to find a podcast suited to your needs.
From iTunes:
Do you believe in LOVE at first sight? Are you a sucker for a sappy romance? The life story of this Warrior has all the trappings of a true fairy tale, until… in the dark of night, a switch is made and someone ends up in bed with the wrong wife.
How on earth is that possible? What would you do in the middle of a messy marriage like that? When the script you saw in your mind didn’t go at all as you imagined?
Won’t you join me as we step into this real life story so we can learn from the trappings of time? We, as Warriors, are certain to takeaway some truths and gain strength as we define what strongholds are, and how they keep us from realizing our best dreams.
