How do we destroy strongholds that are keeping us in bondage? How do we destroy these negative thinking patterns that may have us feeling so defeated?

1. Start with faith-prayer.

The two go hand-in-hand. Faith is the reliance that God wants to be personally active in my life. Prayer is the request for that activity to start happening. Faith is the expectation that God will do it.

2 Corinthians 5 [7] For we walk by faith, not by sight.

The Apostle Paul wrote those words to some friends of his 2,000 years ago. What he meant was, “What we can see with our eyes will only take us so far. There is another dimension to life, a spiritual dimension. It’s filled with values and morals – and the Spirit of God. If we live based on what we can see only with our physical eyes, we’ll live a very shallow existence. But if we will live based on faith – based on what we believe, our values, convictions, and the power of God, we will experience a much fuller life.

Hebrews 11 [6] Now without faith it is impossible to please God, for the one who draws near to Him must believe that He exists and rewards those who seek Him.

Ephesians 6 [18] With every prayer and request, pray at all times in the Spirit.

2. Choose to think the truth.

Philippians 4 [8] Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

God gives us promises or truths to help us deal with strongholds. Here are just a few:

Why should I fear when the Bible says that God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline? 2 Timothy 1:7

Why should I let the powers of darkness have supremacy over my life when the Bible says that the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world? 1 John 4:4

Why should I worry and be anxious when I can give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you? 1 Peter 5:7

I wanted to pick up from where I left off back in May. This whole reflection on the topic of strongholds has really given me some comfort and encouragement in the midst of grieving my mother’s recent death too. I hope these reflections also help you.

All of us face problems in life – depression, discouragement, disappointment, poor health, financial problems, family and marriage problems, guilt, shame. These negative thought patterns have often been burned into our minds over time. Where do they come from? How do they get there? Strongholds take root in our lives through repetition over time. Strongholds or the negative thinking patterns that we have may have occurred by being raised in a non-Christian environment where you may have developed a philosophy of how to survive, cope and succeed in this world apart from God. Or, you may have strongholds in your life from traumatic experiences that may have resulted from facing one of the problems that I just mentioned here – such as depression, discouragement or disappointment, for example. These strongholds in our lives tend to take us down and can defeat us.

Facing problems in life without God can lead to destructive strongholds. These strongholds begin as thoughts that come into our minds. Maybe thoughts to numb the pain we have – like lust. Then, we act on that thought (e.g., temptation to pursue some kid of desire that is ungodly). If we continue in our actions over time, they become habits. And, habits can take root and form permanent behaviors. It’s these behaviors over time that form destructive strongholds in our lives. These destructive strongholds or unhealthy thought patterns get rooted in our lives and lead us away from God’s plan for us — and even lead us into unhealthy behavior too.