Nature of Spiritual Strongholds: In the Mind, Emotions and Will

Passage in the bible on spiritual strongholds

There is one important passage in the bible that uses the word “strongholds” in reference to spiritual battles we face. Other passages that use the word “strongholds” are in the Old Testament and have no parallels to the following passage. “(Verse 4) The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. (v.5) We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (v.6) And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete,” 2 Corinthians 10:4-6.

Some misunderstanding on tearing down strongholds

There is a misunderstanding among some in the body of Christ on tearing down spiritual strongholds. This is worth addressing since it has led some believers to be preoccupied with directly confronting evil spirits. It has been erroneously assumed that tearing down strongholds is going after evil spirits and pulling them down in geographical regions, in the heavens, in circumstances, and so on. This interpretation takes the passage completely out of context.

No scripture even advocates direct confrontation with Satan as a way of punishing his acts of disobedience among people or matters in our lives. Yet there are plenty of scriptures showing that our prayers to God combined with our obedience to him accomplish the impossible. It’s astonishing how powerful prayer is.

On directly confronting spirits, G. Richard Fisher says, “Biblically taking cities for God by crippling and disarming the demons of the city is nowhere taught in Scripture. Paul preached the Gospel in each city without dramatics or evasive claims. We do not find Paul doing "prayer walks" and spiritual stakeouts. Logic tells us that for all the time the “demon busters” have been at it, they should have had these cities all under control by now and demon free.

“In the new theatrics of demon busting, one word, "stronghold," has been taken out of 2 Corinthians 10 and used to create an entire theology. The context of chapter 10 is confronting false belief. If anyone is tearing down strongholds, it is the counter cult and apologetic movement (the counter cult and apologetic movement are the people that expose false teachings in and outside the body of Christ). Dualistic demonism is in itself a stronghold of error and false teaching,” (G. Richard Fisher, Walking in the Shadow of the Walk).

If you need more detailed information on spiritual warfare matters please read my other book, Major Spiritual Warfare Principles: Biblical Do’s and Don’ts of Warfare.

What are spiritual strongholds from a biblical perspective?

“(Verse 4) The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. (v.5) We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (v.6) And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete,” 2 Corinthians 10:4-6.

In the New International Version (NIV) bible this passage is in a chapter titled “Paul’s Defence of His Ministry.” Paul maintains that we’re not to live by the standards of this world. He said we should not be like “some people who think that we live by the standards of this world,” (v.2). These were among believers. Some people were stirring up believers against him.

Matthew Henry Complete Commentary on the Whole Bible notes that, “There was no place in which the apostle Paul met with more opposition from false apostles than at Corinth; he had many enemies there…Though he was so blameless and inoffensive in all his carriage.”

Paul was therefore referring to punishing “every act of disobedience” among believers who were not walking right with God. The passage does not imply punishing the disobedience of Satan by directly confronting him. It meant confronting the disobedience among believers. This disobedience would be punished not by weapons of this world (such as arguments, lawsuits, physical confrontation, war, and so on) but by our spiritual weapons that “have divine power to demolish strongholds” (such as prayer, fasting, walking in love, God’s word, faith, and so on).

Spiritual strongholds are strongly established sinful ways, false beliefs, and behaviours, that have gained a strong influence over a person to the extent that each stronghold “sets itself up against the knowledge of God” (v.5). In areas that the strongholds are established, an individual is either unable to consistently follow God’s word or is unable to accept it because these spiritual strongholds have an excessive influence on him.

Strongholds are high levels of demonic influence (not possession) in any area(s) of the spiritual faculties of an individual. Our spiritual faculties consist of our minds, our emotions and our will power). Think of people caught up in some sinful behaviour like atheism, unbelief, stealing, greed, alcohol addiction, drugs, sexual sins, promiscuity, pornography, homosexuality, uncontrollable anger (temper tantrums), compulsive gambling, and so on. They feel easily pulled to or controlled by whatever matter that is entrenched into their lifestyle.

Strongholds are divinely demolish able through our indirect weapons of spiritual warfare and deliverance. They are not demolished by directly confronting certain assumed spirits in geographical territories, familiar spirits, generational spirits, Jezebel spirits, spirits of division, spirits of unforgiveness, spirits of addiction, spirits of this and that. Paul says with our spiritual weapons (that are indirect in nature) we’re able to “demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (v.5). He then says our obedience to God enables us to “punish every act of disobedience, once your (our) obedience (to God) is complete” (v.6).

One way that our obedience to God has punishing effects on the works of Satan on earth is through prayer. Our obedient lives are weapons of righteousness that enable our prayers not to be hindered. This is indirect spiritual warfare. No direct confrontation with Satan or his evil spirits is required.

Two types of strongholds: known and unknown (hidden) strongholds

The passage on strongholds was actually made in reference to believers, not to unbelievers. This does not mean unbelievers have no strongholds! It’s worse for them in a spiritual sense, as the bible says, “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ,” 2 Corinthians 4:4.

Thus our outreach to unbelievers is cantered on removing the most serious spiritual stronghold, which is the spiritual veil that covers them from seeing the salvation gospel. The veil remover is not us. It’s God by the power of his Holy Spirit (himself). We proclaim the gospel and the Holy Spirit goes into the minds of people to open them up to receiving the salvation gospel.

In our own lives as believers we’ve our own veils to remove. These veils constitute strongholds that hinder us from living true Christian lives. Spiritual strongholds are in two types:

1. Known and easily discernable strongholds: Operating as known sins.

2. Unknown and hidden strongholds: Operating under ignorance.

1. Known and easily discernable strongholds: Operating as known sins

The obvious strongholds include matters that the bible clearly forbids and matters that are culturally unacceptable. Even though a person may know they’re forbidden and unacceptable he/she may still proceed to carry them out time and again. The repetition nature of such matters is what shows that strongholds have been established in an area(s) of concern.

2. Unknown and hidden strongholds: Operating under ignorance

These are strongholds we’re not even aware that they exist. They include matters we lack understanding in, matters that the bible imprecisely forbids, and some matters that are culturally acceptable but are biblically unacceptable. Unknown, obscure or hidden strongholds operate under the veil of ignorance.

It is likely that the false apostles who were opposing Apostle Paul by trying to teach another gospel version were doing it out of ignorance. Paul was aware that their strongholds were operating through their ignorance to the true gospel. The false apostles opposing him gave him a hard time at Corinth. They spread a bad report that he was a false apostle who was not worth associating with. In actual fact they were the ones that were the real false apostles. They were trying to preach worldliness among believers. They were undermining the call not to live by the standards of this world. In his teachings Paul emphasized that believers should not be like “some people who think that we live by the standards of this world,” (v.2).

Their lack of understanding on the scriptures made them easy vessels to be under the influence of evil spirits that spread false teachings. They could not even see it that they had strongholds of demonic influence causing them to resist the true gospel.

Strong resistance to the truth is one major characteristic of being under strongholds working through ignorance. A person under such strongholds does not even bother to go and objectively compare the different points being shared. He easily resorts to opposing any other point of view out of his own flesh, not out of the spirit of love and a sound mind (understanding, objective analysis, and humility). He almost has a military-style of loyalty to points of view he embraces or points of view of his affiliated church.

This blind and military-style type of loyalty is of the flesh. It breeds and thrives on ignorance. The more ignorant a person is on a particular matter the more likely he is able to have strongholds that operate through such ignorance. It’s common that our own cultures in all the different places we live in play an important role in establishing blind and military-style types of loyalty to matters we believe in.

For example, when I came to USA there were some cultural strongholds that I never knew operated in my life. Being in such a different cultural environment has been a great blessing in comparing the different cultural perspectives. It brought the opportunity to objectively look at the scriptures to see which of the different cultural versions are more in line with the scriptures.

USA wins on some of the cultural versions while Africa and other developing regions win on others. At all costs it’s worth striving to pursue whatever cultural perspective is in line with the scriptures and not to blindly embrace that which is more convenient or popular.

Examples of unknown strongholds: anti-women’s rights and materialism

Here are two examples on each region having a better cultural version. However, this is not a competition. It’s just giving examples on being relatively free from false beliefs on certain matters.

1. USA “wins” on abandoning false beliefs on women’s rights

For example, USA wins on women’s civil rights. Women’s rights matters in Africa and other developing regions are currently centuries behind. Developing regions have their socio-economic obstacles that facilitate this vicious cycle: inadequate higher education opportunities (colleges and universities), high unemployment rates, low per capita incomes, highly patriarchal cultures, and so on.

The above are some of the obstacles that continue to hinder progress on women’s civil rights in Africa and other developing regions. They only serve to perpetuate the subordination of women in all key spheres of life. However, they do not constitute the biggest obstacle. Solving them will not automatically improve the treatment, behaviour, attitude, and perceptions of men towards women. Saudi Arabia currently has a high per capita income and can afford to empower women yet its treatment of women is one of the lowest in the world.

The root of the problem to addressing women’s civil rights is at the spiritual level. The spiritual level in reference to is our spiritual faculties of our minds, our emotions and our will power. Just as the civil rights of African Americans never improved with America’s economic progress until they were addressed on a spiritual level the same applies to women’s rights.

In the 1960’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. challenged the treatment, behaviour, attitude, and perceptions of white people towards African Americans. His message and approach was so convincing that a majority of whites joined his call. He successfully was able to pull down strongholds of false beliefs and behaviours among people that ended up embracing his call.

By the way, among this majority of whites few of them were Christians. This is because most of the Christian whites were being fed by their pastors the message to oppose the civil rights cry. An era when Christianity could have triumphed as the champion on human rights was missed. Instead we (as Christians) ran to our strongholds of false beliefs and behaviours that gained strong influence over us for centuries on racial issues.

To this day the 1960’s civil rights movement stands as a shame to Christianity for refusing to embrace equal rights on the basis of race. God was probably shaking his head as white Christians failed to objectively look at their old beliefs that were being challenged. Martin Luther King Jr., the leading figure was a devout Christian and so were most of disenfranchised African Americans. It still didn’t click that God was up to something. Such resistance to change is sometimes referred to as a stiff neck behaviour in the bible. Apostle Paul would have called it strongholds.

As Christians we’ve a bitter lesson to learn about being blindly and stubbornly defensive over every opposing viewpoint without giving it the needed biblical objective analysis. Women’s civil rights matters need a fervent and clear biblical objective analysis. We cannot afford bringing up defences with out-of-context scriptures to justify our perspectives. This civil rights matter needs all our humility, prayerfulness, in-depth biblical contextual analysis and objectivity if any strongholds are to be overcome.

The women’s rights movement has been hijacked by secret occult groups who equate abortion to women’s rights. This does not mean we withdraw from any participation. It means we present our Christian version, grounded in the bible, and pray that God uses it to overcome those who’re using this matter for wrong reasons.

For any reader in USA the abortion topic may bring some association with political parties. The Republicans oppose abortion while the Democrats support it. However, this is only for political gain on both sides. It doesn’t take much analysis to see it, nor any study of political science.

It’s also paradoxical that abortions increase when Republicans are in office and decrease when Democrats are in office. It’s not a Republican or Democratic Party cause. It’s an economic cause. When Republicans are in office assistance to economic welfare programs that help the needy are drastically cut. With little or no support some people in poor communities resort to abortions when faced with pregnancies.

This explains the increase in abortions when Republicans are in office. It shows that people primarily seek abortions for economic reasons. Thus a political party that says it opposes abortions but does not address the underlying causes is contradicting itself. It is hypocrisy. And many Christians buy this hypocrisy by aligning themselves with political parties based on what they say, and not what they do.

The decrease in abortions when Democrats are in office is also explained by their increased welfare support programs to people in poor communities. What the Democrats say in their support of abortion is not good. However what they do in increasing welfare programs to people in poor communities is commendable. It’s not the best way since they give fish while ignoring the more important objective of teaching people to catch fish. However, it’s still better than no fish at all and no help to learn how to fish.

The two political party illustrations were given to show that the abortion is merely a political vote grabbing issue when it’s brought up. For Republicans opposing abortion suites with their target group of voters: conservatives and Christians. For Democrats embracing it also suites with their target group of voters: liberals and left-wing leaning people.

I’m therefore not trying to support one political party as being better than another. They’re both secular institutions that do not have our true Christian agenda at heart. If they did they would have addressed the spiritual and economic reasons behind many matters plaguing the poor. The problems include higher crime rates, use and selling of illegal drugs, higher abortion rates, lawlessness, and so on.

Instead their efforts and lack of effort serve to continue the status quo of ensuring an underclass exists for cheap labour and easier control. For Democrats constant giving of fish in the long run increases dependency, breeds laziness, decreases industriousness, and decreases personal responsibility for actions. As a result people under such support hardly ever rise above their obstacles. For Republicans the lack of support to people in poor communities serves the same purpose of ensuring an underclass exists.

In my other book on breaking occult spells I cover on how some groups in the occult world have infiltrated nearly every segment in society to insure their Satanic agenda reigns in this world. They’ve infiltrated politics, big business, the health industry, and so on, including the women’s rights movement. They’re using the women’s rights movement for population control purposes, to undermine family values, for blood rituals on aborted children, and so on. The book is titled, Breaking Occult Spells: Protection from Witchcraft and Occult Influences.

Thus it’s not worth retreating to our strongholds of false beliefs and behaviours just to feel safe on the women’s rights movement. We ought to participate in the women’s rights movement to ensure God’s agenda reigns and not the agenda of those in the occult. We ought not to sit by and allow them to use it for political gain, for abortion reasons, population control, undermining family values, and so on.

2. Africa and other developing regions “win” on modesty values

An area where USA loses and could learn a lesson from Africa and other developing regions regards modesty values. To reiterate this is not a competition. It’s just to give examples on being relatively free from false beliefs on certain matters.

A consumerism and materialism culture has been eroding basic values on being satisfied with the simple things in life: spirituality, family, community, charity, nature, health, and so on. People have placed a high security in money and things at a heavy cost of sacrificing spiritual pursuits, family values, and other simple things in life. The consumerism and materialism culture is a product of the major media players getting into a close partnership with the business world that advertise their products in the media. Promotion of consumerism makes the material “bling bling” being advertised to a specific group a part of their identity.

To feel more recognized in one’s group it becomes so important to have a good amount of the products and services being advertised. To many it’s more painful to feel like a social outcast in their culture and sub-culture than in questioning what’s being thrown at them by the media.

There’s an interesting “Happy Fathers Day” quotation circulating online. It says volumes on what consumerism has done:

• In 1900, if a father put a roof over his family’s head, he was a success.
• Today, it takes a roof, deck, pool, and 4-car garage. And that’s just the vacation home
• In 1900, fathers passed on clothing to their sons.
• Today, kids wouldn’t touch Dad’s clothes if they were sliding naked down an icicle.
• In 1900, fathers and sons would have heart-to-heart conversations while fishing in a stream.
• Today, fathers pluck the headphones off their sons’ ears and shout, “WHEN YOU HAVE A MINUTE...”
• In 1900, a father gave a pencil box for Christmas, and the kid was all smiles.
• Today, a father spends $800 at Toys ‘R’ Us, and the kid screams: “I wanted Sega!”
• In 1900, a happy meal was when Father shared funny stories around the table.
• Today, a happy meal is what Dad buys at McDonald’s.
• In 1900, when fathers entered the room, children often rose to attention.
• Today, kids glance up and grunt, “Dad, you’re invading my space.”

Even some churches have picked up this false message of seek first material “bling bling” and serve God primarily by giving your offering. It may not be bluntly said this way but their obsession with money and wealth says it loud and clear. In my other book on breaking occult spells I cover on how some groups in the occult world have infiltrated the body of Christ to sow in their deceptive doctrines.

Obsession with money and wealth is not part of our Christian calling. People who want to really serve God are broken for the matters that the Holy Spirit is leading them to focus on. They’re spiritually in tune with God's leading. They’re willing to deny their desires of the flesh and to deny self-serving interests.

On the other hand, people who want God to serve them are preoccupied with what God can do for them. They’re spiritually out of tune with God's leading and are more in tune with the flesh. They’re not willing to deny their desires of the flesh and self-serving interests. The prosperity gospel is a “serve me God gospel,” licensing worldliness. The bible says, “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died and your life is now hidden with Christ in God,” (Colossians 3: 2-3). Setting our minds on things above demands forsaking things below. It cannot be done by embracing both.

Materialism, that is, the belief system that glorifies wealth and other tangible objects above intangible and spiritual “objects’ has been around as far back as written and oral history goes. The only difference now is that it has reached chronic levels. It has become a major societal disease that is worth eradicating before it eradicates society. Unfortunately this disease is already eradicating it with increased pollution, decreased social values, immorality, and decreased spirituality.

Above all materialism is the major motive that’s driving the leaders of this world in pursuit of the one world government where they control all the world’s resources under one roof. The false power that wealth gives will eventually lead to the battle of Armageddon as factions among leaders of this world struggle for ownership of the world’s key resources. Thus materialism is what will end this world, with the battle of Armageddon being the last and most devastating war before Christ returns to save his elect.

Just as the Bible says, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil,” 1 Timothy 6:10. The love, not the mere possession of money, is a root of all kinds of evil. Remove the word love and money ceases to have a high value and affection it gets when it’s loved. People can be content with or without it.

When love is removed money becomes like anything any of us has no affection to. For example, I can live without a television. If ever I switch on it’d be for the Christian channels, news, or to watch a documentary. And getting rid of it would not reduce any amount of contentment in my life. It’s just a tool and its use does not make me attached to it. What is this love of money that the bible talks about? It’s the same definition found in dictionaries. You’ll easily see that the prosperity gospel falls into this category of loving money. Here’s a dictionary definition of love:

• A strong positive emotion of regard and affection.

• Passion (any object of warm affection or devotion).

• Enjoy (get pleasure from).

(WordNet 3.0 © Princeton University, “love”). Thus materialism does not refer to having a good career, good education, well paying job, modest material conveniences, and so on. Rather it refers to a person building his/her life around any of these earthly prizes. A person may strongly deny that he's not a materialist but his actions expose him.

His self-worth, goals and ambitions, inner desire for validation from other people, perception on security in life, satisfaction, happiness, and perception of God's blessings, all evolve around acquiring more money and earthly things. He may be in denial about worshiping the false god called money but in reality he’s under the spell of this false god. Unfortunately this person is not some unbeliever but it’s one among us following the prosperity gospel.

This prosperity gospel says, “Made in USA,” but it has now spread worldwide like a wildfire. There’s a joke in Kenya that if your business fails just become a prosperity preacher. You’ll easily gather your own flock that will be willing to embrace the give to get rich gospel. While doing graduate studies in Kenya I actually ended up in one of these prosperity churches.

The materialism gospel was well-matched with my business degree program. Going to church was like going for extra business classes on how to be super wealthy, this time using the bible. It was sweet. Until by God’s grace the Lord showed all the poison hiding behind this false gospel. Thus if there’s anyone familiar with this materialistic gospel I’m one of them.

Christians preaching this gospel are like the Pharisees whom Jesus called “blind guides” (Matthew 15:14). It’s thus the blind leading the blind. The blind give innocent Christians the worldly concept of money that has nothing to do with Christianity. These blind guides are experts at twisting the scriptures.

To such God says, “You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked,” Revelation 3:17.

As a result worldliness is given a welcome seat in Christianity. Christians compromise their spiritual pursuits, walk in purity, passion for the lost, needy, and so on, by making the acquisition of wealth their primary goal. Some may assume they’re not doing so but when anyone is willing to open mindedly look at the opposing biblical perspectives it’s likely he/she realize it. A biblical reality check says glorifying earthly riches is not our Christian agenda.

One person in prominent circles who received a biblical reality check is Jim Bakker. He was once a well known prosperity American televangelist. He apologized after realizing the emptiness of this false gospel. “For years, I helped propagate an impostor, not a true gospel, but another gospel,” Bakker wrote in his 1996 book titled, I Was Wrong.

How did Bakker realize he was teaching an erroneous doctrine? It was by his first time of reading the Bible all the way when he was in prison for defrauding Heritage USA investors. May none of us receive our wake-up moment on certain false teachings through regrettable moments. May we seek the truth and apply it without learning it through the hard way.

Bakker wrote in his book, “The more I studied the Bible, however, I had to admit that the prosperity message did not line up with the tenor of Scripture. My heart was crushed to think that I led so many people astray. I was appalled that I could have been so wrong, and I was deeply grateful that God had not struck me dead as a false prophet.” (Jim Bakker, I Was Wrong. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1996).

Christians blindly caught up in this false gospel are not going to hell if they’re innocently deceived. They’re part of the body of Christ, like any of us. However this does not justify the false teachings. They’re to be addressed and the bible clearly shows that they’re false teachings. False teachings are not justifiable, whether on women’s rights, on money, on spiritual warfare, and so on.

Summary on the two types of strongholds: known & unknown strongholds

This section has covered on the two types of strongholds: known and unknown (hidden) strongholds. The examples given are a tiny fraction of hidden strongholds lurking among us, around us, in the secular world, and in the body of Christ. It is hoped that each of us will be challenged to walk with God in such a way that our loyalty is to him first above all the ways of this world and traditions of men. May we be willing enough to seek God in such a way that we're willing to allow his Holy Spirit to search us and reveal hidden strongholds in our lives. Our prayer to God ought to be like David’s:

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting,” Psalm 139:23-24.

May we be willing to make the needed changes once God has exposed areas of falsehood we’ve been embracing. May we be willing to allow the Holy Spirit to pull down these spiritual strongholds and replace them with his word and ways. The chapters ahead will cover more on this deliverance area. “The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble,” Proverbs 4:18-19.

The severity of spiritual strongholds: minor, moderate, and extreme

Spiritual strongholds vary in their effects on our lives. This is the case for both types of spiritual strongholds: known and unknown (hidden) strongholds. Each stronghold affects a person in any one of the three ways below:

• Extreme level: Some strongholds are extreme forms of demonic influence that greatly hinder any one or combination of areas in our lives: spiritually, socially, materially, or physically.

• Moderate level: Other strongholds affect us moderately to the extent that we can still effectively fulfil our daily lives.

• Minor level: Other strongholds affect us in a minor way to the extent that their effects have an insignificant impact on our lives. Below are examples of strongholds that are extreme forms of demonic influence that can hinder each area of our lives. A life size list can be added to each area. Thus for each person it’s worth prayerfully searching for not only the severity of strongholds but also which area(s) of one’s life they affect. Dealing with the spiritual strongholds ought to be next once the root causes are found. This book has principles for dealing with both spiritual strongholds and healing the wounded spirit. The two are intertwined and are dealt with in the same way.

• Strongholds hindering spiritual lives of people: Greed, materialism, worldliness, unforgiveness, bitterness, sexual sins

• Strongholds hindering social lives of people: Sexual sins, unforgiveness, bitterness, temper tantrums, materialism, alcohol addiction, discrimination (gender, racial, ethnic, “looks,” etc)

• Strongholds hindering material lives of people: Greed, selfishness, compulsive gambling

• Strongholds hindering physical lives of people: Alcohol addiction, unhealthy eating habits, addiction to unhealthy foods

© 2004-2011 Jesus Work Ministry - JesusWorkMinistry.com