Who I Am In Christ 3: Strongholds of the Mind

Bible Readings:Psalm 111:1 - 10 page 4342 Corinthians 10:1 - 5 page 821Luke 14:1 - 14 page 739

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• “Walking by faith” means acting on what you believe.

• Your belief system determines your behaviour.

• The Bible calls these belief systems "strongholds".

• Strongholds were centres of resistance. An enemy was not defeated until his strongholds were destroyed.

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• In 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 Paul uses the image of a stronghold to show how the enemy can create resistance in our minds to the truth of God.

• “For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,” (2 Corinthians 10:3–5, ESV)

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• A stronghold of the mind is a set of interlocking beliefs or ideas "arguments" and "lofty opinions."

• “We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:3–5, NLT)

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• Strongholds cause people to behave in a ways that are wrong.

• Strongholds can blind or stop a person from believing in God.

• Strongholds cause people to believe the wrong things about God and themselves.

• A stronghold of the mind is a set of interlocking ideas and beliefs which can block or oppose the truth of God and cause people to behave in ways that are evil, hurtful and sinful.

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• Racism is an example of a very common stronghold.

• The stronghold of racism is a set ideas about other people that are different built on a foundation of pride that states that people that are different are inferior.

• God's Word states that there is no such thing as race. All people are descendants of Adam.

• “From one man He created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and He determined their boundaries.” (Acts 17:26, NLT)

• This verse reveals the stronghold of racism for what it is, "a lofty[proud] opinion raised against the knowledge of God;" - a lie of Satan.

• Strongholds in the mind have changed the course of history and caused untold suffering and evil.

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• Personal and emotional strongholds are underlying patterns of behaviour.

• Patterns of behaviour are built during childhood and can have a profound effect on the way people behave as adults.

• Emotional strongholds are ways of responding to life situations and can be either good or bad.

• Authority figures in our lives can create strongholds upon which we act.

• According to what we believe about ourselves so we will behave in life.

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• “ But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.” s(James 1:5–8, NIV84)

Stronghold of Truthbuilt on God’s Word

Stronghold of sinbuilt on the values of the world and the lies of Satan.

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• The “Double Minded” - in their mind there are conflicting sets of beliefs, strongholds.

• Example: One stronghold is based on the truth that God is our loving heavenly Father who delights to answer their prayers.

• The other stronghold is based on childhood experiences of a father who always let them down, who seldom fulfilled his promises.

• Which set of beliefs will they act on? The old or the new? Common Result: They say that God can answer prayers but live their daily lives as though He will not answer their prayers.

You’re not good enough.

God won’t answer your prayers.

“And I will do whatever you ask

in my name,” (John 14:12–14)

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• We must pull down the old strongholds in our mind, which oppose the truth of God.

• We must build new strongholds based on God’s Word.

• “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)

• Renewing the mind means pulling down the old strongholds and building new ones founded on God's Word.

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Renewing the Mind - Build God’s Truth into your thinking.

• Recognise the voice of the enemy in your minds.

• The lying voice works to maintain the negative strongholds built in your mind by repeating the same lies over and over.

• Jesus said, “[The devil] was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.” (John 8:44, NKJV)

• Satan's primary weapon against you is the lie so your defence is the truth.

• When you expose Satan's lie with God's truth, the power of his lie is broken.

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Renewing the Mind - Build God’s Truth into your thinking. Jesus said, “So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed Him, “If you abide in My Word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”” (John 8:31–32, ESV)

• Notice that the key to knowing the truth is to "abide in My Word". Abide means means actively learning and thinking about living Jesus' words – His teaching.

• Jesus prayed for His disciples “I do not ask that You take them out of the world, but that You keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; Your Word is truth.” (John 17:15–17, ESV)

• Protection from the evil one comes from God’s words.

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Renewing the Mind - Build God’s Truth into your thinking.

• We need to fill our memory with God's words especially the words of Jesus

• Then we can recognise the lies of Satan.

• “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.” (Colossians 3:15–16, NIV84)

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How we "take every thought captive to obey Christ."

• As soon as a thought enters your mind that tempts you to think with the old stronghold, recall the relevant truth from God’s Word to expose the lie.

• Why should I worry and be anxious when I can cast all my worries on Christ who cares for me; “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7, NIV84)

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• Why should I feel condemned when the Bible says I am not condemned because I am in Christ; “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” (Romans 8:1, NKJV)

• Why should I feel worthless when Christ became sin on my behalf that I might become the righteousness of God in Him. “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21, NKJV)

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• Build new strongholds of truth in your mind.

• Abide in the Word of God especially the words of Jesus.

• Pull down the stronghold of lies about yourself by memorising God’s words of strength and comfort and life.

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