“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.”
Last week’s blog post started the topic of how God heals our hearts from past wounds and lies, which if we are not careful, can really affect our future and the future of our generations. We must be good stewards of our own hearts. And this type of healing often precedes us being healed body, soul and spirit.
Demolishing Strongholds Starts with Our Heart
Stewardship is important. It affects the condition of our hearts, emotionally, spiritually, and even our physical bodies. The healing of our soul can also affect the resources we have been given, as in people and money. Why? Because our emotional heart-health reveals how well we are managing our thoughts, ambitions, and dreams. It has everything to do with a key verse found in Proverbs 4:23:
“Watch over your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.” (KJV)
All the issues of our lives flow from our hearts. The picture is very much like a spring in the ground that bubbles up continually, creating various streams that venture out and fill the landscape around it.
Managing the heart, the source of that particular spring, ensures the purity of the stream that goes out from it. It defines the life of each individual, and it also defines what flows out to others.
What Did Jesus Say About It?
On one hand, the heart can be known for impurity. Jesus spoke of that reality in this way in Matthew 15:
“For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders. These are the things which defile the man.” – Matt. 15:19-20
However, at the complete other end of the spectrum, He said:
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” – Matt. 5:8
So then, the heart can reveal two completely different realities, two different worlds: one is the world of spiritual darkness and death, and the other is the world of life and true Christlikeness. The choice of the latter is rewarded by seeing the most wonderful and beautiful thing in existence: God Himself.
Perhaps this one statement of Jesus helps us to clarify this reality:
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” – Matt. 6:21
Our hearts reveal what we treasure or value most. How we deal with the areas of our hearts that have been darkened by the past are again extremely important to God. Why? Because if we can give these areas over to Him to walk free from these strongholds that have kept us imprisoned for so long (especially when it comes to other people or areas such as money), then we will see a whole new world of hope and freedom. We will live unhindered from the bondage we’ve known for so long.
An Example from the Bible
In Scripture we can read the story of Joseph, a prisoner, becoming Joseph the prime minister. This example in Scripture can truly teach us that we can rise above the most horrible of circumstances, overcome the greatest challenges, and live in the fullness of our God-given potential. We can steward our hearts and tear down those strongholds!
As you read through Joseph’s long journey from slavery to becoming the Pharaoh’s right-hand man, you may feel that yours will be long too. But if you don’t take the first step, you’ll remain stuck where you are! Sometimes your ‘stronghold” could have been established early in life. As a lot of us know, family pain is the deepest pain, because it’s inflicted so early and involves people who should have been trustworthy.
Unfortunately, you may have been too young to process the mistreatment; you didn’t even know how to defend yourself. Your dad, mom, uncle, big brother or sister– they towered over you, usually in size and in rank. When they judged you falsely, you believed them and accepted what they said and did to justify it.
All this time you were operating on faulty data: Then friends, or maybe even other people like teachers or a boss would compound your perception by stating, “You’re stupid…slow…dumb like your father…fat like your mother…or your just plain useless…” Perhaps even now, decades later, those voices of defeat still echo in your subconscious. But they don’t have to! This is not who you are or who you have been created to be!
“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds “– 2 Cor 10:4
Start Demolishing and Pulling Down Those Strongholds!
The first rule is to use the “reject and repeat” strategy. Once you learn this then you’ll win, victory after victory, in your thinking.
When those negative, fearful, guilt-ridden, inferior, condemning thoughts arise, reject them, and begin to repeat what God says about you in His Word. As God’s Word comes to life within you, your old thoughts will begin to die and lose their control over you.
So, today, pull down that stronghold and let your healing begin. Steward your heart; drink from the right stream so that rivers of living water will flow out of you (John 7:37-38).
If you want to learn more about the healing of your past and your soul, check out our Trichotomy Healing resource available on USB, CD, and as a MP3 download.
