Satan’s Methods: Strongholds
This next group of blog posts comes from the third book in the Basic Training! series: Stage 3 Spiritual Warfare. By this time in the Pureheart process, you’ve locked down your devices, identified your triggers, you’re getting your acting out cycle under control, established accountability with your B.O.B group, and “Severed Spiritual Chains”. Because it is vital to your healing and maturity, we’ve devoted all of Stage 3 to teaching you about Spiritual Warfare. Have you ever met the devil? Demons? Do you know how to stand your ground against the cosmic forces of evil? Do you know how to fight against demons? Or how to equip yourself with the life-saving armor of God? “Stage 3: Spiritual Warfare” offers you a specific strategy for winning the invisible war that rages about you, starting with the fundamentals as laid out in this introductory chapter.
Brace yourself—it’s time for battle!
The 3 primary methods by which Satan attacks Christians are
Strongholds (Deception), Hearthold (Temptation), Foothold (Oppression)
Back to that old demonic 3-pronged pitchfork again. Satan has 3 primary methods by which he attacks Christians.
Strongholds represent the battle for a Christian’s mind.
Heartholds represent the battle for a Christian’s heart.
Footholds represent the battle for a Christian’s life.
Or to use other terminology:
Deception = teach a Christian lies;
Temptation = win over a Christian’s heart;
Oppression = control a Christian’s choices and actions.
These 3 methods of attack are so important, we’ll spend entire chapters breaking them down in detail. I will illustrate step-by-step how you defeat them.
Strongholds (Deceive the Mind)
The devil typically starts with deception. And why not? The power of the lie is awesome! It’s so powerful, I could literally murder you with 3 simple words! Don’t believe me? Read the next chapter…
Think about it. With one simple lie, the devil talked Adam and Eve into changing the course of history! I’ll use the story of the Fall throughout this section, because it perfectly illustrates the devil’s three-pronged attack: Control the mind, win the heart, and soon the feet of action will follow. God specifically told Adam and Eve that they would surely die if they ate from the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The devil comes along and tells Eve the exact opposite. It’s a real whopper: You won’t die; instead you will live and become like God. Adam and Eve will either live after they eat the fruit, or they will die—so someone has got some “splaining” to do. And note how deceived people find out they are deceived only after all the damage has been done. Goodbye, Garden of Eden!
Take a moment and reflect again on the power of the lie. The devil didn’t lift a talon; he didn’t attack them physically, or swoop down on Adam and Eve with thousands of demons. All he did was whisper a few sweet words in their ears, and wham-bam—the universe is changed forever! Notice also how he achieved his ultimate goal of murdering both Adam and Eve. Having been physically cast out of the Garden and separated from God, they first died spiritually and then eventually died physically, because they came under God’s curse. Truly, the devil was a liar and a murderer from the Beginning!
Like Adam and Eve, if demons can get you to swallow a lie (You’ll will never be free…), then they are well on their way to winning the war. Specifically, demons will attempt to control your mind by filling it with Strongholds. A stronghold is a mindset, an entrenched mental pattern of thought, a habitual attitude, a set of beliefs, a paradigm that always has at its core a lie or multiple lies of Satan.
A stronghold will always (directly or in subtle fashion) contradict the truth of Scripture. Examples of strongholds abound: I’m just a pervert, I will never be free, God doesn’t love me, This really isn’t that bad, The Bible isn’t true, Do whatever feels right, You will never amount to anything… Strongholds come from a variety of sources (parents, friends, media, school, negative self-talk, and direct demonic thoughts in our head), but the devil’s goal is always the same. These false beliefs get buried (with time and experience) deep in our souls, and they blind us to the truth of Scripture. Read 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, Ephesians 4:22-24, and Colossians 3:1-3 for more insight into the importance of the battle for your mind.
The devil’s primary goal is control—hence the battle for your brain. If the devil controls what you believe, he controls you!
Your Brother in the Battle,
Timothy
Start your Mission Possible TODAY!
Contact Pureheart for more information.
Excerpt taken from Pureheart Ministry’s Basic Training! Stage 3: Spiritual Warfare
Copyright ©2023 Timothy Davis