St. Peter's Church and World Outreach Center

When you think about a stronghold of the mind, what image do you see?  Envision for a moment that a demon of brute strength forcefully has his grip around your mind.  His fingers are so large that they block anything from entering or escaping.  You’re bound by his menacing grip; oppressed by the thoughts he’s given you of fear, doubt, unbelief and all the other lies he’s told you over the years against God, His Word, and His promises through the Lord Jesus Christ.  Because of the hold he has on your mind, you reason against, argue and disagree with, resist and reject God and anything contrary to the grip this demonic brute has on you.  You’ve actually become haughty and high-minded to the things of God because you’ve been trained to think only the way the stronghold has conditioned you.

Beloved, this is a painful and horrible image that I’ve painted for you; however, it’s the way many people, even Christians, live each and every day.  Satan uses various demons and unclean spirits to wreak havoc on the minds of those who do not know how to overcome him.  But do not despair; there is a way of escape.

Demons and unclean spirits can only function in a life where they’ve been given permission.  It’s only when they find a body to operate in that won’t fight against or resist them with the weapons given to us through the Lord Jesus Christ, that they can maintain their hold.  God’s Word tells us that “they overcome him by the Blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony” (Revelation 12:11).  Also, according to Matthew 12:29, it tells us “…how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man?”

Let me paint another picture in your imagination.  See yourself freed from that very same demon mentioned before, the strongman. Imagine that the Blood of Jesus has now not only freed your mind from his awful grip, but it now has him bound in an even more powerful way than what he had on your mind before!  With the Word of God and the name of Jesus, you can now cast him out of your mind for good and finally defeat and destroy him. Once this is done, it’s important for you to refill the place where Satan once dominated with the Holy Spirit and the Word of God continually.  This is how you guard your mind and protect it from Satan’s devices.  Through daily seeking God through His Word, praying, fasting and communing with the Holy Spirit, you become empowered with His strength to resist the strongman when he tries to return. As you submit to God and resist the devil, he will have to flee! (James 4:7).  And that’s a promise you can count on from God Himself.

Know that we are not subject to Satan and his demon spirits; they are subject to us through the weapons given to us through the Lord Jesus Christ.  There’s so much more that needs to be covered on this topic, so stay tuned for more to come over the next few weeks.  We’ve only scratched the surface.