Spiritual Strongholds

“Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil. Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:26-32

Sin happens because you let it happen.

 “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8). If you forget that sin is seeking to devour you, you will allow it to run free. If you stay alert and sober minded, you can limit sin from roaming free in your life. You have to put away the footholds that Satan wants to plant in your life. You have to determine to give the enemy no quarter as you engage in spiritual warfare. If you allow the enemy to remain in a sequestered part of your life, you will see attacks being launched in other areas of your life. As you put to death the enemy of sin in one area of your life, you will often find less temptations bombarding you in the other areas of your life.  

With God on your side, you can restrain the enemy of sin.

Just as the lion is a fierce predator, temptations can be a strong enemy to battle against.

But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. James 1:14-15

The weapons formed against you are the weapons of desire and will power as you transform the deeper parts of who you are.

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled. 2 Corinthians 10:3-6

As you encounter the outposts of sin, you can submit every wayward thought to God and allow Him to hand you the victory.

There is a mediator for sin.

Since spiritual warfare is different from physical warfare, you have to approach it differently than you would hand-to-hand mortal combat. In physical warfare, you can identify the enemy’s position and go in to take it out, but in spiritual warfare, you identify the enemy’s position then ask God to go and take out the enemy for you. Because the spiritual battle is against principalities and powers (Ephesians 6:12), you have to let God do the fighting for you.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9). For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus. (1 Timothy 2:5).

Jesus is your Mediator who can demolish every stronghold sin has in your life.