Jude 2

What is a Stronghold?

My wife and I were talking yesterday. We both have heard

Praying for the Strongholds to come down or be removed..


In praying and preparing for her upcoming Trip To India, Several have used this phrase.

Any scriptures to support this and explain this.

I did find this statement online .

Strongholds are entrenched Plan B ways of thinking and living that create a fortress (or enemy outpost) where Satan has dominion rather than God in your life. (Plan A = Gods plan)


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http://www.ebroach.net/triptoindia/



PS

Anyone using OOVOO for video chatting.

Billy n NC wrote:What is a Stronghold?

My wife and I were talking yesterday. We both have heard

Praying for the Strongholds to come down or be removed..


In praying and preparing for her upcoming Trip To India, Several have used this phrase.

Any scriptures to support this and explain this.

I did find this statement online .

Strongholds are entrenched Plan B ways of thinking and living that create a fortress (or enemy outpost) where Satan has dominion rather than God in your life. (Plan A = Gods plan)


-------------------------------------------

http://www.ebroach.net/triptoindia/



PS

Anyone using OOVOO for video chatting.

2 Corinthians 10:4
(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)

I just taught on this. A stronghold is a fortified place, a fortress, a major centre or area of predominance. Humans are made up of Body, Spirit & Soul acccording to the Bible. The Soul of man includes his Will, Mind & Emotions. The Souls was made to look upward thru the Spirit towards God for answers. But because of sin, the Soul many times will look downwards thru the Body for answers or help.

An example, someone is under a whole lot of stress. Stress is a feeling or emotion. A Christian should have the Spirit of Christ dwelling withing and thru that Spirit look upward towards heaven for help. But say he/ she doesn't! Well then, stress could lead to one smoking as a stress reliever (help thru the body). Smoking one cigarette doesn't lead to addiction. But continually smoking leads to am addiction and then you have a stronghold in your life.

Don't feel bad about not knowing. When I asked the question, "What is a stronghold?" Not one person in our church knew but all could qoute the scripture. Christianese we all speak well but many times don't understand it's meaning.

Let me also add if I may, since your wife is going to India, Hinduism could be a stronghold also. Hinduism is a false religion that the enemy uses to keep people from the truth.

Hope my examples help. It's really a long study that is hard to define in a couple of small post.

In II Corinthians ch. 9-11, it appears Paul was warning the church at Rome to be prepared with Christ's words for any false prophets possibly filling the pulpit, or claiming themselves to be "apostles" (apostole or apostolos in the N. T. meaning commisioned of Christ- ambassador of the gospel). Seems to be pointing inside the church or at least to those who claim to be working for the church.

He's wanting the people to be spiritually ready to face these things rather than being "strong in body" and throwing them physically out of the church. He seems to be placing special importance on internal workings of the heart rather than "outward appearance" (chapter 10, verse 7).

I don't know how clear that makes the meaning. I'm not even too sure how clear I am on it, but that's what's in the book at least as far as my understanding allows me to see.

Ochuromaton (trans. "stronghold" and, in the NASB, "fortress") occurs only in 2 Cor. 10:4. The context, though, is ways of thinking. Paul has declared war on mindsets and assumptions. There were those who'd come into Corinth with guns a-blazin' at Paul's teachings. Paul had come back to them, by letter, humbly, admitting that it was easy for him to be bold while absent; but, he admonished them that if it was necessary, he'd come back and be bold face to face, that contrary to all the blistering criticism his opponents had leveled at him after his previous letter to them, he wasn't fighting against the people but was warring for the hearts and minds of those folks at Corinth with the power of thoroughly Godly thinking and wholly Godly instruction.

His thought would be improperly dissected if we take the phrase "pulling down of strong holds" in isolation and then apply it to some mystical battleground to be prayed against, etc. I'm not saying that there isn't spiritual warfare against powers and principalities -- indeed there is. However, this isn't that. This is Paul's direct threat, one that he intends to make good on for the sake of those believers, to put a major quietas on the antichristian critics of Paul, backbiters and false apostles as they were. That's why Paul's whole thought goes into vv. 5-6,

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds, casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; and having in readiness to revenge all disobedience”

This is a very practical instruction to resist those critics to the full and to defend the faith as delivered by him to them, and assurance that Paul himself would do whatever was necessary to make that happen. As I read it, and this is just my own opinion, Paul's use of the word "strong hold" or "fortress" is mocking those critics who think they have got him, think they have a valid wedge against him as they try to get for themselves followers. Compare the power of the gospel and Paul's witness to the power of their rhetoric and their witness.

My bad. Thank you, Dolfan. Yes, this is the Corinth church not the church at Rome. Good grief! I even posted the scripture reference and still posted that wrong. Ugh!