🧠 MIDWEEK BIBLICAL TEACHING:
BREAKING STRONGHOLDS
Foundational Scriptures
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2 Corinthians 10:4–5
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Ephesians 6:10–18
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1 Corinthians 14:2
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Romans 12:1–2
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Hosea 4:6
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John 8:32
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Matthew 16:23
🔒 WHAT ARE STRONGHOLDS?
Strongholds are thought patterns that govern:
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our ideas (what we believe),
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our emotions (how we feel),
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and our actions (how we live).
They are built over time and live primarily in the mind, not the body.
“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds…”
— 2 Corinthians 10:4
🧠 THE BATTLEFIELD IS THE MIND
“…casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God…”
2 Corinthians 10:5
Strongholds exalt themselves against truth.
They compete with what God says.
This is why Scripture warns:
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”
Hosea 4:6
⚔️ SPIRITUAL WARFARE IS STRUCTURED
Ephesians 6:10–18 teaches us:
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We wrestle not against flesh and blood
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There is order in the spiritual realm
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And God provides armor, not confusion
We are not fighting people
we are confronting patterns, lies, and influences.
🚪 PERMISSION MATTERS
Principalities and demonic influences must have permission to operate.
Permission often comes through:
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Agreement with lies
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Unhealed wounds
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Repeated sin
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Unforgiveness
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Ignorance of truth
The enemy looks for legal ground.
🧍🏽♂️ WE ALL HAVE STRONGHOLDS TO ADDRESS
As human beings, we are not perfect.
That means:
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Everyone has areas God is still renewing
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Strongholds can exist in believers
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Freedom is often a process, not a moment
This is why Scripture says:
“Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind…”
Romans 12:2
🧍🏽♂️ THE BODY AND THE MIND WORK TOGETHER
Romans 12:1–2 shows us something important:
“Present your bodies a living sacrifice…”
The body must be surrendered daily, and the mind must be instructed how to think according to the Word of God.
Strongholds often remain because:
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The mind wants change
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But the body keeps returning to old patterns
Daily sacrifice and daily renewal work together.
📖 REAL-LIFE EXAMPLE: HOW PERMISSION OPENS THE DOOR
I remember ministering to a young man who had watched a demonic movie.
At the end of the movie, words appeared on the screen telling him to repeat certain phrases.
The moment he spoke those words, a demon entered him.
From that point on:
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He began cutting himself
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He struggled mentally and emotionally for about a year
When we later ministered to him, the demon spoke and said:
“I have been wanting him ever since he was a child.”
That revealed something important
the enemy had been looking for permission, and when it was given, he entered.
We took authority over that spirit in the name of Jesus.
The deliverance did not happen instantly, but we stayed faithful:
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We kept praying
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We kept standing
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We kept covering him in truth and love
Today, that young man is delivered.
He has given his life fully to Jesus Christ and is walking in freedom.
📖 SECOND STORY: DISCERNING THE SPIRIT BEHIND THE VOICE
(added)
As Jesus was preparing to go to the cross and fulfill His assignment, Peter spoke up and tried to stop Him.
Peter told Jesus that suffering and death should not happen.
Jesus did not respond emotionally.
He responded spiritually.
“Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.”
Matthew 16:23
Jesus was not calling Peter Satan.
He was addressing the spirit influencing Peter’s words.
Peter loved Jesus.
Peter meant well.
But his thinking was shaped by human reasoning, not God’s will.
Jesus discerned:
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This was not just concern
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This was not just emotion
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This was spiritual interference trying to stop the cross
So He rebuked the spirit, not the man.
🧠 WHY THIS MATTERS
This shows us:
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Good people can speak from the wrong influence
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Loving intentions can still carry spiritual opposition
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Not every voice that sounds reasonable is from God
Strongholds often speak through:
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Fear
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Self-preservation
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Logic without revelation
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Emotion without submission
Jesus teaches us to discern the source, not just react to the words.
❤️ START WITH LOVE & HONESTY
Starting with love creates:
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Safety
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Honesty
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Relationship instead of performance
Love removes fear and allows truth to heal without condemnation.
You cannot confront what you won’t admit.
🗣️ A NOTE ON SPIRITUAL LANGUAGE
“For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God…”
— 1 Corinthians 14:2
Spiritual language has purpose, but growth also requires understanding.
God wants us free, not confused.
🔓 FREEDOM COMES THROUGH TRUTH
“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
John 8:32
Strongholds fall when:
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Truth replaces lies
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The mind is renewed
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The body is surrendered
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Love creates honesty
🧩 CLOSING THOUGHT
Strongholds are not a sign of failure.
They are an invitation to growth.
Freedom is not perfection —
it is alignment.