A stronghold in the mind is a structure that holds or maintains a belief system. In military terms, a stronghold can be a bunker or a fortress. A stronghold can be difficult to penetrate because it is heavily fortified and protected. A stronghold in the mind is also heavily fortified and not easily penetrable.
A mental stronghold comes into place when a thought or lie is believed. Once that belief is accepted as truth, all information that comes after that begins to solidify that thought into a structure. As each piece of information is added to the structure, it becomes increasingly solid and more difficult to dismantle. If this structure is based on a lie, it will color every thought that is related to that lie.
Strongholds can be used by the enemy to bring deception in every place where there is a stronghold. It can be an open door for destruction in relationships and even our own self-image. Strongholds can be difficult to dismantle, but with God all things are possible. In 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 it says, “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have the divine power to demolish strongholds.” God has given us weapons that can effectively demolish those structures that the devil uses to destroy us.
God’s strategies for our freedom are prayer and using the Word of God like a weapon. In fact, the Word is called the Sword of the Spirit. Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even as far as the division of soul and spirit.” This means that where we are deceived in our soul, or mind, our spirit joined with Holy Spirit and the Word can begin to identify the lie that has been resident in us. As we continue to use the word to dislodge the lie, we can begin to build up a healthy truth structure in our minds by believing the Word of God. For every stronghold, we can ask Holy Spirit to reveal truth. John 16:13 tells us “When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide us into all truth.” This is a powerful promise. Every one of us has strongholds. But as we seek truth and begin to apply it to our lives, we can begin to live in freedom.