OVERCOME EMOTIONAL STRONGHOLDS (3)

“Lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices” – 2 Corinthians 2:11

To effectively OVERCOME EMOTIONAL STRONGHOLDS, we must shift from Ignorance to working Knowledge of God’s Word: “Lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices” (2Cor.2:11). Isaiah cautioned against willful ignorance: “Therefore my people have gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge” (Isa.5:13a). So did Hosea: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me” (Hos.4:6). Due to ignorance of what God has accomplished in Christ, Satan’s real state and status, and our position in Christ, many are still being held hostage by Satan’s strongholds.

Jesus Christ through the power of the cross and resurrection, possesses the ultimate veto power in the world (Mt.28:18). The devil got pummeled at Calvary. He no longer holds final authority over our lives as Believers in Christ, though he still makes strenuous attempts to persuade us to believe his lies and pressurize us into feeling that he has the final authority over us. Problems come when we don’t know the truth and stand firm in it. Knowledge – what we know and what we believe – is vital: “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (Jh.8:32). Once we realize that Jesus Christ has already defeated the devil, we are made free to live in Victory.

The devil has been disarmed; his firepower removed. His gun was emptied at Calvary. There, Jesus Christ took the bullets out of Satan’s gun. He deactivated, dismantled, and disarmed Satan’s headship. His empty gun no longer holds any authority. The most the devil can do is pretend that his gun is still loaded. If we don’t know, we’ll still be filled with fear and act defeated when he points a gun at us that has no bullets in it. Satan no longer has any authority over the Believer in Christ. This truth may sound idealistic to one who is facing real battles in the world – family, financial, career, and emotional wars! It is the truth nonetheless: “Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place” (v.14).

Let’s clarify this: Satan lost his authority, but he didn’t lose his power; hence he still dominates the world in many ways. 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 says, “But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.” That’s the devil operating in his realm. The things he does are real, damaging, and destructive. He is and will always be a liar, thief, and murderer with intentions to kill, steal, and destroy (Jh.8:44; 10:10a). It only takes a glance around the globe, around communities and homes, or even in human souls to see that Satan still operates with power. The key truth we need to realize in order to walk in freedom and victory is that Satan no longer has authority.

Authority is the right to use the power that one possesses. Satan’s power is effective only when he has the right to use it; hence, he tries to keep us from functioning in our legitimate Authority in Christ. Satan seeks to lure us out from underneath God’s authority and rule, wherein we’re absolutely secure from the dominion of darkness (Col.1:13). The enemy is victorious only when we yield the power to him by not standing firm in our identity in Jesus Christ; failing to firmly remain in the union we were designed to have with Christ, under His headship.

Some believers keep flipping sides and switching allegiance between God’s Kingdom and Satan’s worldly domain. As we keep our allegiance on the conclusive and authoritative Word of God, we’re guaranteed to overcome all Emotional Strongholds, including: anger, anxiety, defeatism, depression, discouragement, doubt, envy, fear, frustration, rejection, inferiority complex, poor self-esteem, and a victim mentality.