Part Three: The Stronghold of Sin

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
James 4:7

When the devil tempts us to sin, he does so to gain a foothold in our lives. If he sees that we’re agreeable to dabbling in that sin, he moves to gain a stranglehold. A stranglehold is when your sin becomes a regular habit. Soon, he convinces us to put on the chains of sin bondage, which leads to the final phase of his control.

The stronghold of sin.

A stronghold is a fortified dwelling. In the area of spiritual warfare, an enemy stronghold is a position of control that cannot be overcome except by overwhelming power. A stronghold of sin is a prison of bondage.

In my youth, I was tempted to begin smoking cigarettes. I tried smoking one day and actually got sick from the experience, which is a normal response. (Humans weren’t created to inhale smoke, after all.)

But rather than close the door on sin, I tried again thinking that maybe I was just doing it wrong. Add some peer pressure and a desire to “look cool”, and at 15 years old I entered a stranglehold. (Which is the same age that my Dad began smoking…and since his sin was never broken, I picked it up and ran with it.)

After a year or two of smoking, my “cool habit” had turned into a stronghold. No matter how hard I tried to quit, I was unable to break free from that bondage. I lived under that yoke for eleven years, and also was tempted into using marijuana and other drugs at that time. Give the devil an inch, and he’ll take your life. Don’t invite that serial killer into your heart and mind.

It was only when I called upon the Lord to break my addiction that He set me free. (1 Peter 5:7, Jer 33:3, Jer 32:27) I went to war for my freedom, stayed in prayer, read the Word, and denied the flesh. He gave me the power and broke that chain. I haven’t smoked in nearly two decades, glory to God, and I have zero desire to ever smoke again.

If you have a stronghold of sin, it will never be broken until you agree with God that it’s destructive and needs to be cleaned out of your life. Strive to hate your sin as much as God does. Go to war against it. Tell God that you hate it and want it gone, then stop making any accommodations for that sin.

“But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.” Romans 13:14

If you want to know the power that can overcome any demonic stronghold, it’s the power of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul claimed this as the power in his life when he wrote to the church in Rome:

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” 
Romans 1:16

If you’re saved through faith in Jesus Christ, you have the power of God at your disposal to walk in purity. You CAN boldly say “NO” to sin! But if you’re unsaved, you can only rely on your own strength, which is no strength at all against Satan and your flesh.

Do you have a stronghold of sin that has you bound? Today is a good day to be free, but only with the powerful help of the Lord Jesus Christ. Submit yourself to Christ. Resist the devil. Make him flee.

Keep your armor on.