Strongholds
Search me, God, and know my heart: test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139:23-24
God’s man has an infinite power to wield. But to do it, he needs to yield. God knows it when he sees it. So does Satan practically. This means dealing with the footholds in our lives, those areas of behavior or character where permission or power is given to Satan to traffic in darkness. Willingly eliminating footholds is synonymous with increased Holy Spirit power over evil.
Announce your opposition to evil in prayer and accept the power within you to overcome strongholds. Ask God to show you areas of your life where you do not like or want His authority. Ask Him, where is there tension over your control in my life? Where am I unwilling to go? What process am I resisting? Write down on paper what comes to mind— affirming God’s presence and His blessings in your life — asking him is there anyone you are harboring bitterness or resentment toward — releasing that person from the harm you are feeling — disciplining your mind by ordering it according to God’s Word, committing it to aggressive management and loving God with your thought life — declaring war against any habitual sin by inspecting it with the light of His Word — owning it and amputating it from your life.
Footholds can be small, but when left unaddressed they can grow. All the behaviors above reflect a change of mind, an awareness of reality and truth, and a response consistent with your identity in Christ, more to the point; these are fighting behaviors that send a strong and clear message that you possess a new commitment to being under God’s authority to a better steward of his authority. The high ground in the fight against evil is authority.
Father, your Holy Spirit prompts me to live a life of integrity of living out my belief.