Breaking The Bondage Of Addictions / More Than Conquerors Lesson 4

Lesson Four

Realizing what Bondage and Strongholds Do to You

 “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.” Romans 8:15

In Proverbs 23:29-35 God describes how the bondage of addiction affects us. “Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder. Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things. Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast. They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.”

Stronghold = Lies & False Ideas

The above Scripture is a profile of bondage. Salvation through Christ delivers us from bondage and fear. Hebrews 2:15: “And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (II Timothy 1:7)

Before we can begin to discuss the effects of bondage and strongholds, we need to have working definitions to understand how they operate and the conditions they produce.

Bondage: As used in our banner verse (Romans 8:15), means “slavery, or “serve” (Strong’s Concordance 1397). To be in bondage, we must withhold our will from God and yield our will to Satan. He then takes us captive at his will (II Timothy 2:26) “And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.”

Because of the major role our will plays in bondage, we need to understand the sin of willfulness or iniquity: It is a purposeful turning aside or casting away of the truth.

[Strong’s 4160] It is an abandonment of our trust in God and His Word. “Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed: but he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded [or in peace].”(Proverbs 13:13)

Stronghold: Giving place to the Devil

The Biblical definition of a stronghold is: “1) a castle, stronghold, fortress, fastness;  2) anything on which one relies: a) of the arguments and reasoning by which a disputant endeavors to fortify his opinion and defend it against his opponent.”

It can also be defined as “accepting as unchangeable something that is contrary to Scripture: it contradicts the character or knowledge of God.” Believing things about God that are not true, absolutely locks us up in our bondage.

Further understanding about the operation of strongholds is found in II Corinthians 10:4, 5. “(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds 😉 Casting down imaginations [reasonings], and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;”

We are warned about wrong reasoning in our lives which can allow Satan to set up a stronghold in our hearts. Ephesians 4:26-27 “Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil.”

As our banner verse (Romans 8:15) teaches us, before we are saved we are in bondage to fear, the fear of death and of judgment because we do not trust in God. All bondage operates on fear; fear upon fear. The false gods of our hearts are cruel task masters.

“Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods.” (Galatians 4:8)

The god of this world works at keeping us ensnared in a variety of bondages through strongholds, but as a believer in Christ, we have changed Gods. We no longer worship the god of this world and now all things can “become new”. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (II Corinthians 5:17) New!

The love of God delivers us through salvation from the fear of death and eternal judgment. “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect [complete] in love.” (I John 4:18)

We acquire a new fear intended to deliver us from bondage. We are instructed to perfect our personal holiness in the fear of God. “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” (II Corinthians 7:1)

“The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.” (Proverbs 8:13)

 Proverbs 16:6 “By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil.”

Psalm 119:101 “I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep [observe, give heed] thy word.” Verse 104: “Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.” Verse 128: “Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way.” This is the new you! (II Corinthians 5:17) The word “cleanse” in the above verse (II Corinthians 7:1), according to the Strong’s concordance, means, “to free from defilement of sin and from faults; to consecrate by cleansing.” This is a personal action, the outworking of faith and salvation: putting off the works of the old, lost man and putting on the new man after the image of Him that created us (Colossians 3:9-10).

The starting point for our cleansing and gaining freedom from the defilement of sin and its bondage is to daily yield to the Holy Spirit and the Word of God.

Romans 8:11 “But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken [make alive] your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.”

II Corinthians 3:17 “Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”

Liberty is the opposite of bondage. Liberty is the freedom to do what we ought to do. We now live in Christ and He lives in us. “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)

 Let us now look at four ways Satan can gain a “stronghold” to keep us in bondage and hinder the marvelous work of God from being completed in us as He has planned.

Stronghold: “Hath God said?”

II Corinthians 10:5b: “every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God” is to believe something about God or His character that is simply not true; or to embrace reasoning that contradicts His word. This is one of Satan’s favorite tactics and he started it in the garden when he said to Eve, “Hath God said….?” (Genesis 3:1) In verses 4 and 5, Satan goes even further by telling an outright lie about God’s Word and then slandering God’s motives. These lies appeal to our “self” righteousness and our desire to be independent of God.

Strongholds have their origin in our hearts or minds where all of our wrong reasoning and vain [empty] imagining is produced. It starts with a lie or a false idea. Strongholds are brought down: by replacing lies with the truth of God’s Word, and by “bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;” (II Corinthians 10:5c)

In Matthew 15:18-19 Jesus Christ warned the religious leaders of His day that our deceitful hearts is where every wicked deed is born (“…evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:”) and that only by changing the treasure of their hearts (Matthew 12:34-35) could anything good come out of their mouths. The key to controlling our heart’s ability to produce evil is Proverbs 4:23 to “Keep [guard] thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” With a careful, steady effort, keep or guard your heart with the Word of God.

We are rendered powerless by the enemy when our thoughts are a continual rehearsal of the source of our anger and all the bitter thoughts we have accumulated toward a specific circumstance or person. This is the power of the stronghold. Defeating thoughts must be replaced by the truth of God’s Word. If Satan can get us to doubt the Word of God, then he can deceive us into believing his lies and keep us captive at his will.

Stronghold: Being Bitter

Anger and pride are the perfect soil for the seeds of bitterness to take root. The fruit of pride and anger is often an unwillingness to forgive. By refusing to forgive, we think we are imprisoning and tormenting those who have offended us, hurt our feelings, denied us of some right (imagined or real), or failed to live up to our expectations. We are the actual prisoners who will be tormented night and day by Satan’s fiery darts of lies, doubt, and fear until we repent. “Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow servant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.” (Matthew 18:33-34)

By forgiveness, we demonstrate the grace and mercy of God extended to us because of what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross in order to pay our sin penalty for us. Many fail to understand that forgiveness is not a separate function of salvation. No sin can be forgiven until it is paid for and Christ paid for all sin: God accepts that payment. That is the only reason He can forgive us our sins and give us eternal life. Believers are instructed in Ephesians 4:32 “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” Refusing to forgive, mocks the Word of God and the work of Christ. There are also spiritual consequences. “But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (Matthew 6:15)

Hebrews 12:15 “Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;” God provides us with His grace to humble ourselves and forgive others just as we have been forgiven for Christ’s sake alone. If we refuse that grace, we will pay the price of bitterness and it will affect everyone in the circle of our influence.

“But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, ‘God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble’.” (James 4:6)

Stronghold: Unconfessed Sin

One of the major ways we hold onto wrong reasoning and give place to the devil is being disobedient about daily confessing our own sin. In I John 1:9 we are told, “If we confess [say the same about] our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”. Confessing or agreeing with God about our sin, cleanses our heart and “perfects our holiness”. Not agreeing with God about it is to believe something about God that is not true: 1) That our sin is no big deal and 2) we can repent of it some other time than when we became aware of it. “Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?” (Proverbs 20:9) “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” (I John 1:7)

Stronghold: I Cannot Forgive Myself

Salvation results when the sinner not only believes on the finished work of Jesus Christ but also, in the process, does a complete “about face”. This is the meaning of repentance. Truly believing on Christ will result in us turning from our sin (repenting) to Christ and His righteousness. In our daily walk with Christ, as we learn to hate and despise our sin like God does and realize how offensive our sin is to God, then we daily gain both forgiveness and cleansing. Also, God will reveal how horribly it has wounded and perhaps destroyed the lives of others. It is often hard to have a sense of God’s forgiveness, even if we have come to agree with God and “say the same about” our sin as He does, but no place in Scripture says we must forgive ourselves. Forgiveness is all of God and nothing of our own ability.

When our sin has taken the life of another, stolen from someone their innocence, or caused our children to lose the security of their home, our grief and remorse can become a tortuous merry-go-around (gratitude for God’s forgiveness, but guilt and shame for what we have done). We also make ourselves ready targets for Satan who then takes us captive at his will. The only way to end this horrible ride and take back the ground in your heart is to again remind yourself of God’s great grace and mercy as revealed in His Word and give Him thanks for His forgiveness of all your sin.

Once we have owned up to a sin and taken responsibility for it before God, we gain forgiveness from God and the sin is under the blood of Christ. Yes, the consequences of our sin will remain and we will pay every bit that God requires of us. But we must embrace the freedom that is in God’s blood-bought forgiveness and reject the torment of that accuser of the brethren, Satan.

As you seek the forgiveness of those you have harmed, taking full responsibility for your sin against them (no excuses or shifting of the blame), you will eventually gain a new sense of forgiveness that comes from having a clear conscience. “And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men.” (Acts 24:16)You may never receive full forgiveness from those you have harmed, but you can still stand fast in the promises of God’s forgiveness and major on becoming like Christ by “perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (II Corinthians 7:1). Having “peace with God” will give us the “peace of God”.

Remember also Romans 8:30-37: It is the love of God and the salvation of Christ which makes us “super victors… ‘in all these things’; not in spite of them, but in the midst of them ” (Chambers, page 3 of this study)

Strongholds: Believing the Lie “I Can’t” when God says I Can

The destructive power of wrong reasoning cannot be emphasized enough: this is to believe about God that which is not true. We must short circuit the wiring of our wrong reasoning: our justification of our sin, our stubborn and sinful pursuit of self-destruction or self-satisfaction before we get true freedom and deliverance from this stronghold of Satan. Otherwise, though we are no longer a drunkard, we still think like a drunkard. Though we are no longer a drug addict, we will still seek artificial solutions to our cravings for love, joy, peace, satisfaction, recognition, acceptance, emotional healing, fear and insecurity. While the world’s counselors tell you that you will always be a victim, an alcoholic or addict, our Counselor, the Mighty God tells us that “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (II Corinthians 5:17)

Do not dwell on the power of your strongholds more than the strength of your God. “By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil.” (Proverbs 16:6) Instead, dwell continually on the Truth of the Word of God. “The highway of the upright is to depart from evil: he that keepeth his way preserveth his soul.” (Proverbs 16:17)

“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” (Philippians 4:13) “…My grace is sufficient for thee:…” (II Corinthians 12:9) “Nay in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” (Romans 8:37) And do not forget that Jesus said, “…for without me ye can do nothing.” (John 15:5) Ephesians 4:22-32 lays out a good pattern of behavior for us to replace the ways of the old nature and allow God to grow the new nature.

Verse 22 “That ye put off concerning the former conversation [manner of life] the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;” Lusts are deceiving and entice us to sin. Most strongholds result from believing a lie. (“It’s not going to hurt anyone.” “No one will know” or “I deserve this”.) That was our former manner of life, but not the life of the “new man”.

Verse 23 “And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;” Paul pleads with us in Romans

12:1-2 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” This is how we allow God to take captive our thoughts instead of Satan and to bring our thoughts “unto the obedience of Christ” (II Corinthians 10:5).

Verse 24 tells us how to accomplish this renewal of heart and mind: “And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”

We are to “put off”, like a disagreeable, soiled garment, the old man or nature. We are to “put on”, like a new soft and clean garment, the new man or the righteousness of Christ.

Then we are to act out this new way of living by “putting away” the ways of the old man, the sin nature, forever.

Verse 25 “Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another.”

Verses 26-31 list other things to be put away: sinful anger, wrath, giving place to the devil, stealing, corrupt communication, grieving the Holy Spirit, bitterness, wrath, clamour, evil speaking, and malice.

Verse 32 commands us “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”

A similar list occurs in I Corinthians 6:11-12 where the Apostle Paul reminds the believers “And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient [profitable]: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.”

Once we recognize the power which sin’s bondage has over us, we are obligated to submit ourselves to the power of Christ and to determine to never “be brought under the power of any” ever again.

Remember, this is warfare. Notice what we are commanded to do in II Corinthians 10:6 “And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.” The wrong thinking that leads to strongholds or keeps them going must be recognized, repented of and replaced with the Word of God, which is the Sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:11-17). Attack with specific Scripture the lies with the Truth. With your sin out of the way you will be able to draw closer to God. “Draw nigh to God and he shall draw nigh to thee.” (James 4:8)