On Second Thought
There are battles in the Christian life that cannot be won by simply trying harder. We can discipline ourselves, change routines, avoid certain situations, and surround ourselves with better influences, and all of those things can be helpful. But when Scripture speaks about spiritual strongholds, it points us beyond ordinary self-improvement. Paul writes that “the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds” (2 Corinthians 10:4). The emphasis is important: the strength needed for spiritual freedom does not originate in us. It comes from God.
That becomes especially clear when we look at Matthew 4:1–11, where Jesus confronts Satan in the wilderness. Jesus does not negotiate with temptation. He does not attempt to outwit Satan with cleverness. Each time the tempter speaks, Jesus responds with Scripture: “It is written.” The Son of God demonstrates something we sometimes forget—spiritual warfare is fought through submission to the truth of God rather than through confidence in ourselves. The enemy offered Jesus shortcuts, power, recognition, and satisfaction detached from obedience to the Father. Jesus refused every one.
That pattern matters when we consider what Charles Stanley called “shattering strongholds.” A stronghold is not merely a difficult habit. It can be a pattern of thinking, fear, temptation, deception, resentment, or spiritual compromise that has gained enough influence that we begin to feel trapped by it. Paul says that part of spiritual warfare involves “bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). The battle often begins long before outward behavior appears. What repeatedly controls our thoughts will eventually influence our choices.
Psalm 56 gives us another glimpse of that battle. David writes, “Mine enemies would daily swallow me up: for they be many that fight against me, O thou most High” (Psalm 56:2). David knew what it meant to feel surrounded. Yet only a verse later he declares, “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.” The situation does not immediately change, but David changes where he places his confidence. Fear says, “Look at how many enemies there are.” Faith says, “Look at how great my God is.”
That shift is central to Christian spiritual warfare.
The study rightly warns against practices Scripture associates with occultism. Deuteronomy 18:10–14 explicitly forbids divination, sorcery, mediums, spiritism, and attempts to consult the dead. Galatians 5:20 likewise includes sorcery among the works of the flesh. The biblical point is not that objects themselves possess some mysterious independent power. Rather, Christians are called to make a clean break from practices that seek spiritual knowledge or power apart from God. We cannot ask Christ to rule an area of life while deliberately keeping open a door to something He has told us to leave behind.
There are times when obedience therefore needs to become practical. If something in our lives continually draws us toward beliefs or practices contrary to Christ, removing it can be an act of spiritual clarity. The important thing is not fear of an object; it is allegiance to Jesus. Christianity does not call us to become fascinated with darkness. It calls us to walk in the light.
That is why prayer becomes so important.
Stanley advises believers to pray specifically, using Scripture that addresses the situation they are facing. There is wisdom in that. When Jesus faced temptation, He answered with the Word of God. When fear dominates our thinking, we can pray Psalm 56. When temptation feels overwhelming, we can remember 1 Corinthians 10:13. When accusation weighs us down, we can return to Romans 8:1: “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.” Scripture anchors prayer in what God has actually said rather than in what our emotions are telling us at the moment.
But there is another caution in today’s study that deserves special attention: pride has no place in spiritual warfare.
Sometimes Christian language about defeating Satan can subtly shift the focus toward ourselves. We begin speaking as though victory depends upon how forcefully we pray, how confidently we speak, or how much spiritual authority we imagine ourselves possessing. The New Testament points in another direction. James 4:7 says, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
Notice the order.
Submission comes before resistance.
The safest place in spiritual warfare is not where I feel powerful; it is where I am completely dependent upon Christ.
Jesus Christ is the victor. Colossians 2:15 says that through the cross He disarmed the powers and authorities and triumphed over them. Hebrews 2:14 explains that through His death Christ broke the power of the one who held the power of death. First John 4:4 reminds believers, “greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” Our confidence therefore rests not in our ability to defeat evil but in Christ’s victory over it.
That makes spiritual freedom much different from positive thinking.
If fear has become a stronghold, the answer is not merely repeating, “I will not be afraid.” It is learning to trust the God who remains present when fear comes.
If resentment has become a stronghold, the solution is not pretending the wound never happened. It is allowing the grace of Christ to loosen bitterness’s grip upon the heart.
If temptation has become a stronghold, freedom is not simply making stronger promises. It involves exposing temptation to Scripture, prayer, accountability, and the lordship of Christ.
If destructive thinking has become a stronghold, bringing thoughts captive means learning to ask whether those thoughts agree with what God has revealed.
In every case, the goal is the same: whatever has occupied territory in the heart must yield that territory to Jesus.
And that process is not always immediate. Sometimes freedom comes dramatically. At other times, Christ dismantles strongholds one obedient decision at a time. A thought is challenged. A temptation is refused. A harmful influence is removed. A Scripture is remembered. A prayer is offered. A trusted Christian friend is contacted. Another step is taken.
We should not mistake gradual freedom for ineffective grace.
Walls rarely become walls through one brick, and sometimes strongholds come down the same way they were built—piece by piece. What matters is that every brick removed is another place where Christ’s truth is replacing deception.
On Second Thought
Perhaps the strangest thing about shattering spiritual strongholds is that victory often begins when we stop trying to be spiritually impressive. We imagine warfare as becoming stronger, more forceful, and more fearless. Yet Scripture repeatedly directs us toward dependence, humility, and surrender. Jesus defeated temptation not by displaying independence from the Father but by refusing to act independently of Him. James tells us to submit before we resist. Paul reminds us that our weapons are powerful precisely because they are not merely ours. Sometimes the strongest thing a Christian can say is, “Lord, I cannot defeat this without You.”
And there is the paradox: the enemy would like us to believe surrender means defeat, but in Christ, surrender is often where victory begins. We surrender the thought, the fear, the habit, the hidden compromise, the need for control, and even our desire to win the battle our own way. Then Christ begins reclaiming what we could never hold securely by ourselves. Spiritual freedom does not come from becoming powerful enough to manage darkness. It comes from living close enough to Jesus that darkness no longer gets to define the terms. The stronghold begins to fall when Christ becomes more trusted than the thing that has been controlling us.
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