Strongholds

Ed Silvoso

Description

Strongholds are incorrect thinking patterns that form when we listen to--and believe--the lies of the enemy. When we get trapped in these patterns, they drive us into hopelessness and despair. Here bestselling author Ed Silvoso gives you a simple process and biblical truths to help renew your mind, break the power of strongholds, and live victoriously.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie

Informations

• Publié par: Baker Publishing Group
• Date de parution: 21 août 2018
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781493413423
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
© 2016, 2018 by Ed Silvoso
Adapted from the book That None Should Perish by Ed Silvoso
Published by Chosen Books
11400 Hampshire Avenue South
Bloomington, Minnesota 55438
www.chosenbooks.com
Chosen Books is a division of
Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan
www.bakerpublishinggroup.com
Ebook edition created 2018
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN 978-1-4934-1342-3
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the New American Standard Bible®, copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)
Scripture quotations identified NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
Preface
Introduction
The Cruelest Slavery Is Ignorance
Satan’s Arsenal
Strongholds—The Secret Weapon
Five Characteristics of Spiritual Strongholds
Biblical Insights Needed
Personal Application
An Empowering Vision
Important and Vital Aftercare
About the Author
Preface
In order to disciple all the nations and take the Gospel to every creature, the Church is called to engage the forces of evil. The battleground is the heavenly places. This is where the battle for our cities is won or lost. Spiritual strongholds are Satan’s secret weapon in waging that battle. It is through the surreptitious use of strongholds that Satan controls the behavior of many believers and, as a result, the behavior of a sector of the Church. These strongholds must be identified and destroyed in order for Christians to become victorious and for the Church to regain control of the heavenlies.
I describe strongholds as Satan’s secret weapon because they enable him to control the behavior of Christians by driving them into hopelessness as to their destiny. This forces them to live in a prisoner-of-war (POW) camp while awaiting the triumphal arrival of their Commander in Chief, instead of taking over the camp to turn it into a Marine base from which to liberate other camps. Like the people of Israel in ancient Egypt, Christians are “more and mightier” than all the evil forces under Satan’s command. Satan knows that “greater is He who is in you [us] than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). The problem is that many believers don’t know it, because, like Pharaoh, Satan knows how to “deal wisely with them, or else they will . . . fight . . . and depart from the land [of captivity]” (Exodus 1:9–10).
I present the scriptural truths in this booklet in a systematic way that is easy to understand. They are truths that will set you free by renewing your mind and positioning you to receive the power to become an overcomer. Read on, because you will soon taste victory in areas where you had given up hope before!
Introduction
Is it possible for someone to be blind and not know it? To be miserably poor and believe otherwise? To think, in all honesty, that he or she is dressed and to walk around naked? Yes, it is entirely possible. It happens every day. In fact, the problem is so serious that the Lord Jesus Himself sent a letter to a particular church, confronting its members with this severe form of spiritual schizophrenia. Recorded in Revelation 3:14–22, the letter says:
To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this:
“I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. Because you say, ‘I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,’ and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
The situation was so serious that Jesus told them, “You think you have gathered in My name, but I have been left out” (see Revelation 3:20). Can you imagine Jesus shut out of His own Church? No wonder, then, that so many believers live in defeat because, basically, they are prisoners of war (POWs) instead of confident and victorious Kingdom Marines storming the Gates of Hades. Such defeat is not the will of God. He has a hope and a future for His children, but as long as they remain ignorant of Satan’s schemes, the enemy will maintain the upper hand (see 2 Corinthians 2:11).
If you find yourself struggling in your inner self, in your family relations, at work or in school—far from what the Bible states you are entitled to—the scriptural truths I am about to present will set you free.
The Cruelest Slavery Is Ignorance
The cruelest slavery is the slavery inflicted by ignorance of the truth. I illustrated this with a compelling example from history in some of my previous books. In Ekklesia: Rediscovering God’s Instrument for Global Transformation (Chosen, 2017), and in That None Should Perish: How to Reach Entire Cities for Christ Through Prayer Evangelism (Chosen, 1995), I related in more detail the story of General Jonathan Wainwright, the only American general taken prisoner by the Japanese in World War II. His story illustrates a number of spiritual truths, but I want to recap it briefly here because it is a particularly compelling example of how the truth will set you free.
Held in a POW camp in remote Mongolia, General Wainwright grew progressively weak and feeble during his captivity, but he never compromised his honor. Conducting himself with dignity, he waited for the Allies to win the war and liberate the camp. Until that day, however, he had no choice but to obey the orders of the camp’s Japanese commandant.