Tearing Down Strongholds
God is in the process of doing an exceptional work in the lives of His children. He’s working to conform them into the image of His son, Jesus. God used a run down, abandoned demolition site to give Terry a glimpse of the work that He was faithfully doing in her life. But this isn’t just a picture for Terry, it’s for you too, if you are a child of God.
I peered out through the window on the eighth floor of Buffalo General Hospital. It was a cold dreary March day in upstate New York. I was there because my mom was dying, unexpectedly. My heart and thoughts were as dreary as the day before me.
My eyes fell upon a heap of broken concrete slabs and twisted rebar that had been part of some structure that once stood boldly in the space below. I couldn’t help but wonder what the structure had been before it was demolished. Now all that remained was a mess. Who would clean it up? How would they lift those massive broken slabs out of such a small crowded space? What would be put in its place? I felt overwhelmed, as if it was the story of my life.
I didn’t realize it, but at that moment God was showing me a picture of what the next 15 years would look like.
I had built an erroneous framework of how I saw myself. These habits of thinking were strongholds, places that held me captive from truth. Because I am a new creation in Christ and my identity is hidden in Him, God wanted to demolish these old patterns of thinking. Because God loves me, he would not allow anything to erect itself up against the knowledge of Him and from me knowing Him more fully, especially His love for me.
The stronghold of the fear of failure, of not measuring up, of needing the affirmation and approval of man held me as a prisoner. It all started with a thought that became a habit of thinking and responding, and almost an automatic default setting of what I did in certain situations. These strongholds I built to protect, to defend and justify who I thought I was. It all was a place of pride and arguments that set themselves up against the knowledge of God and His truth.
Strongholds are just that—a strong place of defense. No matter how hard I tried, I did not have the power to bring these defenses down. I needed divine power to demolish them. Second Corinthians 10:3-5 declares, “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to the obedience of Christ.”
I built these strongholds to protect me. It can be a fearful place to allow God to break them down, but 1 John 4:8 says, “His perfect love casts out fear.” Isaiah 41:10 comforts me with his presence and promise to strengthen and help me: “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
So here I am today, with some of these patterns that have been torn down and some of the debris that has been removed. But some old thought patterns remain supported by the rebar of lies still holding fast. They are like those concrete slabs, stubborn and cemented into my soul. It is at this place I now stand with a choice to allow the word of God to completely destroy these wrong cycles of thinking and replace them with truth.
Ephesians 6:10-11 reminds me “to be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.” II Timothy 1:7 proclaims “God did not give us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind,” and encourages me to let God blow apart these strongholds with His word, which is powerful and effective to accomplish His will. I remind myself that “the Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked advance against me to devour me, it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident.” (Psalm 27:1-3).
And as I hide myself in Christ, my eyes do not fall upon a heap of remains from the old strongholds torn down. But instead, Philippians 4:8 reminds me to fix my eyes on “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” I am a child of God. He has justified me and adopted me into His family. I am dearly loved, chosen, redeemed and forgiven, marked with His Holy Spirit’s seal. He is my defense and I am hidden in Him.
As I recall that aerial view years ago, I can see how God began His great work of tearing down the old and rebuilding the new within me. I no longer feel overwhelmed, but trust Him who is faithful to complete what He has begun. Glory to God.