WHAT IS A STRONGHOLD?
A stronghold is a forceful stubborn argument, rationale, opinion, idea and/or philosophy that is formed and resistant to the knowledge of Jesus Christ. The skillful use of spiritual weapons in spiritual warfare is required to break a stronghold...The Greek word for stronghold is ochuroma. It means "to fortify through the idea of holding something safely." Anything that opposes Christ is his enemy, the devil, thus strongholds are from Satan and are his demonic host. Thirdly, strongholds are so resilient that they require weapons in order to combat them. They are not things you can talk down or negotiate with. They don't go away with time. Spiritual strongholds will not be complained away, regulated, or picketed down. They do not self-destruct. They must be destroyed, brought down, obliterated, and demolished. One must wage warfare when dealing with strongholds. An individual must have both a soldier's attitude and a soldier's arms in order to overcome them.

[Taken from Breaking Strongholds in the African-American Family]

-------------------------------

Scratching your glasses S U C K S.

Mine are prescription readers/drivers, so every day I go through a constant on-off dance. Whenever I wear my specs, letters and fonts become crisper. And they're supposed to help me better determine distances between objects as I drive.

I haul them off all the time. They bounce around in my work bag.So, what's happened over time is that the lenses have gotten bruised.I can't help but be distracted by the scratches. They cause blurriness. My eyes zoom in and out when I wear my specs.I don't know whether to deal with the headache that comes from straining to read without them--or, when on, the dizziness that comes from my eyes dilating on account of the scratches. Either route leads to migraines.

Anyway, this is all to say that a few years ago I was trapped in a stronghold. Truthfully, I never thought I would overcome. (I don't know if you know how pitiful that makes a person feel.)

It was cyclical...in and out, in and out.I tried pressing--even succeeding for periods of time--but it was so much larger than me.I was like "I'd rather deal with the risks and shame of staying here then with the turmoil of weaning and stopping. Either route leads to anguish."

I can't pinpoint a day or an hour when my deliverance came. That whole era is a blur to me today. Looking back, though, I just noticed that the quality of my life gradually improved.Joy and laughter, peace and full nights' rests, increased stability and good, clear judgment all started coming back. I began dreaming again and was back to growing in Christ.After about a year, I was restored and no longer missed that stronghold.

Jehovah God completely gets the credit...for real.

I like what the writer said in the quote above: there is no room for niceness in warfare.I got tired of being a wimp, saying "Jesus, I hate being here. Please rescue me. Oh, golly!"It got to a point where I knew better. The lifestyle simply got old. I shouted "I'm busting out! Jesus, I'm getting the Hell out of here!!" Battling a stronghold takes snotty-nose crying,sweating-your-perm-out pressing, and crawling-on-your-knees-with-an-outstretched-hand desperation.It hurts like hell but gets us closer to heaven.

Understand that sanctification is slow. Wholeness didn't arrive overnight. Indeed, I believe, by the God's grace, I'm free to write this NOW because I'm no longer at a place where I glamorize struggle. I've always wondered if there's a brand of Christianity thinks "going-through" is fashionable. I'd like to think that I'm not blowing my trump or beating my chest when I say I've been through some things, y'all. More than my pressing through, however, I want to drive home the truth that we serve a "pressing through"God.I want you all to also know deep within that the best way to fight a stronghold is to never get in one at all.

From now on, I want to go through trials that are God's will and not disobedience's doing. Today, prevention and purity mean everything to me. Going back to my glasses, now.Had I been placing them in the case after each use, I wouldn't have the expensive task of replacing the lens.

Yeah, I could deal with my foggy, scratched glasses as is. They still work.Many people have jacked up glasses and I can't see (pun intended) how they do it.I say kudos to them. You know what, though? Someone just told me about a liquid product that somewhat restores chips in glass (go figure...that's actually all the scratches are: little chips). I just have to rub a little on my glasses. Something about the molecules bonding back together. IDK. I've never been much for alchemy or science, for that matter.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh. For the weapons of warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.

Hebrews 12:1
Let us lay aside every weight that so easily besets us.

Ana Valeska is a not-so-naughty librarian, college instructor, book editor and--yeah,baby--NEWD columnist. Her forthcoming work, Tu Eres (You Are), is a devotional based on modern-day worship psalms. Ana Valeska longs to help redeem urban, young adult culture for the Lord Jesus. Her daughter, Selena, and cat, Puffles, have her wrapped around their little fingers.