Recently I taught a class on How to Build a Stronghold of Faith in your life. What is a stronghold of faith and how do you build one?
How to Build a Stronghold of Faith
Whenever I hear the word stronghold I usually think of that word in negative terms. Let’s see what the dictionary defines a stronghold as.
Definition of a stronghold is:
- a place that has been fortified, to protect it against attack.
- a place of security or survival
- a place where a particular cause or belief is strongly defended or upheld
With a fleshly stronghold, we develop our own means of coping with life and defending ourselves. The fleshly stronghold becomes our way of relating and is all about how we protect ourselves and make us feel secure.
Flesh strongholds of the mind are characterized by thoughts raised up against the knowledge of God- including doubt, unbelief, fear & anxiety. We think we know best on how to protect ourselves.
God has given us weapons designed to break down these fleshly strongholds including fear and anxiety.
A stronghold is designed to block & keep out. What does a fleshly stronghold block & keep out for the Christian? It keeps out God and His Love.
Rather than us trying to defend ourselves He wants to become our defense and stronghold.
The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you. Psalms 9:9-10
To walk in victory, we need to see God with new eyes. Some of us have very distorted views of who God is. When we are rightly related to God we will cry out to Him instead of trying to take things in our own hands.
We have to allow God to help us break the back of unbelief and fear in our lives, then we are free to rebuild a stronghold of faith.
One of the ways we break the back of unbelief is to go through the steps to freedom. The steps are not a magic pill but they break the strongholds that keep us bound to sin. (If you want more information on that please email me at barb@secondchancetodream.com and I will point you in the right direction.)
A word picture God gave me for the steps to freedom is this:
Picture a potted plant that really isn’t growing. It’s alive but not thriving. Leaves are droopy, brown & shriveled. It’s in desperate need of being transplanted to a bigger pot. Even if it’s transplanted it won’t grow properly with the roots all bound up.
Going through the steps to freedom is God coming through and taking a shovel and busting up the roots. The plant can now absorb all the water and grow and thrive. The old roots (our past) don’t choke our growth anymore.
I believe the steps take us from a struggling Christian to a thriving Christian.
But we will only remain healthy after going through the steps if we get planted in good soil, get watered and receive the sunshine. It is not a cure all, it just sets us up for thriving.
Once we’ve been set free how do we keep the old flesh from returning?
By worshipping God in spirit and truth (John 4:23-23)
One way to worship God in truth is by calling upon His name and honoring Him for His divine attributes.
Focus on the Names of God:
The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous runs into it and is safe. Prov. 18:20
His names are descriptive of who He is. They reveal His character. Studying His names helps us know Him better, helps us relate to him. He’s not this big guy in the sky. He’s real and personal.
Do a Google search for a list of God’s names for you to prayerfully meditate on. Ask God to show you which of those names is your strong tower that you need today to combat fear and anxiety in your life.
One sure sign you are living with fear and anxiety is- Fear and anxiety create double mindedness and A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. James 1:8
Action Steps:
- We need a proper view of who God is. Study Him. Pray and ask God to reveal who He really is to you.
- Work through your unbelief. I believe going through the steps is the best start.
- We must be in God’s word to build a stronghold of faith- Faith comes by hearing the word of God. We must be in the word.
God’s word is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword. Heb. 4:12
- We can grow in our understanding of who God and Jesus are by studying their names.
- Renew our minds.
- Meditate on God’s word. Would our lives be different if we meditated on God’s word instead of meditating on our problems?
- Know who we are in Christ– this is life changing.
- Be in fellowship & community with other believers. God created us to be a body. He created us to need others. We need to know that we aren’t alone in this fight with fear.
I am not affiliated in any way with Freedom in Christ other than my life has been dramatically changed through this tool. Most of my life has been lived in a terrible prison of guilt and shame and I’ve been set free. I want others to have that same freedom which is why I’m sharing this.
Please check out the following posts on some of the principles to living free in Christ:
Who I am in Christ Scripture Cards
Who I am in Christ: I am redeemed
Who I am in Christ: I am a Member of the Body of Christ
Who I am in Christ: I am God’s Child
Who I am in Christ: I am Christ’s Friend
Who I am in Christ: I am Justified
Who I am in Christ: I am a Saint
Who I am in Christ: I am Complete in Christ
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