Defeating Strongholds

A little leaven works through the whole batch of dough…I’m just taking You-Know Who at His Word…I don’t care that You-Know-Who has 99% and I only have 1% of someone’s heart, I’ll just keep kneading their thoughts, with guilt, and shame, and condemnation…A little leaven works through the whole batch of dough…-The Devil’s Diary, Bobby Price.

Transcript

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Hey friends, and thanks for tuning in to Unfiltered with Jesse B. And you are getting a two-for-one special tonight just because I did not get a chance to uh record an episode last night. The reason, though, for the two episodes and not just lumping it into one is because these are shorts. I don't want to make them too long. So with that, we're going to go ahead and get started with an excerpt from the book Devil's Diary by Bobby Price. And this is copyright in 2022, so it really isn't all that old of a work. This book reads sort of like a modern version of the screw tape letters by C.S. Lewis. And like the screw tape letters, this is a fiction book. However, it does offer some unique ideas that makes a person think of how sneaky and crafty Satan and his demons could be. With the screw tape letters as well as Devil's Diary, they are both fictitious works. And I do feel responsible to say that both books are best suited for mature readers, and that includes spiritually mature readers who are grounded in the Lord. Even then, both books should only be read in, shall we say, small doses because of the intense focus on sinful behavior, psychological manipulation, and demonic temptation. Of course, if any of you out there have read either one of these books, you know exactly what I'm talking about. This particular excerpt was from the chapter titled Lost Stronghold. The loser in this, of course, was the devil, because the character knew how to combat the strongholds with scripture and prayer, to which Satan nor his demons can stand against. So we'll just get right to it here. Dear Diary, a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of hands, little foxes. A little leaven works through the whole batch of dough. Little is the operative word. If I can keep just a part of the believer's heart, just a small corner of that secret place, if I can keep hanging on, I'll have a chance. Little doesn't stay little. You know who said so himself. I'm just taking him at his word when he said a little leaven works through the whole batch of dough. I don't care that you know who has ninety nine percent and I only have one per cent. I'll just keep kneading this one's thoughts with guilt and shame and condemnation, rolling his secret over and over. It's just a matter of time before I will rise in his life taking the secret place for myself. Wait. What the hell? What is this man doing? Kneeling, crying, praying, and confessing? No. He is asking you know who to forgive him for holding on to that last little bit of self for cherishing a forbidden love of this world. Now he's reading aloud the words of Psalm 139, 23 through 24. Search me, O God, and know my heart. No, no, no, no. This can't be. Try me and know my anxieties. This is ruining everything. What is happening? How did this happen? And see if there is any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting. It's just like out of the blue, what's with this sudden change? How? This is my stronghold. Damn it, this is my Donjon, my keep. There he is, of course, the Holy Spirit, and how did he find me? Of course I know the answer. We covered this in Bible class last week with while my demons and I were reviewing his tactics in 1 Corinthians 2 10. But God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. Like the day when David's men captured the fortress of Zion from the Jebusites sneaking in through the secret tunnels, the Holy Spirit somehow snuck in, tiptoeing past my growing stronghold to convict this one of his sin and in turn captured his heart. All my work over. All my gain lost. All my hopes dashed, all my efforts wasted, all my little demons destroyed. I lost today. I lost some very special demons. I lost a battle. I lost a stronghold. But mostly I lost ground to you know who. See, when he gets that last little bit of heart, when you know who gets all of one's heart, when that person completely dies to himself or herself, he sets his heart there, making that heart his fortress, his citadel, his stronghold, a place of strength in his kingdom. I lost today, but not tomorrow. By God, I'll be back tomorrow. Now that is some pretty some pretty good insight there as to some possibilities of how Satan works. So the key principles for breaking strongholds are found in Scripture. And by the way, we need to talk about the definition of stronghold, which can be deeply ingrained habits, pride, attitudes, sinful thought patterns, ungodly philosophies, or as we talked about in the previous episode, unforgiveness. Strongholds are arguments in a person's mind and emotions that operate like a fortress that resists the truth of God and causes spiritual bondage. So the key principles, as I said before, for breaking strongholds are found in Scripture. We first need to renew the mind, and that means replacing Satan's lies with scriptures. This is why it is important to study the word, not just read it, but study it. We also need to submit to the Lord and resist spiritual attacks. There's that word again, submit, that we all know and love. However, submitting to God and resisting the devil is the only way to have true spiritual freedom. Third, we also need to realize our strength to overcome comes from God's power, not of human effort. As I said before, we cannot defeat evil on our own merits. We must a lot rely on the Lord. We also need to identify the target. So if you're aiming at a target, you don't just close your eyes and hope for the best. The target needs to be clearly identified so you know what you need to do in order to successfully hit that target. And it's the same for strongholds. The enemy feeds off of fear, anxieties, negative words and actions, doubts and insecurities, and just blatant sin. Identify those areas. For example, if the enemy feeds off of your anxiety, the good scripture to come back at him with is Isaiah forty one ten, fear not, for I am with you, be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. If you're feeling discouraged, try this one, Galatians six nine. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. So you see how this works. The best example we have of this is found in Luke four one thirteen that records the event of Jesus in the wilderness after he fasted forty days, and then he was approached and tempted by Satan three times. The first temptation was of the flesh when Satan told Jesus to turn stones into bread. The second was pride of life, which was testing God. The third was greed or power when Satan showed Jesus all the riches of the world, saying that this could be his if Jesus worships Satan. Each time Jesus struck Satan down with, it is written. In this account, Satan clearly knew the word of God, but Jesus not only knew the word of God, he lived the word of God, and therein was, is, and will forever be the difference. Revelation twelve, eleven tells us that we will overcome him, Satan, by the blood of the Lamb, Jesus, and the word of our testimony, which is a public declaration of faith and professing the gospel even unto death. This is why knowing Scripture is so important. It's going to take effort on our part, but I would encourage all of you, the next time you have thoughts that you know are not from God, write them down, and then look up scriptures about God's character, his promises, his love toward you, and make it your daily goal to make Satan a loser. Love you guys. Good night.