HINDRANCES TO CHRIST'S RULE

"The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the
contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds." - 2 Corinthians 10:4

The Bible says when Christ comes to live in your heart, old things are
passed away, all things become new (see 2 Cor. 5:17). The Lord has put
a new Spirit in us. Previously, I could not understand why so many of us
who proclaimed Christ had such little impact on the kingdom of
darkness.
It seemed to me that our culture should be impacted much more if His
children walked in the light as Jesus did. Jesus impacted His culture
like no other man.
I saw many workplace believers, who proclaimed Christ, living no
differently than a person who had not claimed Him as Lord. These men
and women had a form of religion, but little power that reflected Christ's
rule in their lives. Then one day God took me through a time of testing
that led to a discovery of generational influences that impacted the
way I viewed people and circumstances on a subconscious basis. I discovered
this was a stronghold that had been implanted many generations earlier.
Because the stronghold operated on a subconscious level, it was not
easily recognizable. Strongholds keep us from being free to reflect
Christ in and through our lives because they require allegiance until
they are dealt with. Strongholds can often be so hidden that we would
not even identify them as evil. A stronghold of fear, control,
rebellion, insecurity, idolatry, pride, or bitterness may be hidden
until it is revealed through circumstances.
All strongholds are built in our lives as a result of seeking to meet
one or more of seven basic needs God has created in us. Once we believe
a lie that God cannot meet a need without our effort, we open our
spirit to a stronghold. The more lies we believe, the more we invite these
strongholds to take root in our lives.
Are you ineffective in your Christian experience? Are there besetting
sins that seem to recur in your life? You may find that satan has built
a fortress in your heart that has been there many generations. You must
ask God's forgiveness for entertaining this stronghold, and you must
renounce it. Then as Christ renews your mind and heart, you will see
Christ's power released in your life like never before.