07/10
Strongholds of Hurt
“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, 4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. 5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.”
2 Cor 10:3-5 (NASB)
2 Cor 10:3-5 (NASB)
The problem with pain for many people is how it becomes a stronghold in a person's life. The hurt we experience can easily lead to frustration, anger, bitterness, disillusionment, isolation, or several other negative things. At first, these start as simply a reactionary emotion which is completely understandable, but if we do not take those thoughts captive, they can take hold and become much more dangerous and destructive in our lives. Like weeds growing in a garden, being wronged can turn from justifiable anger to a destructive stronghold of bitterness that can take us away from God's plan and purpose for our lives. Attached to hurt, there can easily come a cognitive distortion known as overgeneralization, meaning that since you were hurt or caused pain by a professing Christian, therefore all Christians will hurt you, or if you experienced pain while attending church, that all churches are bad. This is not a helpful and intellectually honest approach, yet it is the reality for many people who have walked away from church and have abandoned their faith. And it doesn't make any rational sense; if you got food poisoning from one restaurant, would you avoid ever going out to any restaurants again in your life? Yet this is what many people do when it comes to faith communities. We allow emotions and reactions to pain and hurt to fester and remain unresolved, or unhealed, and then that takes root and grows into a grudge, doubt, insecurities, isolation, bitterness, and all-out hatred for anyone who is in any way related to the one who hurt you. This is how most atheists are made, not because of any scholarly pursuit, but because of hurt or pain caused by a person professing Christianity, (whether intentional or not) which leads them eventually to a stronghold of hatred towards anything that has to do with God.
Strongholds are any idea or belief that will imprison our hearts and minds and separate us from God. Strongholds don't just appear; they are always built over time through a thought or emotion taking root (like a seed) and becoming a pattern of thinking, which is described in the above passage as a speculation or argument. This inner dialog is where we convince ourselves that a wrong and unhealthy way of thinking is justified. From there, we elevate that pattern of thinking or argument into a lofty idea and we embrace it as part of our identity. Soon after, that elevated idea becomes reinforced as we seek out voices and content that affirm our own bias, turning the lofty idea into a stronghold or fortress that we are willing to defend and fight for even when deep down we know it is wrong. We will fight to keep strongholds in place: Strongholds like addiction, debilitating depression, anxiety, sexual sin, violence, abuse, unhealthy ambition, and greed. Once again, these always start small and seemingly innocent, as just a thought, urge, impression, emotion, or temptation, but if not checked and taken captive, can lead to a total life hold.
So how can these strongholds be torn down? The answer is brick by brick. An unhealthy stronghold is strengthened and reinforced when we fill our minds with the same thoughts as what built the stronghold in the first place. Instead, we need to do the opposite so that the stronghold can be weakened. We need to fill our minds with the thoughts of Christ; thoughts of peace, joy, purity, and forgiveness, and slowly those fortresses will be weakened and ready for demolition. We start at the beginning by taking captive our thoughts and stopping the inflow of bad ideas. Then, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we confront the lies and false speculations with the truth of God's word. In this way, we are doing the same thing Jesus did when he was confronted with temptations in the wilderness. This is what it means to be clothed in Christ and to be made new in the renewing of your mind. A new person doesn't live in the hurt of the old person. We are made new, in our minds, and in our thinking. We are not dwelling on past pain, betrayal, disillusionment, or abuse. We forgive and experience the freedom found in forgiveness and letting the past go. Healthy Christians do not keep their eyes fixed on their pain or hurt, but keep their eyes fixed on Jesus who has never and will never fail you.
Strongholds are any idea or belief that will imprison our hearts and minds and separate us from God. Strongholds don't just appear; they are always built over time through a thought or emotion taking root (like a seed) and becoming a pattern of thinking, which is described in the above passage as a speculation or argument. This inner dialog is where we convince ourselves that a wrong and unhealthy way of thinking is justified. From there, we elevate that pattern of thinking or argument into a lofty idea and we embrace it as part of our identity. Soon after, that elevated idea becomes reinforced as we seek out voices and content that affirm our own bias, turning the lofty idea into a stronghold or fortress that we are willing to defend and fight for even when deep down we know it is wrong. We will fight to keep strongholds in place: Strongholds like addiction, debilitating depression, anxiety, sexual sin, violence, abuse, unhealthy ambition, and greed. Once again, these always start small and seemingly innocent, as just a thought, urge, impression, emotion, or temptation, but if not checked and taken captive, can lead to a total life hold.
So how can these strongholds be torn down? The answer is brick by brick. An unhealthy stronghold is strengthened and reinforced when we fill our minds with the same thoughts as what built the stronghold in the first place. Instead, we need to do the opposite so that the stronghold can be weakened. We need to fill our minds with the thoughts of Christ; thoughts of peace, joy, purity, and forgiveness, and slowly those fortresses will be weakened and ready for demolition. We start at the beginning by taking captive our thoughts and stopping the inflow of bad ideas. Then, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we confront the lies and false speculations with the truth of God's word. In this way, we are doing the same thing Jesus did when he was confronted with temptations in the wilderness. This is what it means to be clothed in Christ and to be made new in the renewing of your mind. A new person doesn't live in the hurt of the old person. We are made new, in our minds, and in our thinking. We are not dwelling on past pain, betrayal, disillusionment, or abuse. We forgive and experience the freedom found in forgiveness and letting the past go. Healthy Christians do not keep their eyes fixed on their pain or hurt, but keep their eyes fixed on Jesus who has never and will never fail you.
RESOURCE
Click the resource below to watch an encouraging video from Dr Henry Cloud on how we can move from a mindset of victimhood to that of victory as we acknowledge abuse in our lives.