Breaking the Strongholds

The enemy is cunning.  He knows your name.  He has been watching you since the beginning... studying you, writing down your weaknesses and then he waits.  Waits in the darkness for his moment to pounce.  Like a cat stalking a mouse he takes advantage of that wrong move or the wrong thought and then he attacks.

Photo by Parc Cruz
Satan is called the angel of light... often times those things that tempt us are pleasant to look at but their consequences are grotesque.

Satan is very real.  Many think he is just a story of old but he is a real threat.  He seeks to destroy us. He is a master of our mind.  He is the great deciever.  If he can get us to believe his lies then he has made us weak, he can bring us low and make us ineffective, self-loathing, insecure people who do not shape/shake our world.

I realize a little more with each passing year just how many strongholds I have in my life and I am starting to break them one by one.  Some lies I have believed since I was a child and they will take more work than others to remove however, I am starting to make a list.  All of those lies that I have believed, the hurts, the pain, those things that I have allowed to shape me in a negative way, they are filling up the pages in a notebook.  As I write out the lies, I am working on replacing them with truth.  Sometimes it is hard to find the truth, one of the things that helps me is my inspiration wall and cupboard.  I keep encouraging quotes/cards/comments that people have said/given to me and I keep them where I can see them daily.  These little pick me ups really help assist in battling depression (click here and here to read about my battle) and the lies that are so easy to succumb to.  Sometimes I have to audibly say out loud "that is not true"... when a thought comes flitting into my head.  I have in turn taught this to my children.

Recently little Uriah came to me saying he was stupid.  I told him how that was a lie.  How the devil would love for him to feel as though he is dumb because then he would not use the gifts God has given him.  The lie stemmed from an issue Uriah had earlier.  He did not obey and was talked to for not obeying me.  I had to explain to him that just because he was disobedient and we had to talk does not mean that he is stupid and I affirmed him and showed him the many ways in which he is smart.  How we speak to our children now, while they are young, will shape them and impact their future.

Are you adding to your childrens' baggage/strongholds?  Try to keep that in mind the next time you are ready to open your mouth in anger or frustration.  I know it is hard to hold your tongue.  Believe me... I have four little blessings that can really push me to my limit.  However, if I can just take a moment to pause before I speak, to truly think about the words that are about to exit my mouth, it can truly mean the difference between life giving, soul edifying words of wisdom and correction vs. heart breaking, soul tearing, words of bondage that the enemy would love for me to etch onto my children's hearts.

"Only speak words that make souls stronger."

 - Ann Voskamp -

Come and join me in 2013 in breaking the lies, loosening the chains and stepping out in the freedom that Christ has given us and sharing that freedom/joy with generations to come.

With love my dear readers,
Dawna