Hi.
Today I want to introduce a new series and the theme of which comes from the place where Paul writes and says “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds ” (). I am prompted by two main reasons; the first being the strongholds I want to touch on that have shaped crucial aspects of my culture albeit in the wrong direction, and the second being the wrong approach that we as the church have taken towards them albeit in ignorance.
The latter of which I also for a long time have been culprit but thanks be to God who reveals by grace that by grace we get to change for the better both for us and for the afflicted we are meant to help.
To begin with, I think it is best to define what a stronghold is and the effect it has on a person. The word itself is very literal-its meaning rather apparent in the name wherein a mighty grip or powerful capture of something is implied. One can imagine what it would be like to have one’s arms held by a wrestling cult hero like Hulk Hogan or Batista; or one of those touts who may have spent one too many hours in the gym and have them not wanting to let you go. Its not a good place especially if you are in the wrong and you know you might be on the cusp of receiving quite a hiding. That quite is like the stronghold Paul refers to; only that Paul is referring to the mind.
When it is of the mind, a stronghold refers to a way of thinking, a mindset that could either be individual or corporate culture. With the stronghold, there comes a way of behaving that lines up to that way of thinking and as the name implies, changing this is not a walk in the park but rather difficult and depending on the level of hope one has, could verge on the cusp of the impossible. To a trained eye, they will not be difficult to identify for it would simply be a manner of observing behaviours; both individual and corporate for the truth be told we act out of what we believe and think.
For illustration, I will highlight just a single one from my culture that is quite obvious. That is, drinking is a sign of being a man; or another that there is no such as thing as a faithful man since practically every guy you will meet has a child somewhere out there….I.e. Vana vemusango. So often, the response we have given as the church is the wrong one-we argue to say no its not every man who has a child somewhere, we argue concerning the rightness or wrongness of drinking and in the process we often fall into the devil’s trap of having a superiority complex over those who subscribe to the complex, redefining the basis of relationship to be someone who doesn’t do what we have deemed to be inferior. In the process, we are blinded to the existence of the stronghold and because we fail to identify it for what it is, we fail to take the action we ought to that will see the stronghold forever destroyed in the lives of those around us.
In my next post, I will share more on what to do and how to respond to strongholds before I address the four that I have at the moment.
May the grace of God be with you continually.
