Tearing Down Strongholds

The giants that we face in our daily lives are generally tied to spiritual strongholds.  Neill Anderson defines a stronghold as "a mindset, impregnated with hopelessness that convinces a believer that something that they know to be contrary to the Word and will of God is an unchangeable in their life."  The sin itself is not the stronghold, it is the deceived thought pattern that leads us into that sin again and again.  These are the rationalizations that we use to justify our actions and they keep us bound up in our sin.  "It's not hurting anybody."  "I know I have a temper, but I'm Irish."  "Well, I just speak my mind, and people will just have to get used to it."  We need to recognize that these false impressions build prison walls around us and they must be torn down if we are going to live victorious Christian lives.  The good news is that Jesus has provided the weapons that we need to tear down these strongholds, the authority of His name and the power of His blood.  Without taking up too much space today, let me walk you through the process of breaking free from the chains of spiritual strongholds.
First, you need to recognize them as sin.  This requires that you take a good, long look at your daily life and ask God to reveal anything that is displeasing to Him.  Then take some time just to listen for His voice and commit yourself to respond to whatever He asks.
Second, you must repent.  Repentance is a change of heart that leads to a change of direction.  It is both a decision and a process.  There must be a point of decision where you say, I am turning from my sin to God and there is a process whereby you actively move away from your sin and draw closer to the Lord.  It takes time and determination to break the patterns that you have developed in your life and to replace them with things that edify rather than destroy.
Third, you need to renounce the stronghold that Satan has had in your heart and mind.  A stronghold is a place of refuge that you have given Satan so that he can return again and again with the same temptation.  You need to evict him in the name of Jesus and through the power of His blood.  Do this out loud so there is no doubt that Satan will know that he no longer has any right to this area of your life.
Next, you need to ask the Lord to reclaim the ground that you have surrendered to this stronghold.  The time, energy, and resources that you have spent pursuing your sin should be dedicated to pursuing a closer walk with the Lord.  Surrender it to Him and ask Him to reclaim it for Himself.
Then, ask the Holy Spirit to refill that area of your life so that it brings forth the fruit of the Spirit instead of the works of the flesh.  The filling of the Holy Spirit is the active surrender of every area of our life to His control.  Strongholds reserve parts of our lives for ourselves or worse yet for Satanic influence.  We need to ask the Holy Spirit to refill that area and use it for God's glory and honor.
Finally, we need to rejoice in the victory that Christ has already won for us.  This is often an act of faith, because we may not see it outwardly immediately, but the Bible says that "Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free."  Your freedom is promised and assured, so go ahead and celebrate.  Show God that you take Him at His Word. 
II Cor. 10:4,5 talk about these weapons and encourage us to tear down the strongholds in our lives.  As long as we are bound up in the prison house, we will never be able to face our giants.  It's time to break free!