HOW TO BREAK SATAN'S STRONGHOLDS IN YOUR LIFE
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE: Ephesians 4:22-32
“Leave no room or foothold for the devil (provide no opportunity for him).” (Eph. 4:27, Amplified Bible)
INTRODUCTION:
Do you know the reason believers still fall into sin like sexual sins, foul language, slander, lying, stealing, etc. that grieves the Holy Spirit? It is because they give Satan a foothold or stronghold in their lives.
There are many Christians who have a satanic stronghold in their life. It’s harming them, wrecking their spiritual life, contaminating the life of their family and church. The devil has found an unclean place within and built a foul nest, a stronghold there. And he uses that stronghold to war against God and His work.
St. Paul sternly warns the believers in Ephesians 4: 27 to “Leave no room or foothold for the devil (provide no opportunity for him).” … And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God.” (v. 30)
MEANING OF SATAN’S STRONGHOLD:
What does it mean to “give place (stronghold) to the devil”?
I'll illustrate. Let’s say you own 1000 square meters of land, and you lease just the ten (10) square meters in the middle of it to me. Since I am now renting the 10 square meters, I am entitled to go into and out of your property at will, to occupy and use the said 10-square meter lot. Supposed in the said 10-square meter lot, I start throwing trash around and polluting the property and playing loud music all hours of the night. Can you stop what I am doing in my rented property? Can you ask me to leave my property? No, because I have a legal right to stay and do whatever I want in my property because you rented it to me, you transferred the legal possession thereof to me. You cannot force me to leave because you gave me the said place under a lease contract.
Some Christians have done the same thing for Satan! You can’t just remove him unless you evict him legally because you’ve given him a place to stay. He owns some strongholds in your life because you allow Satan to occupy a place in your life.
HOW TO EVICT SATAN'S FROM HIS STRONGHOLD
But how can I remove or dislodge the devil and break his strongholds in my life? Just like terminating a lease contract or filing an ejectment case against an unlawful detainer of your property, there are THREE (3) WAYS by which we can evict or dispossess Satan of his place in our lives as believers:
One: REPENT (v. 22)
Since we have allowed Satan to occupy a portion of our lives, Paul says: 22…put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts.” Putting off is like stripping or discarding ourselves, or laying aside the old self in our lives. It means be done with it. Confess it and forsake it. There is no other way to deal with our sins but to REPENT 180 degrees and walk the other way.
THE STRONGHOLDS OF SATAN IN OUR LIVES
What gives place to the devil and what we have to repent to remove his strongholds in us? Read verses 25-31.
a) From LYING (v. 25) “must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor”.
If you’re a liar, you’ve created a climate where the devil feels welcome. Lying is the devil’s nature. Jesus said, “The devil is a liar and the father of it” (John 8:44). He is the prince of darkness. God’s kingdom is built on truth. If there’s an area of dishonesty in your life, that will be the devil’s campground.
b) From STEALING (v. 28) “Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their hands.”
If you steal things that belong to another, you’ve made a place for the devil.
In Ephesians 4:28, it says, “He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his hands what is good so that he will have something to share with one who has need.” (See also: Rom 13:9, Prov. 22:22, Rom. 2:21) With God, when you steal little or much, thievery is thievery. It makes no difference. You’re a thief.
c) FILTHY SPEECH (v. 29)“ Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouth ”
The devil is filthy. Therefore, there should be no corrupt communication that proceed out of our mouth. Foolish talking, nor coarse jokes, but only speech that will benefit others. Do you gossip, assassinate character, and steal somebody’s reputation to make you feel better by trying to put them down? If you have a filthy mouth, it’s because you have a filthy heart. “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). Satan incubates and dwells in a filthy heart. You’ve given it to him, and he’s going to make a stronghold out of it.
d) From BITTERNESS, uncontrolled ANGER, SLANDER, and MALICE. (v. 31) “31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.”
If you’re bitter, you’re like the devil. He loves to find that kind of heart. If you’re bitter, you’ve got no joy, no victory, your prayers are not getting through to God. You’re ruining your life and the surrounding lives, and contaminating the life of your church. But the devil is not finished yet. Bitterness often leads to slander. The word devil literally means “Slanderer.” If you are a slanderer, a gossip, if you are speaking evil, you’re doing the devil’s work.
Your bitterness soon turns to wrath, burning on the inside—internal heat, like smoldering rags in an attic or closet. Then those smoldering rags burst into flames. That which is internal becomes external. But the devil is not finished yet. That anger then turns to clamor (shouting).
Clamor turns to evil speaking. You start to say things you don’t mean, and now you’re out of control.
Brethren, if you do all these things, they grieve the Holy Spirit of God in you. You break the heart of God. “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” (v. 30) The dear Spirit of God is weeping and Satan is laughing, making a mockery of the things of God.
But since you have given a place in your life for Satan to work on those things, you can still get that place back until you repent. Repentance is not just being broken over your sin, it is being broken from your sin. The Bible says put it away, be done with it.
Two: RESIST (James 4:7)
Even after you repent, the devil is not going to walk out. After repentance, there must be resistance. James 4:7 says, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” What you gave him, you must take back. But you can never take it back until you take away his legal authority.
If there is sin in your life, every area where there is unconfessed sin is legal ground for Satan. Until you confess it and come for cleansing, Satan has every right to set up camp there. He’s not going to walk out. You’re going to have to run him out.
Even if you repent, you’ve still got to clean house. Go in there with a power of attorney, which is the name of Jesus, then take the blood of Jesus Christ as your authority, and you can say to him in no uncertain terms:
You can say, “Satan, I’ve given you a place, but I take it back in the name and the authority of Jesus. I clean it out, I repent of the sin, I cancel the debt, it’s all done. Devil, you have no more right, you have no more legal authority. Satan, I don’t shout at you. I don’t plead with you. I don’t argue with you. Likewise, I don’t beg you. Furthermore, I bring Jesus Christ against you. You have no right, you have no authority. This body of mine is the temple of the Holy Spirit of God. You are trespassing on my Father’s property and in the name of Jesus whose I am and whom I serve, be gone.”
The Bible says he will flee from you. But if you try to resist the devil with unconfessed sin in your life, he will laugh in your face. He’ll say, “You gave me this piece of property, and I am not moving out.” There must be repentance, then there can be resistance.
Three: RENEW (v. 24)
We have to change our mind over those things that we have repented. Renew the attitude of your mind. “ 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
It’s not enough to put off the old man; you must put on the new man. “And be not drunk with wine wherein this excess, but be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18)
To be “filled with the Spirit” means there’s not one room in your temple where God is shut out, not one closet He doesn’t have a key to. In your sex life, family life, business life, political life, church life, social life—in your money, your exercise, your sleep, your eating, “in my lying down, in my waking up, Jesus, I give you the keys to it all.”
You have a choice; you can grieve the Spirit of God and be filled with the devil, or you can put the devil out and be filled with the Spirit of God. You’re never going to cease grieving the Holy Spirit, you’re never going to expunge Satan from your life, until you choose against Satan and yield to God’s Holy Spirit.
CHALLENGE:
Brethren, do you want to remove and dislodge Satan in his stronghold or foothold in your life right now?
Take those three steps:
REPENTANCE
RESISTANCE
RENEWAL
Remember, WE HAVE THE POWER TO DEMOLISH STRONGHOLDS. (2 Cor. 10:4)
God bless us all.
