Demolishing Enemy Strongholds, Part One

“For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.” –Apostle Paul, in his first letter to the Church in Corinth.

We are in the middle of a cosmic war between the forces of good and evil. Each side is trying desperately to defeat the other once and for all. Battles are all around us.

Yet many times as Christians we look at the darkness in this world in the wrong way. We see the wars, disease and famine around us and realize we live in a fallen world. But we fail to notice what lies behind all this. A glimpse around the curtain dividing the natural from the supernatural shows us a reality just as true as the visible world we live in. Here is where the real battle between light and darkness, God and Satan, is. This war is just as real and has just as much effect on our lives as battles in the natural realm.

Satan is desperately trying to regain the victory he thought he had won at the Fall of Man six thousand years ago. And he will stop at nothing to destroy Christianity and the Cross. Ever since the Fall he has, just like in modern warfare, set up strongholds and fortresses of darkness. As the apostle Paul said in the quote above, our job as soldiers of Christ is to tear down Satan’s strongholds. We are to free the captives, those that have been blinded by the god of this world. Over the centuries, Satan has established religions that have trapped billions of people, keeping them from knowing the one true God.

This can be seen perhaps the clearest in the Asian continent. Throughout this part of the world is every stripe of religions, from Muslims to Buddhists, and Hindus to atheism. These represent some of the most spiritually dark places on planet earth. Billions are trying to find the answer to their heart’s longing, and, with nothing else to turn to, seek to find peace in one of the dozens of false belief systems. This is why Gospel Outreach for Asia puts so much focus on mission work in Asia, because this is the very heart of Satan’s strongholds. Darkness is filling this continent. And we have the light to destroy it. We must use every means available to spread the light of the Gospel, to win these lost ones back to Christ.

So that our readers can get a better picture of what we are talking about, this series of posts will give a look at some of the major religions and practices that are leading people away from God. These include the Muslims, Buddhists, and Hindus. Each of these and others will be covered in upcoming posts.

But above all, remember to pray, for the devil never trembles as much as when he sees a Christian on his knees. This battle can never be won without prayer.

-Reagan Schrock, GOA blog manager