As we walk through life, we accumulate mess, a little more each day. Our earthly disappointments and experiences impact who we become. We try to protect ourselves out of fear and shame and this limits our potential. If we don’t work to declutter this mess, it will result in negative strongholds (mindsets) like comparison, guilt, fear, rejection, people-pleasing, and materialism that will hold us back from doing what we were meant to do and being who we were meant to be.
This is a big problem! So, what can we do to overcome our strongholds?
Here are the 5 biggest takeaways from my book. Yes, I am giving you the Cliff Notes!
- Foster awareness and acknowledgment of your strongholds
As with any issue we may face, the first step to recovery is awareness and acknowledgment of the problem, and a desire to truly change. Ask God to show you your strongholds and the resulting negative thought patterns that exist in your life. Then you can begin to take action to overcome them. - Fill you mind with good stuff and take out the bad
Most, if not all, of our mess originates in our minds. Paul challenges us to “be transformed by the renewing of our minds” (Romans 12:1-2). Think about the things you are filling your mind with – television, social media, news, books, etc. If you fill your mind with garbage, that will be the result. Instead, fill your mind with God’s Word, knowledge, and positive things! - Cultivate an attitude of gratitude!
Humans are wired to focus on the negative. Flip the script and focus on what you are grateful for. Keeping a gratitude journal and recording at least 3 things you are grateful for each day can be helpful strategies. - Pray
Probably no surprise but prayer made the list! Ask God to help you overcome strongholds that are affecting you. Don’t just pray about it once, keep at it! These are issues that you accumulated over time so it may take some time to conquer them. - Tell Satan to get out!
Satan tempts and troubles us by putting damaging ideas and thoughts in our minds. He does this by preying on our struggles and past hurts. When you recognize that this is happening, tell him to get out of your head and your bizness!
I get it! We are all busy and our attention spans seem to get shorter by the day (last I heard, shorter than a goldfish). But if you’d like more specific strategies to help with the strongholds that are impacting you, check out my book.
