Sample Chapter

We invite you to read a sample chapter from Spiritual Warfare: A Comprehensive Guide to Personal Healing and Deliverance. You can click the link below to download a PDF version, or read the chapter in its entirety right here.

Chapter 13: Strongholds, Yokes, and Bondages (PDF)

Chapter 13
Strongholds, Yokes, and Bondages

Spiritual warfare is often thought of as a unidirectional attack. We fight against powers, principalities, and rulers of this dark world. However, spiritual warfare is not one-dimensional. The Bible speaks about a second enemy that we war against:

This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
~Galatians 5:16-17

The flesh is as much our enemy as the demons that use it against us. Jesus came to free us from all of our enemies. Yet many believers are bound by strongholds, yokes, and bondages in their spirits and flesh (mind, will, emotions, and body). These dominate and control us like puppets on strings and become evident in our lifestyles. Satan has us convinced we have no way out, no path to freedom. His lies and deceptions are like a spider’s web, entangling us in feelings of hopelessness and despair. But the Good News is exactly that—good news. Jesus paid the price for our freedom and wants to give us abundant life that includes shattering the strongholds, yokes, and bondages that hold us captive.

When it comes to strongholds, yokes, and bondages, there are some ministers who do not differentiate between those in our flesh and those due to demonic activity. They get “spooky spiritual” and call out demons in people’s lives that don’t exist. For instance, an alcoholic may be in bondage to alcohol. He may have strongholds in his mind (chemical and emotional) that drive him to drink. His thoughts and perceptions of alcohol may consume him and yoke him to drinking. And demons may influence him toward drinking, driving him further into his addiction. But there is not necessarily a demon of alcohol within him.

Misdirected warfare can be seen when praying for healing of a disease such as cancer: Cancer is a consequence of our environment, food, heredity, or other factors. While all sickness and disease are rooted in man’s fall in the garden, and therefore demonic in origin, there is not necessarily a spirit of cancer. We can pray against a spirit of infirmity that can bring about cancer in our bodies. At other times, God will lead us to pray for divine healing.

How do we know whether a stronghold, yoke, or bondage results from sinful behavior, environmental or social conditions, or demonic activity? We must have a thorough understanding of spiritual warfare in order to rightly divide what is spirit from what is flesh. We need to operate in the gifts of the Spirit, such as discernment and word of knowledge. We must also “learn to discern” by listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit.

Strongholds, yokes, and bondages are real. And we all struggle with one or more of them in some areas of our lives.

Strongholds

The word “stronghold” can mean a well-fortified city or fortress. It can also mean a central place of agreed-upon thoughts and views. Strongholds conjure up images of something impregnable, rigid, and unmoving. For instance, a university may be called a stronghold of liberalism or conservatism because of its reputation for allowing liberal or conservative thinking.

On a psychological level, strongholds are an integral part of our belief systems. They are the driving force behind our thought patterns, attitudes, and actions. No matter what we say in everyday life or what we truly believe about the world around us—God, others, or ourselves—the strongholds in our minds come to surface when we are put in pressure situations. These can also be emotional safe havens that protect us from perceived harm. For instance, someone who fears rejection may take solace in imaginative mindsets of revenge upon those who have harmed them.

When ministers discuss strongholds, they invariably quote one particular Scripture:

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.
~2 Corinthians 10:3-6

In the NIV translation, these verses read thusly:

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.
~2 Corinthians 10:3-6

Many ministers doing deliverance quote these verses when directly engaging demons in combat. We must not forget there are demonic powers, principalities, and rulers that establish strongholds (territories) on the earth. They can manifest themselves through political parties, regimes, religions, and dictatorships. They can establish strongholds of belief that yoke countries and world regions to a particular way of thinking, such as communism. The resulting bondage is seen in poor economic growth and poverty in the lives of those living under such demonic control.

But Paul is not talking about this type of confrontation. Rather, he is discussing strongholds as mindsets that keep us in bondage. Even though demons are indirectly the cause of these and use these to gain control over our lives, in context, the strongholds Paul talks about are

• erroneous beliefs, persuasions, and teachings that lead to “acts of disobedience” (verse 5);
• religious lies and deceptions the enemy uses to enslave us to his ways of thinking, his attitudes, and actions;
• false arguments and pretensions that come against a true understanding (the knowledge) of God.

In psychological terms, strongholds could be considered “practiced ways of habitual thinking that bind us to bad habits, addictions, and lifestyles.” They can fill us with hopelessness, leading us to believe something in our lives is unchangeable. Their function is to control our thinking while minimizing anything that contradicts it.

On a demonic level, a stronghold can be defined as an influence or grip; a persistent oppression, obsession, hindrance, or harassment.

Examples of religious strongholds include these:

• False doctrines such as denying the divinity of Christ or advocating that man is sinless or salvation is earned.
• False teachings such as those that say God punishes us with sickness, God wants us poor, or piousness equates to material prosperity.

Examples of strongholds in the mind are stubbornness, pride, inferiority/superiority complex, confusion, prejudice, and lying. Demonic strongholds include rebellion, lust, witchcraft, idolatry, and the occult.

In Paul’s day, strongholds in the mind probably included keeping certain man-made traditions or following particular rules, laws, and regulations. These were attempts to please God through “works” instead of accepting Jesus’ finished work by grace. Evidently, there were some in the Corinthian church who were promoting such things as legalism over grace and permissiveness over self-discipline.

Testimony
“God gave me peace all day throughout the seminar.
The paperwork was a catharsis in itself.
I urge others to be honest in all the phases of the paperwork.”

Punishing Disobedience

What did Paul mean when he said he was “ready to punish every act of disobedience?” Let’s look closer at 2 Corinthians 10:4-5: “Casting down imaginations and every high thing” (verse 4, KJV) is more accurately translated “Demolishing arguments and false pretenses” (NIV).

Paul was saying he would vigorously point out opinions that others were stating as facts about Christ. “Bringing into captivity every thought” (KJV) equates to proving the truth about Christ by rightfully dividing Scripture.

He went on to say he was ready “to revenge” (verse 5, “punish,” NIV) all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.” In translating the Greek meanings of these words, Paul was not referring to physically punishing anyone. Nor was he referring to warring against demons. Instead, he was ready to defend the truth of the gospel by refuting those who taught false doctrines and teachings (all disobedience). He would do this only after the Corinthian church realized they had been deceived and did not have truthful or “obedient” mindsets or “strongholds” about Christ and their freedom in him.

Yokes

A yoke is something that links, enjoins, or locks two things in place, so that one cannot move without the other. Most often we see yokes used on teams of oxen or horses. In this case, the yoke is a type of harness, made of wood (oxen) or leather (horses), that forces the animals to move in tandem. One result of “yoking” animals together is that their combined strength is multiplied. For instance, a team of two workhorses yoked together can pull up to four times the weight that one horse could pull.

A yoke can also mean a bond that is oppressive or burdensome. Paul said this to the Corinthians:

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
~2 Corinthians 6:14-16

Here we see Paul links the words yoked, common, fellowship, harmony, and agreement together. Thus, a yoke can mean an agreement in mindsets that are evidenced in lifestyle. Paul is telling the Corinthian church—and us—not to be joined (yoked) together in body, mind, or spirit with unbelievers. He states we have nothing in common: There is no compatibility or equality. Our lifestyles differ (fellowship); our thought lives are different (harmony); and we act differently (agreement). He warns us that joining ourselves together in any of these areas may result in grief, hardship, sorrow, and pain. This does not mean we disassociate ourselves from the world. God has called us to live in this world but not to be of this world. Jesus ate and fellowshipped with publicans and sinners yet did not acquiesce to their lifestyles for ministry and evangelism purposes.

There is also a third meaning of the word yoke: In King James English, it meant “to rob” in the sense that “two thieves yoked the man of his wallet.” Whenever we are compelled to follow a particular sin or sinful lifestyle, we are yoked or robbed of the freedom God desires for us.

Testimony
“I encourage others to be obedient in their preparation for the workshop.
I would not have received so much from God had I not prepared myself properly.”

Bondages

“They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?” (John 8:33).

The Israelite nation was well acquainted with the word bondage. It means to be a slave to, to serve and be subject to someone or something other than one’s self. For instance, the ancient Israelites were in bondage to the nation of Egypt, serving as their slaves and performing the most menial tasks.

Bondage can also mean the state of being under the control of a force or influence or abstract power. For example, “He was in bondage to fear” or “His life was bound up in sex.”

The Israelites had spent their first four hundred years, before becoming a fledgling nation, as a people group in bondage to Egypt. From both written and oral traditions, they understood the slavery, torment, and subjugation that bondage brings.

Bondage is the end result of negative strongholds in our mind. We are enslaved to particular lifestyles through addictions, cravings, and inordinate desires. We cannot escape a particular bondage because we believe the mindset we established is true. For instance, we might believe sex equates to happiness, or shopping means fulfillment, or adultery will make us feel good.

Strongholds, yokes, and bondages form vicious and self-perpetuating cycles. Eventually, we are bound so tightly that it is almost impossible to break free of their hold. We are unable to accept the truths found in God’s Word, or we cannot consistently follow them.

Signs to Look for

How do we know when we are faced with a stronghold, yoke, or bondage? They reveal themselves through our words and lifestyles:

• We are constantly critical of everyone and everything.
• We minimize or negate true or positive things said about us by others.
• We hide our bad habits.
• Certain thoughts fill us with shame, guilt, or condemnation.
• A particular behavior worsens over time.
• We are driven by our impulses and desires.

We are unwilling to give up particular mindsets because we find security and protection with them. They are familiar to us and we believe there is “truth” in them.

Strongholds, yokes, and bondages can vary from minor to moderate to severe. Extreme forms include mindsets that greatly hinder us spiritually, socially, or physically, such as an addiction. Moderate strongholds may limit our fulfillment in life, yet we can still function effectively. For instance, if we believe that poverty equates to pious humility, we may give all of our money away. Minor thoughts such as the need to protect ourselves by lying can be eradicated through conviction from God, leading to our confession and repentance.

Testimony
“The very act of preparation for the workshop was truly a blessing for me.”

King Saul

King Saul’s life succinctly illustrates how strongholds, yokes, and bondages can develop, interact with each other, and open the doors for demons to influence our lives. After hearing continual complaints from the Israelites, God instructed Samuel to anoint Saul to be the nation’s first king.¹ However, when Samuel summoned the people to Mizpah to introduce their new king, Saul was nowhere to be found; he had hidden himself amongst the baggage.² Why did he do this? A likely reason was he felt very insecure due to low self-esteem. Had he been a man full of self-confidence, he would have welcomed the people’s accolades and basked in his kingship. Instead, insecurity and low self-esteem were established strongholds in his belief system. He was yoked to them through his thought life, thus resulting in bondage to fear as displayed in his decision to hide.

We can have the same type of struggles in our lives. For instance, due to fear of rejection, we may be afraid to ask someone for help, apply for a new job, or confront someone over a wrongdoing. Fears are strongholds in our belief systems (minds) that we choose to yoke ourselves to (come in agreement with). They paralyze our actions, bringing us into bondage to indecision.

A Downward Spiral

Even though Saul rescued the city of Jabesh—which should have boosted his confidence—his insecurity and low self-esteem led him to make poor spiritual decisions based on emotion rather than good decisions based on faith.³ These decisions further reinforced his established strongholds, yokes, and bondages.

In chapter 13, Samuel instructed Saul to wait seven days for him to offer the required sacrifices to God before going to war with the Philistines. However, when Saul did not see Samuel in time and his men began to scatter, Saul took matters into his own hands. He committed the cardinal sin of assuming the position of high priest and offered up burnt offerings to God. When Samuel arrived, he was mortified:

And Samuel said, What hast thou done? And Saul said, Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that thou camest not within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered themselves together at Michmash; Therefore said I, The Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication unto the LORD: I forced myself therefore, and offered a burnt offering. And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the LORD have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever. But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee.
~1 Samuel 13:11-14

Saul’s insecurity, low self-esteem, and lack of faith led him into disobedience, resulting in sinful actions with disastrous consequences. God took away his family’s right to the kingship of Israel. Saddened and downtrodden, Saul found the thought of his son, Jonathan, not following in his footsteps unbearable. When God’s chosen captain of his people was revealed, Saul turned into a possessed man.

A Spirit of Torment

After David was anointed by Samuel to be Israel’s next king, the Holy Spirit forsook Saul. “But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him. And Saul’s servants said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee” (1 Samuel 16:14-15).

The Hebraic words evil spirit indicate that Saul was filled with gloom and despondency. The Holy Spirit had taken away his anointing, and grief and sorrow overwhelmed him. These new strongholds took root in his mind and further yoked him in bondage to depression that probably lasted the rest of his life. Evil spirits would have also tormented him by sending fiery darts of self-condemnation, ridicule, and despair into his mind.

Is it possible that Saul had an evil spirit? Yes. He no longer had the Holy Spirit in his life. He certainly “had a demon(s).” Ironically, it was David’s musical gifting that relieved Saul’s misery.

“And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him” (1 Samuel 16:23).

A Root of Bitterness

Although Saul remained king until his death in battle, he no longer lived a life worthy of kingship. When David prospered in battle and won the hearts of the people, Saul became “very wroth” and was consumed with jealousy.⁴ A stronghold of bitterness took root in his heart that led him into further sin.

And it came to pass on the morrow, that the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house: and David played with his hand, as at other times: and there was a javelin in Saul’s hand. And Saul cast the javelin; for he said, I will smite David even to the wall with it. And David avoided out of his presence twice. And Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him, and was departed from Saul.
~1 Samuel 18:10-12

The Amplified Bible interprets the word “prophesy” as raved madly. Tormented by shame, guilt, and anguish, Saul mercilessly hunted David at every opportunity. Saul must have believed the only way for him to regain peace in his life and to keep the kingship within his family was to kill David. His hatred for David so consumed him that he even tried to kill Jonathan when Jonathan defended David.⁵ Saul finally took his own pitiful life by falling on his sword after being severely wounded in battle at the hands of his archenemies, the Philistines.

An Overcomer

In context of deliverance, strongholds are mindsets that “yoke or join” us together with religious teachings (false doctrines and teachings), unhealthy thought patterns (pride and jealousy), or demonism (rebellion and witchcraft). These can bring grief or sorrow into our lives and rob us of the freedom Christ wants us to have.

“Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerers through him that loved us” (Romans 8:37).

As Christians, we are “in Christ” and have the ability to overcome any obstacles in our lives. The Bible states that we have the mind of Christ.⁶ We are more than conquerors: We are overcomers. We can refute, negate, and break strongholds, yokes, and bondages in our minds and lives through the power of the Holy Spirit, the Word of God, and submitting ourselves to the Lordship of Jesus.

We do not overcome strongholds, yokes, and bondages simply by rebuking demonic spirits. Nor do we overcome them by “proving our point” to others through arguments and fights. On the contrary, our weapons are not carnal, but mighty through God, enabling us to pull these down. Our spiritual weapons include these:

• Prayer⁷
• Fasting⁸
• Quoting scriptures⁹
• Obedience to God’s Word¹⁰
• Living by faith¹¹
• Walking in love¹²

No matter what the stronghold is, we must take our thoughts captive, making them obedient to Christ in every situation. Doing so destroys the yoke (agreement) we have with the mindset we want to break. This will eventually lead to freedom from the bondages we are enslaved to. Submitting ourselves to God allows the Holy Spirit’s anointing to flow in our lives. And where the anointing is—there is freedom.

“Yet the defenced city shall be desolate, and the habitation forsaken, and left like a wilderness: there shall the calf feed, and there shall he lie down, and consume the branches thereof” (Isaiah 27:10).

Testimony
“We were all together in one room and at no time were we separated.
First we had inner healing, then we were ministered to in deliverance.
My husband and I felt so free!
We experienced such cleansing, and we’ve never been the same.”

Chapter 13 Strongholds, Yokes, and Bondages

1 – 1 Samuel 10:1
2 – 1 Samuel 10:22
3 – 1 Samuel 11
4 – 1 Samuel 18:6-9
5 – 1 Samuel 20:30-33
6 – 1 Corinthians 2:16
7 – Matthew 17:21
8 – Matthew 17:21
9 – Matthew 4:1-4
10 – Romans 6:16
11 – Hebrews 11:1
12 – 2 John 1:6