2 Corinthians 10:4 – The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. (NIV)

When I discovered that the word "stronghold" came from the Greek word "echo", some interesting thoughts came to mind. For instance, an old country song about lost love goes on about "the echoes of my mind". The dictionary defines our English word "echo" as "sound reflected from a solid body and repeated at or near the place of origin; a close imitation either in words or sentiments."

We could say that a stronghold is something that echoes in our mind as the real thing. Yes, that ice cream used to comfort, but now, it causes indigestion and guilt. That drug once gave us a high, but today, it is killing us. The shopping was fun, until we got the Visa bill.

Author Beth Moore defines a stronghold as anything we hold on to that ends up holding us. Take a closer look at that dim echo reverberating in our mind. It's only an imitation of what used to be, but now, it holds us captive. Let's ask God to show us how to fight our way to freedom. He will supply weapons and even show us how to use them.

Prayer: Lord, we confess that we are being held captive by _________. We stand on Your promise that You came "to set captives free" (Isaiah 61:1) and we plead for freedom. Show us how to fight and defeat our strongholds. In Christ's name, we pray. Amen.

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About the author:

Brenda Wood <brenda.w@nextcom.ca>
Sandycove Acres, Innisfil, Ontario, Canada
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