Always: A 5-Day Devotional With Chris TomlinSample

Every Stronghold Must Come Down

“The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord; he is their stronghold in time of trouble.” Psalm 37:39 (NIV)

Strongholds come in all shapes and sizes. Walls. Idols. Giants. Mountains. Addictions. Fears. Anything that has a tight enough grip on us can form a stronghold.

God and God alone holds the power to break every stronghold. He alone is our refuge and strength. He not only provides our healing, He is our healing.

Time and time again, Scripture tells us that God is a stronghold. The Psalms are especially full of reminders that God is an unbreakable, ever-present stronghold.

“The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.” Psalm 9:9

“The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” Psalm 18:2

“The Lord is my light and my salvation — whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life — of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1

“He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge…” Psalm 144:2

We have the power of the stronghold-breaker living inside of us. Therefore, no stronghold will ever be too powerful for God to break. No lie too loud, no fear too potent, no addiction too real. Something might have a strongholdon us, but God’s hold on us will always be greater. On the other side of breakthrough lies more love, grace and mercy than we could ever imagine.

One of the first steps in breaking strongholds in our lives comes in admitting that there are strongholds that need breaking. The Bible says we overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony (Revelation 12:11). Freedom begins when we acknowledge that Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross covers all of our mistakes — even the strongholds of our own making. But it doesn’t end there.

After we experience the sweet exhilaration of freedom, we must tell others how Jesus has helped us obtain victory over our strongholds. When we share our story, we help others realize freedom is possible. Our story can then be the key that unlocks a stronghold for someone else.