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Details about Pulling Down Strongholds:
 PULLING DOWN
STRONGHOLDS - Excerpts by John Osteen
“For the weapons of our warfare are not
carnal, but mighty through God to the
pulling down of strongholds; 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.” II Cor.
10:4, 5
This Message Is Sent Forth In the Love Of
God
Though you have been tormented, defeated and
cast down, if you will heed this message,
God will give you light as to the way to
victory in your present state, and also help
you win every battle in the future.
The Christian Is The Enemy Of Satan
Satan wants to defeat the Christian. He
wants to deceive you. He wants to vex you.
Satan wants to keep you from the Truth, for
he knows that the “TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE”.
The Primary Place Of Attack By Satan Is
In The Mind
It is in our thoughts he begins the battle!
Few Christians realize this fact. They care
little for the guarding of their minds.
Their minds are filled with television
programs, radio programs, newspaper
articles, magazines and the conversation of
the world. Thousands of thoughts enter their
minds which concern the things of this
world.
Our Thought Life Should Be Acceptable To
God
The area of our thoughts is the
battlefield!! The warfare is in the mind
before it goes to other areas. Win the
battle spoken of here, and you will rejoice
in the victory God gives you over your enemy
every day of your life.
The weapons of our warfare are not carnal,
but mighty through God to the PULLING DOWN
OF STRONGHOLDS!!!.
Thoughts are Satan’s strongholds! Wicked
imaginations are from the devil!! We are to
PULL DOWN Satan’s strongholds and CAST DOWN
his thoughts that produce wicked
imaginations! Thought life must be dominated
by the Word of God. There is no room for the
devil’s thoughts when you fill your mind
with thoughts from the Lord.
Pray For God To Forgive You For Your
Thought
In Acts chapter 8 we have the story of
Phillip going down to Samaria for a great
revival. Many were saved, healed, delivered
from the power of Satan, baptized in water
and baptized also in the Holy Spirit. In
this story we see a man by the name of
Simon, the sorcerer. He offers Peter and
John money for the gift of laying on of
hands to help people receive the Holy
Spirit. Peter rebuked him and said he was in
the gall of bitterness and the bonds of
iniquity. He said, “Pray that the THOUGHT of
thine heart might be forgiven thee.” He was
motivated by a THOUGHT! Where did this
thought come from? It came from Satan. Peter
said in effect, “Satan has put a thought in
your heart. You have accepted it as your own
and acted upon it. PRAY FOR GOD TO FORGIVE
YOU FOR YOUR THOUGHT!!” He did not say
“thoughts”, but THOUGHT. Pray that God will
forgive you for that one THOUGHT that leads
you to wrong action.
Bring Every Thought Into The Captivity of
Christ
Thousands of people are gripped by fear.
That fear came from thoughts Satan put into
your mind. You have accepted them and have
lived in the torment they produce. CAST DOWN
THOSE IMAGINATIONS!! PULL DOWN THOSE
STRONGHOLDS!! BRING EVERY THOUGHT INTO THE
CAPTIVITY OF CHRIST!! Bring those tormenting
thoughts under the blood of Jesus, and in
HIS NAME cast them out into the pit from
whence they came! Lying thoughts can become
a stronghold. In other words, Satan’s lying
thoughts can hold you strongly. A thought
can have a strong hold on you. They can lay
hold of your mind and hold you like a vise.
Thoughts can keep you from the truth. When
one continual thought lingers and becomes a
stronghold, it allows others similar to it
to also dominate the thinking. One mighty
lie from Satan placed into your mind can
hold you in a place of sickness, suffering
and torment for as long as you permit it and
as long as you accept it!
Many Of You Are Held Captive By A
Thought!
That thought brings fear! Satan drops
thoughts into people’s minds such as: “You
are not saved.” “You are not going to make
heaven.” “You are going to be lost forever.”
“Your children are going to hell.” “You are
going to have a wreck.” “No one appreciates
you.” “Your wife doesn’t love you any more.”
“Your husband doesn’t love you anymore.”
“You have cancer.” “You have a tumor of the
brain.” “You will never get well.” “You
would be better off dead.” “It’s just as bad
to think a thing as to do it, so go ahead
and do it.”
Thousands Of Lies Are Offered To Your
Mind
When you accept them as your own thoughts,
you begin to say with your mouth what Satan
has said to your mind. “But those things
which proceed out of the mouth come forth
from the heart; and they defile the man.”
Matthew 15:18. They change these thoughts
into: I am not saved; I’ll never make
heaven; I am lost; my children will never
get saved; I am going to have a wreck; no
one appreciates me; my mate doesn’t love me
anymore! You begin to say what the thought
from the enemy says, signifying you have
accepted it. In FEAR the lie causes you to
say: I have cancer; I have a brain tumor; I
will never get well; I’d be better off dead;
It is just as bad to think a thing as to do
it, so I might as well go ahead and give
myself over to this sin. “From the abundance
of the heart the mouth speaketh.” Matthew
12:34.
“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.”
Proverbs 23:7.
“He (the Lord) sent HIS WORD and healed them
and delivered them from their destructions.”
Psalms 107:20.
Are you accepting God’s Word into your
heart, or are you accepting the devil’s lie?
Does some thought hold you strongly today?
The Bible says of the enemy, “We are not
ignorant of his devices.” The Bible says,
“Bring into captivity every thought to the
obedience of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:5.
When you repeat out loud the lies Satan
gives you in thoughts, you become fearful
and live in torment. When you accept God’s
thoughts and promises and repeat them out
loud in faith, they bring peace to your
heart. HOLD UP YOUR BIBLE AND LOOK AT IT.
THERE ARE THE THOUGHTS OF GOD!! Replace
every thought the devil gives you with one
of God’s thoughts! Remember, the devil is a
liar and the father of all lies. John 8:44.
He cannot tell the truth. If you will take
just the opposite of what the devil has told
you, then you will know the TRUTH!! When the
devil comes along and gives a thought about
something to bring fear we say, “Why thank
you so much, Mr. Devil, for telling me that.
Now I know the TRUTH! I’ll just take the
opposite of what you have said, (replace the
thought with one of God’s precious healing,
delivering thoughts) and know the truth
about the situation.”
Declare The Works Of The Lord
“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is
within me, bless His holy name. Bless the
Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His
benefits. Who forgiveth all mine iniquity,
who healeth all my diseases.” Psalms
103:1-3.
If he says you are going to die in early
life, shout loudly, “I SHALL NOT DIE BUT
LIVE AND DECLARE THE WORKS OF THE LORD.”
Psalms 118:17. “WITH LONG LIFE HE SATISFIES
ME AND SHOWS ME HIS SALVATION!!” Psalms
91:16.
If the devil drops into your mind that you
are a homosexual, don’t let fear grip you.
Replace it with God’s word. IT IS WRITTEN,
“If any man be in Christ he is a NEW
CREATURE. Old things have passed away and
behold all things are become new. 2
Corinthians 5:17. I am a NEW CREATURE in
Christ. I am more than a conqueror! Greater
is HE (Jesus) that is IN me than he that is
in the world. 1 John 4:4 I REBUKE YOU, you
lying devil! In the name of Jesus Christ, I
cast you out and your thought out of my
mind. Go in Jesus’ name!!!
No Weapon Formed Against You Will Prosper
In Isaiah 54:17 it says, “No weapon formed
against you shall prosper, and every tongue
that shall rise up against you in judgement,
THOU shalt condemn. This is the heritage of
the servant of the Lord and your
righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.”
The thought from Satan is a weapon. It will
not prosper unless you let it. Many
suffering, tormented people cry out to God
to help them. But He says, “Every tongue
that shall rise up against you
…THOU…THOU…THOU shalt condemn!” YOU are the
one that is to condemn that tongue. YOU are
the one that is to condemn that thought. YOU
are the one that shall rebuke Satan and his
lie!! Don’t ask God to do it!! Don’t expect
Jesus to do it!! He told YOU to do it!!
Jesus conquered Satan and said to you,
“Behold, I give YOU power over ALL the power
of the enemy.” Luke 10:19.
“In my name YOU shall cast out devils” Mark
16:17.
Base Your Thoughts On The Promises of God
Romans 12:1 and 2 says, “I beseech you,
therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God
that ye present your bodies a living
sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which
is your reasonable service. And be not
conformed to this world: but be ye
transformed by the renewing of your mind,
that ye may prove what is that good, and
acceptable, and perfect will of God.” Begin
to be filled full of God’s Word. Learn to
think like God thinks. Your Father in heaven
will say about you what He did about JOB,
“Have you seen my servant? There is none
like him!!”
You Can Change Your Destiny
Have you become convinced that your destiny
is to suffer pain and disease and defeat?
Have you given up and resigned yourself to
the position that nothing can be done about
your situation? YOU CAN CHANGE YOUR DESTINY!
Thoughts are like the seeds in the trees and
flowers. These seeds spread out all around
and “bring forth after their kind”
You can change your state and atmosphere by
changing your thoughts, basing those
thoughts on the great unchanging promises of
God. You cannot sow seed thoughts of
sickness and live in the atmosphere of
HEALTH. You cannot sow seed thoughts of
defeat and fear and live in the atmosphere
of VICTORY and PEACE! You cannot sow seeds
of poverty and live in the atmosphere of
PROSPERITY!
Begin today to fill your mind, heart, home
and surroundings with the seed thoughts of
GOD about health, victory, peace, prosperity
and all the other things you desire in life.
Base these thoughts on definite promises of
God. THINK them…TALK them…ACT on them!!!
This is the pathway to victory!!!
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