Days of Prayer to Overcome Strongholds

Scriptures: John 10:10, 1 Peter 5:8, 2 Corinthians 10:4

The Invisible War 

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we are in the middle of a spiritual war raging between two kingdoms, the kingdom of almighty God and the kingdom of Satan, the god of this world. It is an invisible war taking place all around us. What’s at stake? Your success as a Christian, your ability to be productive for the kingdom of God, and your understanding of just how much authority you have as a believer in Jesus Christ. 

Your salvation is never in doubt, but your ability to understand the spiritual world and be successful against Satan’s kingdom is based on your knowledge of the Word of God. 

We’re talking about a real war between good and evil, between opposing forces in the heavenlies. The kingdom of God is one of light, grace, and truth, where Jesus paid the price to give us abundant and eternal life. The kingdom of Satan is one of darkness and offers captivity, destruction, and death. 

I can’t stress enough that Satan is a defeated foe. Jesus Christ is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. But the Bible tells us that Satan is still working against us. The devil still seeks to “steal and kill and destroy” by capturing believers and nonbelievers alike in sin patterns or behaviors they can’t escape. 

Angels, demons, spiritual warfare, warring kingdoms, biblical strongholds—they all exist, but they are not concepts that people consider very often or know much about. Some Christians turn away from even the mention of these words, or worse, roll their eyes, thinking, “Oh, no, here we go again.” I understand that reaction because some people can be overly emotional about the supernatural. But ignoring this very real hidden war occurring around us or denying the tactics of the enemy of our soul can lead to spiritual captivity. 

Strongholds from the enemy are not only things like substance addictions to drugs or alcohol; they can also be strongholds of anger, hatred, depression, anxiety, hopelessness, sexual addiction, lust, perversion, pornography, food addiction, gambling, even social media or gaming addictions, and anything else that is dominating a person’s life—making them Satan’s slave. 

We need to intercede for one another in prayer in order to pull down demonic strongholds against us, our loved ones, and our friends.

Scriptures: Psalms 144:1-2, John 14:23, Matthew 6:9-13

Blessed Be the Lord My Rock 

The first thing we need to understand as we intercede in prayer together is who almighty God is—the Creator, the Supreme Being, the greatest power that exists in the universe. He is our heavenly Father. 

Praise and adoration of almighty God is the foundation of our existence and the key to success in spiritual warfare. Without God as the bedrock of our lives, there would be no reason to consider spiritual warfare. We would be defeated before we even got started. That is why the first principle of spiritual warfare is to know and humbly bless the Lord God. 

It is so important to get to know our heavenly Father, to spend time in His presence, bowing before Him, confessing His holiness, worshipping Him, honoring Him, and magnifying Him. Each morning, I consider it an honor to raise my voice in praise and adoration to God. It is my privilege to come before Him as He invites Himself into our lives. 

Although we are engaged in spiritual warfare with a hidden enemy, no enemy can ever overcome God’s majesty or His kingdom. Yes, God trains our hands for war. Yes, we will learn about the strongholds and tactics of the enemy. Yes, we will wield the spiritual weapons God has given us to overcome him. But first, we must understand the importance of being in our Father’s presence, hallowing His name as Jesus instructed His disciples. 

Please join me in this prayer: 

We worship You, Father. We praise You for who You are, the Sovereign God of the universe, our Creator. We glorify Your name. Father, we acknowledge that we have nothing to offer You. We want to be right before You, Father, always. 

Jesus Christ, we love You. We praise You, Lord. We bless Your holy name. Jesus, You are the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Jesus, You’re our best friend. Jesus, we thank You today for bringing the Holy Spirit to us. 

Holy Spirit, we yield ourselves to You right now—our minds, our hearts, our spirits. Watch over us. Guide us. Give us wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. Thank You for destroying the plan of Satan against us and our families. Open our hearts and minds to You. Guard us and protect us. Help us to be the men and women You want us to be.

Scriptures: 2 Corinthians 2:11, Isaiah 14:12-15, John 8:44, Ephesians 6:12

Know Your Enemy 

We would never ignore an enemy in a natural war, so we would be foolish to ignore Satan and his deceptions. 

Jesus has gained the ultimate victory for us. The devil has lost the war. But Satan and his evil forces have been allowed enough power in this world to engage in spiritual battles; they are trying to capture us in their strongholds of sin. 

From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible reveals Satan’s identity. The Old Testament tells us he was an angel whose false pride and ego made him rebel against God. In the New Testament, Jesus describes Satan as a murderer and a liar. Paul alerts us that Satan doesn’t work alone. He has some powerful forces in his kingdom. But they don’t have more power than the King of Kings! 

Satan is still a formidable foe on earth. He can use his tactics on every human being who has ever been born because we were born in Adam’s sin. Even Christians can’t get too cocky. Remember, the apostle Peter warns us, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Satan’s relentless temptations can be destructive even against believers if they do not submit to God and resist the enemy’s lies. 

Now, we know that Satan can never possess a Christian; our spirits have been born again in Christ. However, he can oppress or influence us with relentless thoughts of depression, anxiety, fear, unbelief, lust, anger, unforgiveness, insecurity, and addictions that can create strongholds in our lives. The darkness that exists in the world today, and the temptations of the enemy, need to be recognized and resisted. Once you open yourself up to Satan’s lies and give him permission to come in through your choices, the demonic influence can be very strong. Only God’s love and power can break those strongholds. 

The spiritual warfare around us is real. But don’t let it make you afraid. Fear doesn’t come from the Lord. Never forget that the almighty God, the Creator of the universe, is stronger than Satan. And the Holy Spirit living in you is stronger than the ruler of this world. 

Let us thank the Lord for His Holy Spirit that resides within us and pray for His guidance and wisdom against the wiles of the enemy.

Scriptures: Hebrews 4:12, Ephesians 6:17

Sharper Than Any Two-Edged Sword 

God listens to our praise and worship. God hears and moves in answer to our prayers. But Satan only listens to one thing—the living and powerful Word of the almighty God. Satan must bow to God’s Word. It’s part of our divine armor, a powerful offensive weapon God has given us to overcome spiritual strongholds. 

God’s Word is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword. It can pierceand divide our soul and spirit so that we can perceive the truth. God’s Word is also a discerner of our actual thoughts. That is why we should speak the Word of God over ourselves and our loved ones. 

I’ve learned that overcoming strongholds has nothing to do with my natural abilities. It is Christ living in me that gives me the authority to resist Satan’s accusations with the two-edged sword of God’s Word. We need to believe and be able to declare, “I know who I am! I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. My name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. I will be in God’s presence for eternity. That is who I am, so get your hands off of me, my father, my mother, my husband or wife, my son or daughter, in the name of Jesus. The Lord rebuke you, Satan!” 

When we wield the sword of the Spirit by confessing God’s Word out loud over our loved ones in prayer, it releases the power of the Holy Spirit over their hearts and minds. God will reveal the truth and bring clarity to the one you are praying for. With their spiritual eyes opened, they can take a serious look at themselves and ask, “Why am I doing this to myself?” 

The Word of God breaks the bondage. It is a discerner of the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Only God’s Word can bring someone into the reality of what they are doing to destroy themselves. When we confess His Word out loud over our loved ones, we need to understand and have faith that God is working to release them as we pray. 

Do you want to see your loved ones set free from strongholds? Watch God melt the power of Satan over your loved ones when you’re confessing God’s Word over them!

Scriptures: Ephesians 6:14-18, James 5:16, Hebrews 11:1

The Most Powerful Force in the Universe 

Prayer is the most powerful force in the universe. Especially when we speak almighty God’s Word over our circumstances and back to Him in faith. 

Prayer gives you faith in miracles and faith to see God’s supernatural power at work. Prayer is the strongest weapon in our spiritual arsenal to set the captives free. 

Prayer is taking the time to believe almighty God and that His power is greater than the enemy. Prayer is entering into our Father’s presence with faith to believe that His power is greater than anything in the universe. Prayer is the privilege of believing in God for those who can’t receive God’s truth right now. 

Prayer is surrendering our will to His will and exercising something unseen, faith, against and over something unseen, spiritual darkness, and enforcing Christ’s victory on the cross for ourselves or our loved ones. 

Praying is serious business in the kingdom of God. First, we need to take the time to hear from Him. Second, it reinforces the awesome truth that God loves us and that He has given us powerful spiritual weapons, like prayer, to overcome the enemy. That is why Paul says so often in his letters to the churches, “Pray for me.” 

Don’t believe the lies of hell that God hasn’t been listening to you. God is saying to you today, “From the very first day you prayed, your Father in heaven heard your cry.” 

No matter how much of a challenge your spiritual battle is right now, because of Jesus’s sacrifice for you, we know that God is at work. Just because you haven’t had your answer yet, just because you are still in the process of interceding to take back a soul from Satan, God is at work. 

Because of your faith in intercessory prayer, God is releasing the angels of heaven, the power of heaven, and the power of His Spirit on your behalf. He is releasing that power upon you and the ones you are interceding for. Even though the deliverance may not happen today, the heavenly answer has been set in motion. The cords that bind you or your loved ones are being loosened. As we pray, we need to receive that truth in faith, humbling ourselves before the Lord, praising and worshipping the God of the universe for the answers to our prayers. 

We hope this plan encouraged you.