There are many strongholds in our hearts that occupy various areas of our lives. The "arguments" Paul mentioned in verse 5 refers to our mind and thoughts, and "pretention" means the pride in our hearts, or our feelings; finally, he said that we'll "take captive of every thought," which is our will. In other word, strongholds can take place in our thoughts, feelings and will, which make up our soul, and the devil always attacks us in these three areas.
First of all, devil Satan often deceives our thoughts. The Bible says that the devil is the father of all lies. Satan often deceives the non-believers, making them feel that God doesn't love them. Therefore, many Chinese do not believe in Jesus, because they think after they accept Jesus they will not be able to worship their ancestors, which contradicts with Chinese traditions. Actually, that is not the teaching of the Bible at all, because Bible takes honoring ancestors very seriously. The Israelites address God as the "God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob." This shows that they respect the faith of their ancestors. It's not that Christianity values respect for ancestors, but many have devil's stronghold in their thoughts, which caused them not able to accept Jesus Christ.
Next, in our feelings, Satan likes to build a Tower of Babel inside us based on our pride and self-centeredness. People use any conceivable way to satisfy the old-self deep down inside us, and that's why Bible says: "The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace."
Third, in our will, Satan often attacks us through the circumstance. Circumstance of hardship can easily waver our will. We might be able to defend against one or two difficulties, but we can be defeated by repeated attacks. When John the Baptist was imprisoned, at first he said that "He must become greater; I must become less." After a while, however, he sent his disciples to ask Jesus: "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?" Apparently, continued hardship can wear down our will. Accusation from the enemy, on the other hand, can also waver our will. Our hearts can be shaken by repeated accusations by the enemy and cause us not to follow the Lord.
Are there strongholds inside you? May the Holy Spirit shine into your hearts and cleanse you, and in the name of the Lord we shall defend all the work of the enemy!
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