One definition of a stronghold is set of beliefs or collection of ideas, information and knowledge about experiences which is not of God and so cannot be the truth, and therefore it consists of lies and so needs to be discarded.
“Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;” (2 Cor 10:5)
A demonic stronghold can be likened to a hidden fortress, which needs to be identified, and pulled down, dismantled, broken up, demolished:
“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;” (2 Cor 10:4)
In a way it is simple: a stronghold is just that – a ‘strong hold’. It is simple on the face of it, yet demonic strongholds are a common cause of blocks to deliverance. Reading some of the numerous articles on the subject can be helpful to come to a clear understanding of how they work.
For example, a stronghold is a hidden fortress so that even someone who knows about strongholds may be oblivious to their own. This can prevent someone from realizing that they need deliverance. To be delivered, as in salvation, is to be set free from bondage which is a form of stronghold.
Scripture tells us that Satan and his demons never come but to steal, kill and destroy. Yet it is astonishing how many people do listen to, believe and even trust demons without realizing that is what they are doing. This can often be due to strongholds that they don’t even realise are there.
Devils are liars and deceivers, so it can only be dangerous to listen to them. No matter what they may tell us, or what we believe, they will always betray us in the end. So if we are used to listening to demons, even without realizing it, by whatever mechanism and for whatever reason, then that is in itself a form of stronghold they have in us.
God’s word tells us to give no place to the devil. Not some place, or just a little place, but no place. The Bible also tells us to hate evil, like God does. That’s why it’s crucial that we learn not to listen to anything or anyone who says anything that does not line up with what God says in His word.
Demons can put thoughts in our head because they can mimic our voice. They know what we have been through, what our weaknesses are, what appeals to us and what doesn’t. They know exactly how to worm (pun intended) their way into our hearts and minds to get to think along the lines that they want us to and believe what they are saying.
That is why it is so important to study the Bible, because once we learn what God says in his word, then we will automatically know when we are listening to demons when we hear them saying something different to what the Bible says. We will also now how to counter the lies of demons. When Jesus was tempted by the devil, each of the three times, Jesus responded: “It is written….”
If you realise that you have been unwittingly listening to the lies of demons, repent and stop listening to them. Start listening only to what God has said in His word and believe Him because God never lies.
Many Christians believe that they do not need deliverance, that demons cannot get to them, influence or harass them in any way. That counters God’s word and therefore indicates a stronghold of pride and is in fact ‘a vain imagination’ which needs to be taken down because it exalts itself against the word of God.
Jesus told us to pray in the Lord’s Prayer: “Deliver us from evil.” Christians are not automatically delivered from demonic harassment. If they were, there would be no need to repeatedly ask God to deliver us from evil.
Whether anyone believes the account in Genesis of the Fall of Man in the Garden of Eden is a true story, or not, it is undeniable that there is much we can learn from the story. Sin came about because Eve listened to what Lucifer told her, that she should doubt God’s word when the serpent said:”Yay, hath God said?”
Instead of listening to what God had told her, Eve chose not only to disobey and rebel against God but to believe that God may not have told them the truth, that God had lied to them. We play with fire when we listen to the lies of demons – just as Eve did in the garden – instead of listening to what God has told us in the Bible which are words of life.
Derek Prince – Basics of Deliverance
Truth in Reality 