Barefoot Devotions, The How To Series

How To Slay Your Mental Strongholds

I am going to be writing about my experience with mental strongholds and how I overcame the chains of anxiety and depression that ruled my life.  This is a very sensitive subject but after many weeks of talking myself out of writing this, I am doing it.  This comes from my experience and how I decided to battle these strongholds with the word of God, prayer, and a relationship with Jesus.  After years of depression and anxiety,  I realized that it was my outlook on my circumstances and the perspective that I had.  That perspective was steaming from the enemy and the lies he told me about me.


Lets Start By Defining A Stronghold:

Biblically speaking a stronghold is a belief that is a lie and has taken root and overpowered your ability to think or see clearly according to God’s view and what His word tells us.  This effects you emotionally, spiritually, and even physically.

Lets Look At The Cause Of Strongholds:

It is so easy to get caught up in negativity, a false belief system,  doubts, fear, and our circumstances.  We are trained by the media, by people, and the ways of the world to live and think according to their standards.  We must accept that we fight against unseen spiritual forces of the dark world and that this world is ruled by the dark forces.  Yes, that means demons and malicious spirits that are causing affliction in your mind, on you, and to you.  They have stealthily found a way inside of your mind and they are trying to take over.  Perhaps they already have.

For a cause to take place, there has to be a sin or a circumstance that negatively affected you.  Therefore, that leaves you dealing with the effects.  This could be your sin or even someone else’s sin that has altered your way of thinking and your way of doing things.  If you are unable to let things go, the memory that haunts you can have a negative impact on your life.  If we allow a certain thought to replay in our mind, we start to believe that thought.

Here is an example:  As a child and young adult, I experienced rejection from my dad who was an addict.  Although it was not intentional, his addiction stronghold was the cause of my rejection stronghold.

Ephesians 6:10 | For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Identifying Your Strongholds:

Identifying the areas in your mind that are strongholds require you to take examine your life – the past and present.  It can be uncomfortable at first but as we know from God’s Word, the truth sets you free! Once you begin to identify and see the parallels, you will rejoice in knowing the cause of your afflictions and reasons of why you think or do something a certain way.

Here is a list of the most common strongholds relating to the mind:

(Be in prayer with the Heavenly Father, ask Him to reveal yours to you, and be open to listening to His answer)

  • Rejection
  • Fear
  • Doubt
  • Shame
  • Hopelessness
  • Worthlessness
  • Negativity
  • Anger

Lets Look At The Solutions:

Now that we have identified what a stronghold is and the cause, let us start taking a look at how we tear down the strongholds and replace them with God’s truth about you.

First, you must repent and turn from any sin that is unconfessed.  Once we have done so we will be able to break free from any sin that is causing negative effects.  You must remember that God has already won the battle and you must have faith to fight through.

Second, you must know and accept that God is sovereign.  He is the supreme authority and all things are under His control.  Without Him, you can not win. You need Him to fight a supernatural battle.

Third, you must believe and accept that you are forgiven, our sins and past are washed away by the blood of Jesus! You have the power to live free in Christ.  This is His desire for you!

2 Corinthians 5:17 | Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

Fourth, you must act!

Great! So, how do you act?

This will require you to put your faith in action and when you experience the enemy placing thoughts or past memories into your mind, you must exercise your authority in Jesus Christ to reject your past way of thinking and replace your thoughts with all good things that are of Jesus.

Philippians 4:8 |  “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things.”

Accepting The Past Is The Past

Unfortunately, the enemy knows about who you were and all the things you have done and said that you are not proud of. There will come a day when he is smearing it in your face and putting every sordid detail back into your mind.

When you start remembering the past, you must stop replaying past memories. You can not allow yourself to be controlled by your past – no matter how painful and haunting it is! It happened and it can not be changed! Get your head out of the past and strain your neck to look forward into your future! Your past is not there!

Philippians 3:13-14  | Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Renewing Your Mind

Romans 12:2 | Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

You must ask the LORD to guard your mind and to help you keep your mind focused on what is right in the eyes of Him.

Every day you have to wash and bathe in God’s living word.  It refreshes you and each day you will learn something new about the characteristics of God and how he truly feels about you! To renew your mind is to spend time with the LORD, read the Bible, and pray daily!

Taking Every Thought Captive

2 Corinthians 10: 3-5 | For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh.  For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.  We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.

Every thought that comes to mind must be tested. Ask yourself – is it from our loving Heavenly Father or is it from Satan who is set out to steal, kill, and destroy?

With God there is life.

With Satan there is death.

With God there is truth.

With Satan there are lies.

With God there is hope.

With Satan there is hopelessness.

With God there is a future.

With Satan there is a past.

With God there is confidence.

With Satan there is fear and doubt.

With God there is boldness and bravery.

Life TruthHopeFreedomFutureConfidence BravenessBoldness (1)

Ask yourself, does this thought come from God or Satan?

If it comes from Satan, then you need to hold that thought captive, pray and ask God to slay this thought and replace it with His truths.  Seek His word and learn what He says in scripture.  Rejoice and praise God for the truth that He is replacing in your life.  Slowly, you will see just how each thought, especially thoughts that seem to be on repeat can cause depression, anxiety, and fear!

Xoxo,

Hannah B.

P.S. I hope you enjoyed this blog and if you did be sure to leave a comment down below and share across all of your social media feeds!

Disclaimer:  I am not a doctor and encourage you to seek professional help to determine what is best for your situation and I am not encouraging you to stop current treatments.  I do believe that with physicians and the hands of our great physician, you can be healed! Almost always, there is a root cause and I do believe that we need to get down into the roots to properly heal.

Barefoot Devotions

A Year In A Holler

Lately, I have been reflecting about our first year in the holler. As I look back to one year ago, I had no idea that this is what God had planned but I am so incredibly thankful that He allowed my plans to fall through and show me how great of a plan He had.


 

We (God did this) sold our house within 3 days, had all of our belongings in the back of a Uhaul preparing for our big move across the Appalachian mountains within a month. Although we kept experiencing road blocks, God always carried us through the situation with an outcome that benefited us. We knew from the beginning that God was in this and He wouldn’t get us this far not to see us through the entire process.

There was one problem that was not being solved. We drove to our new hometown countless of times looking for a place for our family to call home but only to find nothing.

With two weeks to spare before we were moved out of our house, we finally agreed on a house and decided to just be done with the search and secure the place so we would have a place to move to immediately.

Deep down I knew this place wasn’t meant to be called home. It just didn’t feel right but I had a plan and a place to live!

It was not God’s plan though. A few days before closing and moving out of our house, we found out that our rental would no longer be available for the date we needed but a few days later. We were able to stay with family and wait out our new move in date but we found out that the delay would be indefinite. We were not moving there.

In my mind, we were essentially homeless. We sold our house, we had everything packed and loaded, but no where to go. With only days left to spare until we had to absolutely be there, we were without a plan. Without options. Everything was closing in. There were deadlines that were not going to be met.

God said, “Go” so we drove to Kentucky with an open mind and expecting God’s best. We knew we would either store everything and move again, get my husband an apartment, or find a house for all of us.

For one last reminder that God was in control, we broke down in the Uhaul. At that point, we should have turned around and just forgot about it because we were facing such difficulty getting to our destination.

When you are in a situation like this, you have no choice but to trust God’s plans and that is exactly where He wanted us to be. Even though the unknowns were something to be worried about, we chose to keep moving forward. We kept going on faith, God kept His promises, and surrounded us with His goodness every moment.

My plan had fallen apart and He showed me that His plans and His will are always perfect and far better than anything we could ever plan out yourself.

No matter how many original and back up plans I made, I could never had planned what God had laid out for us. If your plan isn’t a part of God’s plan, it’s simply going to fall apart so that the right pieces can fall into place.

This picture was taken 40 minutes outside of our destination and is the moment I knew God would provide. He did provide far better than my plan A, B, and C. The moment of realizing that I had absolutely no control and I had to let go and let God continue to lead us in our next chapter because His ways were higher than mine.

The ending to a chapter but the beginning of of a new chapter, Barefoot In A Holler.

Xoxo,

Hannah B.

Barefoot Devotions

Cast Your Cares

What is causing you anxiety 😞 tonight? Even if it’s a small care, YOU are loved ❤️ by THE GOD who created the world 🌎 we can barely comprehend the beauty & complexity of.

Throw everything that is on your mind and everything that is weighing you down onto the LORD. He is asking you for it! Don’t hold on to it! Leave it there and thank Him for taking care of you in such an incredible way.

He already has the answers and He knows what your tomorrow holds! He wants you to show Him that you trust Him to let go!

Xoxo,

Hannah B.

Barefoot Devotions // Faith Over Fear Series

Season One // Day Ten

Pondering

In the midst of your circumstances, it is easy to allow your human senses to take over your thoughts and actions. You will search for the most logical and rational solution to apply to your problems. You will be restless and you will not have peace about the situation you are facing. You will go from answer to answer looking for the best ones. The worst part is that you will not allow God to see you through to the absolute best outcome for you. You can’t comprehend the plan God has for you because He is preparing you for something years down the road. Something that if you could see through God’s lens, you would say no way! To live an abundant and joyful life, you have to let go and let God do His thing. He knows what’s best and what’s needed and His timing is always perfect. You are commanded not to worry. Your days are already known by the maker of heaven and earth. He is just giving you the chance to experience His love, His grace, and His mercy. He has given you life because He loves you and wants a relationship with you. A chance to know His heart and to fellowship with Him. Once you grasp His perfect love for you, it is enough to acknowledge that you don’t have the answer and place everything in God’s hands because in the end everything is going to be okay. If you are looking through your lens and not God’s spiritual lens, you will miss the small, intricate, and handcrafted details God has so carefully crafted for you.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

John 10:10-11 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.  “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.’”

Isaiah 43:2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Isaiah 41:10 Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

Praying

Heavenly Father, I come to you asking forgiveness for my sins. I believe that you love me so much that you sent your only son, Jesus to die on the cross for me. So I could have an abundant life and experience your goodness and your greatness. I rebuke the thief and the fear he places in my mind. Even though it may not seem like it right now and it’s really hard to believe, but I know you are working something bigger than I could ever comprehend. Thank you for loving me that much and thank you for everything you have done and will do.

Practicing

  • In what areas of your life has God revealed to you to to let go of your lens and look through His lens?
  • What keeps you from fully trusting God?
  • How can you take steps each day to place your trust in Him?
  • Isn’t it time to fully surrender? Don’t you want abundant life?

All my love,

Hannah B.

P.s. Did you like this series? I hope so! If you did, please share so we can share with all of our friends and family. Be sure to follow us on social media so you are the first to know about all the Holler happenings. As usual, I would love to hear from you!

Barefoot Devotions // Faith Over Fear Series

Faith Over Fear: Season One // Day Four

Season One // Day Four


Pondering

The adversary likes to pit your mind against your spirit. He takes joy in watching you choose to live your life in fear instead of claiming God’s promises for your life. When we allow the adversary a foothold into our mind, it is difficult to break free from the negative thinking, and it causes us to miss out on the great journey that God has in store for your life. You must change your mindset and fixate your eyes on the things above. God longs for you to know that you are enough and his grace covers you. He will equip you for the tasks he has called you to do and there isn’t anything you can’t do. For through him, everything is possible. Each day you must come before the LORD and allow him to transform and renew your mind. When you spend time learning God’s word and his promises, you will have solid ground to stand on and not allow the enemy to penetrate your mind.

Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

2 Corinthians 4:16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.

Psalm 119:11 I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.  


Praying

Heavenly Father, I am so thankful for your promises and your love for me.  I ask that you transform me and renew my mind, removing all traces of doubt and fear, and filling them with confidence in your perfect plan for my life. Give me the strength to be more aware of the adversary’s tricks and tactics so that I may stand without wavering on your solid ground.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray, Amen.

Practicing

Prayerfully talk with God about the things cause doubt and fear and consider the answers to these questions:

  •  In what ways do you need help standing on solid ground?
  • Can you identify the things of the flesh that the adversary uses to cause you to waver?
  • How can you practice storing up God’s word in your heart so you are prepared for when the enemy attacks?

I hope you enjoyed Day Four and are practicing Faith Over Fear!

Do you like the series so far? Comment below, share with your friends and join our Facebook group, A Gathering Place, here: Barefoot In A Holler

Xoxo,

Hannah B.