Conquering Strongholds
Free to Be Who God Created You to Be
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The woman described in the fourth chapter of John is a prime example of a woman who had strongholds in her life. First of all, she was born a Samaritan. The Samaritans were a mixed race of Jews, hated by pure Jews. The Samaritan woman knew early on that the Jews thought they were superior to the Samaritans. Early in the Samaritan woman's childhood, she most likely experienced prejudice and painful experiences that caused her to have low self-esteem. I believe that a stronghold of low self-esteem influenced the decisions she made throughout her life until she met Jesus. This stronghold caused the Samaritan woman to make ungodly choices in an attempt to prove her self-worth. The scriptures tell us that the Samaritan woman was promiscuous and always had a man in her life … whether she was married to him or not. She had a stronghold of committing fornication: “Jesus said unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither. The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: For thou hast had five husbands: and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly” (John 4: 16-18, KJV). Initially, the Samaritan woman could not receive truth from Jesus when He was speaking to her. He had to get up close and personal to get her attention. When her stronghold was exposed by Jesus, whom she did not know, she perceived that Jesus was Christ the Messiah. John 4:25-26 (KJV) reveals her perception of Him as the Christ: “The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when He is come, He will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am He.” The Samaritan woman believed Him. Isn't it wonderful to see that Jesus showed up to deliver the Samaritan woman from her strongholds -- not to condemn her? The Samaritan woman's desire for the “living water” from Jesus set her free from bondage to strongholds. She had spent many years trying to meet the needs of her flesh and was never satisfied. That day, the Samaritan woman received satisfaction on a level that she had never experienced before. This leads me to ask, “What do some Christians really desire?” When we truly desire and seek God, He heals and delivers us. This is a key to deliverance from strongholds, a key I will discuss later. After her deliverance, the Samaritan woman was free to allow the power of God to flow through her. She left her water pot and went to the city to talk to men who knew her previous lifestyle. In other words, she went back to the “hood." Old things in her life had passed away and she was a brand-new creature in Christ. This woman had the power of God in her to preach her first sermon. She said, “Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ? (John 4:29, KJV).
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About the Book
There are Christians who struggle with sins and issues in their lives even though they attend church regularly and feel they have a close relationship with God. The essence of what Jesus has done for people to be free from sin has not become a reality in the lives of many Christians. The bible says in Colossians 1:13 that God through Jesus Christ has delivered us from darkness and we are now in the kingdom of God. This means that we are new creatures in Christ and our old sin nature is dead. Spirit-filled Christians may attend church every Sunday and appear to “have it all together” on the outside but, on the inside, struggle with sins that block their spiritual growth. Teresia Dupins shares in this book how strongholds prevent many Christians from enjoying the freedom God predestined for them to have after being born again. This book, inspired by God, helps Christians identify their strongholds and learn how to conquer them by using godly principles, real life scenarios and biblical examples. This book equips Christians with knowledge and wisdom to make God their only stronghold.
About the Author
Teresia Dupins is an ordained minister of Covenant Family Church in North Little Rock, AR, where her husband, Prentice Dupins Sr., is the pastor. Their ministry focuses on helping individuals establish a close relationship with Christ to fulfill the call of God on their lives. She holds a Master of Science degree in nursing. In addition, she holds national certification in psychiatric nursing as well as national certification in addictions nursing. She and her husband have two grown children who are ministry leaders at Covenant Family Church. She is the founder and co-director of Renewed to Walk in Truth Ministries, which centers on helping women conquer strongholds in their lives by renewing their minds with the Word of God. The ministry includes weekly Bible studies, conferences and retreats to empower women with godly wisdom that transforms their lives. Women have experienced transformation and victory in their lives through participation in Renewed to Walk in Truth Ministries. God placed in her a desire to help people in the body of Christ conquer strongholds so they may walk in truth and live victoriously. In this book, she shares her personal experience with strongholds and how God helped her conquer them. She believes this book is ordained by God to help Christians conquer strongholds that prevent them from maturing and fulfilling the call of God on their lives.