What is spiritual bondage? What is a spiritual stronghold?

If you’re asking these questions, welcome! You’ve come to the right place. Let me define a few terms so you can get a handle on what spiritual bondage is, and how it relates to a spiritual stronghold.

I’d also recommend you watch a four-part video series called “Pandora’s Box” that unpacks an introduction to the spirit realm in detail. The first session: Seven truths about the spiritual realm the devil doesn’t want you to know.

Spiritual bondage, demonic possession, and demonic oppression

The phrase”demon-possessed” appears in many Bible translations, but “demon-oppressed” doesn’t. Neither of these phrases are used in the original languages. The literal translation of the original words is “demonized.” Being demonized could be described as being under heavy demonic influence. Every person on earth is under demonic influence to some degree, ranging from subtle to extreme. Spiritual bondage refers to the condition of people afflicted by a demonic entity to the degree that they lose some degree of their freedom to function normally.

What is a spiritual stronghold? How do strongholds relate to spiritual bondage?

The best explanation of spiritual strongholds I’ve ever read comes from Francis Frangipane’s book, “The Three Battlegrounds.”  A spiritual stronghold, he says, is another word for an area of our lives we defend against God—a wall we erect between us and our Savior through rebellion, ignorance, deceit, or otherwise. Frangipane argues that while the devil may inhabit a spiritual stronghold, we are the ones who build it.

Here’s how that might work. Since God is light, any walls we build in our minds cast a shadow on our souls, creating a dark place that becomes a natural habitat for sin, lies, and / or demons to thrive. Satan fools us into giving him a dark place to set up shop, and we foolishly oblige him. A spiritual stronghold, then, is a form of spiritual bondage. Read II Corinthians 10:3-5 and watch how Paul defines a stronghold.

This definition is brilliant, because the problem isn’t the demon per se, it’s us. Demolish the stronghold—the pride, the argument, the sinful barrier, and the light streams in. Darkness has no place to hide. This sounds an awful lot like Ephesians 5:8-20 where Paul talks about being children of light and exposing the darkness!

So what is a spiritual stronghold? A place of darkness, sin and lies in us that we defend against God. What is spiritual bondage? The result of giving the devil that place to exercise power over us.

That said, even in cases of extreme spiritual bondage, the devil can’t override our free will. When a demon has control, it’s because they’ve been given control in the form of a spiritual stronghold. Most people don’t give Satan control or create a spiritual stronghold on purpose; it happens without them realizing they’re doing it. We give him control by giving him power, and that power over us is the essence of spiritual bondage.

How does spiritual bondage happen? How are spiritual strongholds created?

There are four main ways the devil dupes us into creating the spiritual strongholds he can use to put us into spiritual bondage:

• Believing lies (which is agreeing with Satan, the liar). If I could convince you that a piano would fall from the sky and crush you if you go outside (a lie), I could keep you indoors (I’d have power over you). That’s a spiritual stronghold in your mind.
• Choosing to sin. As Paul said, “You were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.” (Ephesians 2:1-2). The Bible teaches that persistent disobedience can lead to spiritual bondage.
• Giving in to fear. The devil is the fear-monger. So what is spiritual bondage? Spiritual bondage is giving Satan a measure of control (a spiritual stronghold) and living under that control.
• Trauma. The devil is a sadist, and he loves to piggyback on our pain. Many people who have demonic infestations or or suffer from demonic oppression have experienced painful moments when the enemy gained access.

Can a Christian be demon-possessed?

When people ask whether a Christian can be demon-possessed, what they’re usually asking is, “Can a Christian be indwelled by an evil spirit?” or, “Can an evil spirit possess a Christian?” or, “Can Christian be possessed by a demon?” These are very different questions.

It’s possible to give the devil power over us to the point where his thoughts are woven into our own, so that he is able to “set up shop” in our hearts and exercise a form of rule there. Just ask Annanias and Sapphira in the book of Acts, chapter 5. Their hearts were “filled” with Satan just as Peter’s was “filled with the Spirit.” That’s a spiritual stronghold.

So a Christian can be “filled” with an evil spirit, but can a Christian be owned by one? Eternally, ultimately, legally, no. They’ve been purchased by Christ’s blood. But practically, functionally, in a “who’s calling the shots” way, yes. A Christian can definitely be trapped in spiritual bondage, a spiritual stronghold.

When a person gives their lives to Jesus, any indwelling spirits are ‘cast out’ of their spirit, because their spirit now belongs to Jesus and his Holy Spirit dwells there. But these spirits are attached to the soul and must be ‘cast off’—rejected and renounced, along with its lies and effects. The Apostle Paul uses this language to talk about the supernatural power of sin in Colossians chapter three.

Want to learn more about the spiritual realm? Watch my free video series, Pandora’s Box. Session One: 7 Things About The Spiritual Realm The Devil Doesn’t Want You To Know. 

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