Spiritual Warfare has to do with expelling demons, casting out demons, demon fighting or demon busting.

 

 

2 Corinthians 10:3-5,

"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ."

 

 

One of the most successful tactics Satan uses against the Christian is to build strongholds in his life. No aspect of our spiritual warfare is more important than learning how to recognize and destroy them for as long as they exist they will cause frustration, hinder spiritual growth, and cause defeat in our spiritual lives. Satan's objective is to deceive us and cause us to become so blind that we cannot see that they are there. . .or become so discouraged with trying to overcome them that we give up and fall away from God, thinking, "It's no use. . .I'm just a failure at being a Christian!"

 

Sin originates in the Christian and not in the spirit, for the Spirit of God dwells there and cannot sin (2 Pet. 1:4). Paul teaches that within us is a force or principle that operates in both the soul and body - the "law of sin in the members" (Rev. 7:23), -- which urges us to ignore the influence of our reborn spirit, which is one with Christ. Strongholds, described in 2 Cor. 10:3-5, are patterns of thinking and feeling that are part of our old sin nature inherited from Adam, patterns of rebellion and self-centeredness beginning at birth which Satan has had time to develop in us before we came to Christ. 

 

Eph. 2: 1-3 describes them: "Among whom also we all had our manner of life in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind and were by nature the children of wrath. . . Even though we became "new creatures in Christ" (2 Cor. 5:17), the "old sin nature" is still in us, and we are still open to the influences of the flesh and the patterns that existed before we were born again.

 

We are never told to cast out strongholds, but we are told to tear them down, be transformed by the renewing of our mind and cast down vain imaginations. This is how we deal with strongholds.   If the enemy builds them through continually reminding us of his lies, then we need to go in the opposite direction to un-do his web of bondage. We need to start meditating on God's Word on a daily basis, so that the truth will sink into our minds and begin to change the way we think.   We have to renew our minds because sin is starting in our minds.

 

Romans 12:2, "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is the good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."

 

Another fact is that if there is an evil spirit which is actively working to build strongholds in a person's mind, not only is it important for them to tear down that stronghold(s), but it is important to cast out that evil spirit that is at work, they will spend the rest of their lives waging war against that stronghold as the demon continues to work on them to rebuild it. The minute they give up, the stronghold is quickly rebuild.

 

That is why one cannot separate the work of casting out demons and tearing down strongholds they go hand in hand.