Blessings in the Mighty Name of Yeshua Hamashiach!
When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are undisturbed. But when someone stronger than he attacks him and overpowers him, he takes away from him all his armor on which he had relied and distributes his plunder. (Luke 11:21-22)
Before we were saved, you and I were "undisturbed" possessions of the devil; Satan was like a fully armed "strong man" guarding the homestead of our souls. On the day of our salvation, however, "someone stronger," the Lord Jesus Christ, attacked and overpowered Satan and stripped him of his armor. Our born-again experiences may be widely varied on a natural level, but in the spirit realm, a very similar war was waged and won for each of us. If we could have seen into the invisible world, we would have observed the Holy Spirit working with the angels of God to destroy the enemy's first line of defense, his "armor." What exactly was this armor that protected the devil and kept us from salvation? The armor upon which demons rely consists of our own thoughts, attitudes, and opinions that are in agreement with evil.
What Jesus described as "armor," the apostle Paul classified as "strongholds" (2 Cor. 10:4 NKJN). It is important to recognize that in speaking of strongholds the apostle was addressing the church. It is foolish to assume our salvation experience has eliminated all the wrong ideas and attitudes-the strongholds-that are still influencing our perceptions and behavior. Yes, old things passed away and truly new things have come, but until we are walking in the fullness of Christ, we should not assume the process of change is over.
Shalom
Pastor Williams