Best Practices for Defeating Strongholds of Fear

Fear is an emotion that paralyzes us into thinking about what we fear. When we allow this emotion to arise uncontrollably within our soul, it can become a stronghold in our lives.

Fear operates with a luring spirit, drawing you into thinking about what you fear. You try to pray and worship your way to positive thinking and walking in your kingdom authority and identity, but it is difficult. It is a mind-binding spirit that leads you to unproductive and unfruitful thinking.

I struggled with fear for over 45 years of my life, and what I want to tell you is that you can be free from fear!

Years ago, the Lord spoke to me and said, “Kathy, something is going to happen in the world to cause people to be in fear and when that happens, you need to be in faith.” I am seeing that word manifest before my very eyes today! People are in fear, but as they are, I am in faith, and I want you to be in faith too.

How can you remove fear and be in faith? Developing a strong relationship with the Holy Spirit will assist you in trusting in Him and allow Him to speak peace to you in intense situations. The Holy Spirit has been my best friend for a long time. In my new e-course from Charisma Courses on the Holy Spirit, I teach people how to increase in their relationship with the Holy Spirit so they can learn to trust and not be in fear.

Capturing every thought is crucial in conquering fear. I lean on 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 for this practical application: “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to 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 exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.”

We need to capture the thought and when it doesn’t line up with the Word of God we need to dismiss it. I like to picture a gavel in my mind dismissing and throwing out the thought (or as in a court system, the case).

It takes practice to capture the thought. One of the best pieces of advice I give the people I minister to is to not sit, think, rot and stink. Get up and get busy. Focus your mind in a different direction. I know some people would say pray and worship, and yes, while this is the best advice, I want to admit that in the times of piercing fear, it is difficult to put your praise on and pray. Therefore, redirect your mind first by getting it busy on another thought so that the mind-binding, piercing spirit of fear subsides and then pray and worship it away, and cast it out.

Fear penetrates our soul because we think of it as an emotion and don’t realize it is a demonic operation, an evil spirit that needs to be cast out. If you need freedom from fear, speak out and declare, “Fear, I break agreement with you. I command you to get out of me, in Jesus’ name.” Fear penetrates when we do nothing about it. However, when we cast it out, praise and pray, it must leave. After all, nothing unclean can live in the presence of God. Therefore, get in the presence of God and receive deliverance.

Receive deliverance from fear and other strongmen in Kathy’s new book, Unshackled, available on Amazon. Kathy’s e-course on inner healing and deliverance at Charisma Courses will release you from bondage of the enemy and assist you in setting others free! {eoa}

Kathy DeGraw is a prophetic deliverance minister releasing the love and power of God to ignite and activate people, release prophetic destinies and deliver people from the bondage of the enemy. She is the founder of Kathy DeGraw Ministries and Be Love Outreach. Kathy hosts a weekly podcast show called Prophetic Spiritual Warfare on the Charisma Podcast Network. She is the author of several books, including Speak Out, Discerning and Destroying the Works of Satan, Unshackled and Warfare Declarations. You can connect with Kathy on Facebook at facebook.com/kathydegraw/ or visit kathydegrawministries.org/.