by Isaiah-Phillips Akintola

Generational issues are one of the most challenging factors that homes, family, and the community are grappling with. Yet, this is one of the least understood spiritual concept in the scripture. The enemy has done a great job of misleading many when it comes to addressing the issue of the high places. Satanic Stronghold, or high place is beyond geographical location or monuments dedicated to the worship of demons or some ancestral spirits as the case maybe in many parts of Africa.

 Yes, we do have regions today being awoken to the worship of ancient demonic spirits, and we are continually seeing cities in Europe and America that are openly and boldly welcoming the worship of Lucifer and all its evil paraphernalia’s. Yet, this is little to compare to the strongholds that have been systematically erected within the minds of individuals.

I am referring to [strongholds] high places build within our frame of thinking by the virtue of birth and association to the point that we’ve come to accept them as parts of our life and personality.  In other words, we don’t even see them or accept them as a built garrison of the enemy within our lives. This fortress of the enemy cannot be address just be wishful thinking desire, or some little charismatic prayers. It takes strategic, governmental prophetic direction from the Lord to precisely address this issue.

 

Josiah’s reformation.

19 Just as he had done at Bethel, Josiah removed all the shrines at the high places that the kings of Israel had built in the towns of Samaria and that had aroused the Lord’s anger.

 20 Josiah slaughtered all the priests of those high places on the altars and burned human bones on them. Then he went back to Jerusalem.

21 The king gave this order to all the people: “Celebrate the Passover to the Lord your God, as it is written in this Book of the Covenant.”

22 Neither in the days of the judges who led Israel nor in the days of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah had any such Passover been observed.

23 But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, this Passover was celebrated to the Lord in Jerusalem.

24 Furthermore, Josiah got rid of the mediums and Spiritists, the household gods, the idols and all the other detestable things seen in Judah and Jerusalem. This he did to fulfill the requirements of the law written in the book that Hilkiah the priest had discovered in the temple of the Lord.

25 Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the Lord as he did—with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses.

Ignorance of the impact of generational stronghold, or high place, as the word of God will most time refer to them, are one of the most complex factors that cripples individuals, marriages, family, churches, and even a society from maximizing heaven’s ordained prophetic agenda and inheritance. One of the worst sins committed against the Lord was the erection of high places to the worship of foreign gods in the land of Israel. Today, high places are being built by spiritual leaders within various church communities so that people will not see or understand the ways of the true God.

Not even Gideon with his encounter with the angel of the lord will be allowed to advance into his ordained promise and mandate without firstly addressing the high place of his father’s house.

Judges 6:25-27

25 That night the Lord said to him, “Take your father’s bull, and the second bull seven years old, and pull down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the Asherah that is beside it 26 and build an altar to the Lord your God on the top of the stronghold here, with stones laid in due order. Then take the second bull and offer it as a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah that you shall cut down.” 27 So Gideon took ten men of his servants and did as the Lord had told him. But because he was too afraid of his family and the men of the town to do it by day, he did it by night.

It’s extremely important we locate and develop the boldness and resolve to engage the high place of our father’s house. It is unfortunate that we still see folks today who desire to engage in some form of apostolic reformation assignment who are yet to effectively locate and deal with the immediate high-places of their homes and lives.

We want to admit it or not, there are powerful strongholds, inherited from our biological and spiritual father’s house that has erected some of the most negative fortress of a personality familiar spirit within our minds.

These high places have continued to challenge how we see, respond, and accept our place and heritage in Christ by virtue of our biological birth and spiritual leadership influence, our lives have become shaped either for good or bad.

As we grow into the fullness of the life we have in Christ, it is our individual responsibility to learn to reject the wrong, negative spirit that has characterized our identity and personality.

As we get prepared to step into 2017, I pray and hope we will take the time to look inward as we examine the hidden strongholds that can stop our advance into God’s destiny for us in the coming season.