What is keeping me down?

I don't know if any of you ever stopped and asked yourself the following question:  What is holding and keeping me down???  Sometimes we come into instances in our lives that we feel like we are stuck and aren't moving forward. Or the dreadly women feeling of "I don't know what is wrong with me but i can't shake off this depression or anxiety".  Normally we attribute these feelings as women to the famous monthly friend or menopause.  Not that these things don't have a negative effect in how we can feel but when we feel anxious and depressed all the time than it is time to evaluate what is going on with us.
 
Many years ago I read a passage in the Bible that talked about strongholds, initially when i read it I didn't know the true meaning to this word but i did know that in some way it connected to my life.
I decided to look up the definition and this is what i was able to find: strong·hold (strônghld)

n.

1. A fortified place or a fortress.

2. An area dominated or occupied by a special group or distinguished by a special quality

After reading this I thought "i'm in alot of trouble".  Not only couldn't i help how i was feeling but i was making everyone around me miserable.  I finally realized why many people make the decision to commit suicide because they feel that  the thought of bringing to ruins someone else's life, because of the negative impact that our own life is creating, is unberable. 

I knew that if the stronghold of depression was fortified inside of me there had to be something that could tear it down. 

I found the answer in the following bible passage:

" 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 in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ."  2 Corithians 10:3-5.

So it finally hit me like a ton of bricks!  I am not fighting something i can see but something that could be cast down through God. 

I started to use the only weapon i  had at that time which was prayer and my words.  Yes you heard right my words!!!  Whenever i felt negative or depressed i would speak out loudly to myself "I did not get created to live like this and i REFUSE to have these feelings inside of me."  Not only did i speak it but i thougth it.  The result was what many people often say "You are what you think". 

Like the passage says above, we need to use the word of God to bring down those strongholds in our life and bring every thought into captivity and obedience to God.

If you think of something negative too much that will take root in your life but a thought comes into our mind and it is our decision what we want to do with it.  Sometimes we need to fight the same negative thought more than once but we can bring peace by constantly rejecting it and speaking out against it.

So if you are a person that has driven along side of me you probably think I'm crazy!  You probably have seen me speaking to myself as i drive down the road, but no need to worry I'm speaking what i want to see in my life and probably at the same time removing the garbage from my mind and doing a squeeky cleanup job to it. 

I encourage you today SPEAK WHAT YOU WANT TO SEE HAPPEN AND DON'T LET YOUR NEGATIVE EMOTIONS DRIVE YOU DOWN.