Rebecca Greenwood - Defeating Strongholds of the Mind: A Believers Guide to Breaking Free

AUTHORS PAGE

Rebecca is cofounder and president of Christian Harvest International and StrategicPrayer Action Network (SPAN).

Her passion has been seeing the lands of the world impacted for the glory of God,reaching people with the gospel, and setting the captives free. Her heart cry hasbecome, Lord, give me the nations. As a result, prophecy, prophetic intercession,transformational spiritual warfare prayer, spiritual mapping, deliverance, and teachingthe Word of God extensively in the many lands of the earth are the main thrustsof Christian Harvest.

Over the past twenty-two years, she has participated in and led spiritual warfareprayer journeys to twenty-five countries, including Egypt, Nepal, Italy, Turkey,Russia, Ukraine, Ireland, Spain, and China. She also has been involved in prayerjourneys to many cities across the United States. Measurable breakthroughs of transformationhave been realized as a result.

Having a heart for lost souls, Rebecca has seen many saved and set free. She ministersin transparency from her personal experiences of overcoming fear, depression, andrebellion to walk in freedom. She is committed to equipping people with scripturaltruths for how to live an overcoming life of purpose, fulfillment, and destiny,and to help individuals and churches have a Jesus captivated and authoritative prayerlife through which change and transformation are realized.

She is the author of six books:

Authority to Tread: An Intercessors Guide to Strategic-Level Spiritual Warfare

Breaking the Bonds of Evil: How to Set People Free From Demonic Oppression

The Power of a Godly Mother (ebook)

Destined to Rule: Spiritual Strategies for Advancing the Kingdom of God

Let Our Children Go: Steps to Free Your Child From Evil Influence and Demonic Harassment

Your Kingdom Come: Encouraged to Intercede

Understanding Spiritual Warfare: Four Views (an academic book discussing four theologicalviews of spiritual warfare, which will be used in seminaries throughout the UnitedStates)

Defeating Strongholds of the Mind

While she loves to travel the world and partner with the Lord in touching peopleslives, Rebeccas favorite and most cherished times are with her husband, Greg, andtheir three beautiful daughters, Kendall, Rebecca, and Katie. They reside in ColoradoSprings, Colorado, and are members of Freedom Church.

Rebecca has been a guest on TBN, Sid Roths Its Supernatural!, God Knows, and TheHarvest Show. She has written for publications such as Charisma, Pray!, and Spirit-LedWoman magazines. She graduated with a doctorate of practical ministry from WagnerLeadership Institute, where she also serves as a core faculty member.

All of her materials are available through her office at 719-243-3302 or at .

Therefore, my dear ones, as you have always obeyed [my suggestions], so now, notonly [with the enthusiasm you would show] in my presence but much more because Iam absent, work out (cultivate, carry out to the goal, and fully complete) your ownsalvation with reverence and awe and trembling (self-distrust, with serious caution,tenderness of conscience, watchfulness against temptation, timidly shrinking fromwhatever might offend God and discredit the name of Christ).

[PHILIPPIANS 2:12, AMP]

N ONE OF US are excused from the need to overcome wrong beliefs, thought patterns,and strongholds that have gripped our mind and emotions. As the verse at the opening of the chapter indicates, we are to work out our salvation.The Greek word translated work out in the verse means something done with thoroughness.To work something out means to undergo a complete, through- and-through process inorder to attain to a desired finished work. Meanwhile, the Greek word for salvationis translated deliverance, preservation, safety, and salvation. Putting this alltogether we see that salvation, which the apostle Paul tells us we are to work out,is an intentional personal process of becoming more and more Christlike. This isto take place not only in our actions but also in our thoughts and emotions. But,unfortunately, I believe our thought life is often the last place in which we gainvictory in our lives.

Proverbs 23:7 tells us, For as he thinks in his heart, so is he (AMP). The wordthinks here indicates that whatever we believe about ourselves, we are. I can totallyrelate to this scripture, as I am sure can many others. As I grow in my Christianwalk and minister to people all around the world, it is evident to me that what wethink and what we say are of great importance. The truth is, what we think on iswhat we believe and, in time, what we become. Our thought lives are the pioneersthat lead the way to what will play out in our lives personally, emotionally, andspiritually. What we dwell on will even influence how we step into Gods plan forour lives.

Interestingly, researchers are confirming the scriptural truth in Proverbs:

Negative thinking slows down brain coordination, making it difficult to process thoughtsand find solutions. Feeling frightened, which often happens when focused on negativeoutcomes, has been shown to decrease activity in your cerebellum, which slow thebrains ability to process new informationlimiting your ability to practice creativeproblem solving. Additionally, the fear factor impacts your left temporal lobe, whichaffects mood, memory, and impulse control.

Your frontal lobe, particularly your PFC [prefrontal cortex], decides what is importantaccording to the amount of attention you pay to something and how you feel aboutit. Thus, the more you focus on negativity, the more synapses and neurons your brainwill create that support your negative thought process.

Your hippocampus provides the context of stored memories, which means the emotionaltone and description your mind creates can potentially rewire your brain by creatingstronger neuronal pathways and synapses. What you think and feel about a certainsituation or thing can become so deeply ingrained that you will have to work hardto dismantle the negative connections and rewire your brain in order to be less afraid,to think positively, to believe that dreams can come true, to trust that your effortswill be successful.

SETTING OUR MINDS

Romans 8:5 says, Those who are according to the flesh and are controlled by itsunholy desires set their minds on and pursue those things which gratify the flesh,but those who are according to the Spirit and are controlled by the desires of theSpirit set their minds on and seek those things which gratify the [Holy] Spirit(AMP). To set our mind means to view, hold belief in, honor or acknowledge withhigh status an opinion of ones self. Basically, what we choose to set our mindson and to think about will determine our actions as we maneuver through life.

When we spend time with an individual, we learn the focus of that persons thoughtlife. How do we do this? By listening to the words that come out of the personsmouth and observing his or her actions and emotional condition. This is also howwe can learn to discern the focus of our own thoughts. If we think on negative things,we will begin to see the fruit of those negative thoughts in our lives. But if wethink and believe on good thoughtson the Word of God and on His promises for ourliveswe will become living examples of His truths.