Transform the Word

Something broke in me the other night. My wife and I got into a fight — not just a disagreement, not just tension from stress — but a full-blown clash where godliness went out the window, and the flesh took the wheel. Voices rose, patience vanished, and the peace of our home was ripped apart in a matter of minutes. It wasn’t just “one of those nights.” It was a moment when the enemy saw an opening… and I gave it to him.

It didn’t last long, but the weight of it lingered — like a heavy fog that refused to lift. The silence that followed wasn’t peace; it was tension thick enough to slice through. And in that moment — in the heat of that argument — I felt something inside me snap. My willpower to stand against the enemy gave way. I felt my spirit yield to rage. I fell for the bait.

Paul wrote about this in Romans 7:19, saying, “For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.” That verse hit me like a mirror to the soul. I didn’t want to lash out. I didn’t want to give in. But the truth is, I did. I chose my flesh over my spirit, and in doing so, I opened a door that never should’ve been unlocked.

The Enemy’s Strategy

Here’s the reality: when we let our flesh take over, even for a moment, we risk giving the enemy a foothold — and that’s all he needs. Ephesians 4:27 warns us plainly, “Do not give the devil a foothold.” Because a foothold quickly turns into a stronghold.

Think of it like a war. Two sides are locked in combat — each one trying to outmaneuver and outthink the other. But if one side allows a spy to slip in, that spy doesn’t just observe. He starts influencing decisions from within. He whispers lies, distorts orders, and leads the army straight into traps.

That’s exactly what the enemy does when we let him breach our defenses. When he infiltrates through anger, bitterness, pride, or fear, he begins to influence our choices from within. He doesn’t need to destroy us outright; he just needs to steer us a few degrees off course.

And over time, that small shift becomes a spiritual downfall.

The Spiritual Reality of Strongholds

The Apostle Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 that, “The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God.”

That fight wasn’t just between my wife and me — it was between my flesh and my spirit. Between what God was trying to build and what the enemy was trying to break. And when I let anger take over, I was giving the enemy a voice he never should’ve had in my home.

Strongholds aren’t built overnight. They start as small cracks in our defenses — moments when we let our emotions, pride, or frustration speak louder than the Spirit. But once that foothold is planted, the enemy builds brick by brick until you start believing his whispers more than God’s Word.

A Call to Reflect

So here’s my challenge for you — and for myself:

Take a hard look at where your flesh and your spirit are pulling in different directions. Be honest about the areas where your defenses are weak. Have you allowed anger, jealousy, lust, pride, or resentment to take root?

Because if the flesh is leading, then the Spirit is following — and that’s not how we’re meant to live.

Galatians 5:16 says, “Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” The armor of God isn’t meant to sit in a closet; it’s meant to be worn daily. Every argument, every temptation, every frustration — they’re all battles in a larger war for your soul and your peace.

Don’t let your moment of weakness become the enemy’s stronghold.

Don’t give him a voice in your home, in your marriage, or in your heart.

Take back what belongs to God — your will, your peace, your authority.

Because even when something breaks, God can rebuild it stronger than before.