Paul wrote by THE SPIRIT in 2 Corinthians chapter 10:
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.
4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,
5 casting down arguments (imaginations, thoughts) and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ
We are to cast out lies, arguments, and imaginations as we take on the mind of Christ thus we disarm the flesh with the Word of GOD. The old man would try to convince us of another path to take based on some lie, typically created by a doctrine that has infiltrated our thinking by adding man’s logic to the Word. This is why we must come to trust in The Holy Spirit Who is resident within us even though we may have difficulty in hearing THE SPIRIT. People ask me from time to time how to hear The Holy Spirit. I wish I had some standard reply but I would say that it might take prayer and fasting to subdue our mind, will, and emotions which tend to dull our sensitivity. Our mind wants to challenge any attempt to give up control of our thoughts and actions.
A stronghold is defined as:
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a castle, stronghold, fortress, fastness
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anything on which one relies
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of the arguments and reasonings by which a disputant endeavors to fortify his opinion and defend it against his opponent
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Anything in which the mind wants to defend against The Pure Word is a stronghold. As we mature, we must be pliable to hear a deeper revelation or correction to what we were taught by man when we were immature. There were doctrines taught which were based on one verse and taken out of context. As an immature believer, I assumed the preacher to be right in what he was teaching us. The doctrine he presented sounded right at the time but later I found that he was wrong. He wasn’t malicious in his intent but he nevertheless directed us into religion rather than the life found in The Word.
Without the knowledge of GOD, how can we bring every thought into captivity and disarm the flesh? Without dying to the flesh, how can we live in the full obedience in Christ? As we disarm the flesh and disarm the old man’s thought life, we will become more sensitive to being led by The Holy Spirit and we will rest in our walk on a daily basis. Our mind will become quiet and willing to be led by THE SPIRIT.