DAY 5 | NOVENA FOR FREEDOM FROM ADDICTIONS AND SECRET STRUGGLES Scripture 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. REFLECTION Freedom begins in the mind. What we believe, dwell on, and speak over ourselves shapes how we live. Addictions and secret struggles often take root when our thoughts are unguarded. The enemy plants lies that we start to believe over time. You’ll never be free. This is just who you are. You’re too broken to be whole. But Scripture tells us that the weapons we’ve been given in Christ are not natural they are divine and powerful enough to tear down every stronghold. These strongholds are not just behaviors. They are arguments, patterns of thinking, imaginations, and internal agreements that exalt themselves above the truth of God. When we begin to agree with lies, those lies become a fortress around our hearts and minds. Today, God is inviting you to partner with Him in pulling down those walls not just avoiding sin but exposing and dismantling its roots. Taking every thought captive is not passive. It is a daily decision to identify what is not of God and to replace it with His truth. When shame speaks, we declare forgiveness. When temptation whispers, we declare strength. When hopelessness rises, we speak life. As you pray today, believe that strongholds are coming down. Believe that your mind is being renewed. Believe that the truth of Christ is setting you free from the inside out. DECLARATION AND BINDING PRAYER In the name of Jesus Christ, I declare that my mind is not a battleground for the enemy. It is a sanctuary of truth, peace, and clarity through the power of the Holy Spirit. I pull down every mental stronghold that has formed through lies, trauma, and repeated sin. I renounce every thought that opposes the knowledge of God and declare His truth over my life. I bind the spirit of confusion and double mindedness. I receive a sound mind, disciplined thoughts, and the mind of Christ that governs my decisions and desires. I declare that I will no longer entertain shame based thinking. I reject every memory that tries to define me by failure. I am a new creation, cleansed and renewed in Christ Jesus. I sever all ungodly mental agreements and renounce the lies I once accepted. I replace them with the promises and identity I have in Jesus. I speak clarity over my mind and heart. The fog of addiction and confusion is lifting. I walk in the light, not in secrecy or darkness. I bind the voice of the accuser that reminds me of my past. I choose to listen to the voice of the Shepherd who calls me by name and leads me in freedom. I cancel every demonic assignment against my thoughts, emotions, and memory. I declare that the blood of Jesus covers every part of my mind. I speak to the root of every mental addiction and declare it uprooted and burned by the fire of the Holy Spirit. It will not grow back, and it will not spread. I choose this day to live with the mind of Christ. I will not be conformed to the patterns of this world, but I am transformed by the renewing of my mind. NOVENA PRAYER Lord Jesus, I come to You again today, longing for true freedom. I open my heart and mind to Your truth, asking You to reveal every lie I have believed that has kept me bound. You see every thought that runs through my head. You see the memories that torment me and the patterns that have ruled me. I invite You, Holy Spirit, to invade the deepest part of my thinking. Break every chain that has formed in my imagination, memory, and emotions. Where I have normalized sin, awaken my conscience. Where I have justified secrecy, bring it into the light. I need more than behavior change, Lord. I need a complete transformation of how I see myself, how I think, and how I live. Only You can make this possible. I surrender every excuse, every coping mechanism, and every mental agreement with defeat. I lay them at Your feet, Lord, and I ask You to crush them with truth. Help me not just to resist bad thoughts but to build new ones. Let my mind be filled with Scripture, gratitude, worship, and hope. Let it be a place where You dwell. I reject the identity of addict, failure, hypocrite, or victim. I receive the identity of child of God, beloved and free, holy and accepted, chosen and strong in Christ. Help me recognize the enemy's voice and choose to silence it quickly. Help me speak truth over myself even when I don’t feel it. Teach me how to fight with the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Let me be rooted and grounded in truth that never changes. Lord, I confess that at times I have meditated more on fear and temptation than on Your goodness. Forgive me. Wash my mind in Your mercy. Every mental replay of shame and past sin—I bring it to the cross. I ask You to cover it with Your blood and replace it with peace and new purpose. I know that as I renew my mind, I will see change in my actions. So Lord, I commit to cooperate with You in the transformation process, however long it takes. Let my mind be a garden of praise and not a pit of torment. Let Your Spirit guard my thoughts and keep me from returning to what I’ve been delivered from. Give me boldness to share with someone when I’m mentally struggling. Help me walk in the light and not suffer in silence. Thank You, Lord, that my freedom is not just possible it is Your promise. I receive it today by faith. Amen. CLOSING PRAYER Father, I bless You for the divine weapons You have given me to overcome every stronghold. Thank You that I am not powerless in this fight, but more than a conqueror through Christ. Seal this time of prayer in Your presence. Let every word spoken in faith bear fruit in my life. Let Your angels guard my mind and soul tonight. Teach me how to guard my heart and my mind daily. Let this renewal be continual, not temporary. Let the roots of freedom grow deep. I pray for others who are silently suffering. May they too experience the breaking of strongholds and the renewing of their minds in Christ. In Jesus’ Name, I pray. Let this day mark a shift in my journey—mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Amen.