Having a Mary Spirit by Joanna Weaver
Week 5: Chapter 4 — Untangling Strongholds
Read Chapter 4 of Having a Mary Spirit. Key passages: 2 Corinthians 10:3–5; Romans 12:2.
Previewing Week 5 of Having a Mary Spirit
Read 3 of 7 discussion questions below. Unlock the complete 15-week guide when you’re ready.
This week Weaver moves from surface-level clutter to the deeper, more entrenched patterns she calls "strongholds"—and shows us how the mind is the primary battleground of the soul.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Weaver defines a stronghold as a pattern of thinking—a lie or a distorted perspective that has been reinforced so many times it feels like truth. What strongholds have you identified in your own thought life? How long have they been there?
2.She draws on 2 Corinthians 10:3–5—"We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." What does it look like practically to take a thought captive? Have you ever actually tried this? What happened?
3.Weaver traces how strongholds are often built on half-truths—thoughts that have a grain of truth but are twisted by the enemy into something distorted and destructive. Can you identify a belief you hold about yourself, God, or others that might be a half-truth functioning as a stronghold?
a.What is the grain of truth in it?
b.What is the distortion?
c.What would the full, gospel-shaped truth look like?