2 Corinthians 10:4-5 - Bringing Your Thoughts Captive to Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:4-5: Bringing Thoughts Captive to Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:4-5 (NKJV) For the weapons of our warfare are
not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting
down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the
knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience
of Christ,
The greatest battles of the Christian life are fought in the
mind. [Believers SB]
Paul speaks a great deal about training the mind to think in a
way that honors God, because the mind is the primary battlefield for
spiritual warfare... Transformed minds lead to both joy and victory. [Life
Principles SB By Charles Stanley]
We do not yet have our glorified bodies; we still live in tents
of unredeemed flesh. Yet because the Spirit of the living God
dwells within us, we serve God not in the flesh, but through faith, in
the Spirit. [Life Principles SB By Charles Stanley]
Paul uses military terminology to describe this warfare
against sin and Satan. God must be the commander-in-chief - even our
thoughts must be submitted to his control as we live for him.
Spirit-empowered believers must capture every thought and yield it to Christ.
Like Paul, we are merely weak humans, but as believers we
don't need to use human plans and methods to win our battles. God's
mighty weapons are available to us as we fight against the devils
"strongholds." Paul assures us that God's weapons - prayer, faith, hope, love,
God's Word, and the Holy Spirit - are powerful and effective (see
Ephesians 6:13-18). These weapons can overcome proud human arguments
against God and the walls that Satan builds to keep people from finding
God.
When dealing with people's proud arguments that keep them
from faith, we may be tempted to use our own methods. But nothing can
pierce these barriers like God's weapons can.
Are you depending on your own strength and clever strategies
to overcome the world's resistance to God? Instead, deepen your
dependence on God by obeying him. In the process he will shape you into a
soldier guided by his Spirit. [One Year NLT SB re 2 Cor. 10:3-6]
Jesus asks us to consecrate ourselves to Him. If you will do
this, He will quicken your conscience, renew your heart, sanctify your
affections, purify your thoughts, and set all your powers at work for Him.
Every motive and every thought will be brought into captivity to Jesus
Christ. 7BC909
Importance of the Holy Spirit in This Process
We need the softening, subduing, refining influence of the
Holy Spirit, to mold our characters, and to bring every thought into
captivity to Christ. It is the Holy Spirit that will enable us to
overcome, that will lead us to sit at the feet of Jesus, as did Mary, and
learn His meekness and lowliness of heart.
We need to be sanctified by the Holy Spirit every hour of the
day, lest we be ensnared by the enemy and our souls be imperiled.
There is constant temptation to exalt self, and we must watch much
against this evil. We need to be on guard continually lest we manifest
the spirit of overbearing, criticism, and condemnation. We should
seek to avoid the very appearance of evil, and not reveal anything
like the attributes of Satan that will dishearten and discourage
those with whom we come in contact. We are to work as did Christ--to
draw, to build up, not to tear down The reason that men have
manifested these unpleasant characteristics is because they have not been
connected with God. TM223
Importance of Gods Word in This Process
The heart that receives the word of God is not as a pool that
evaporates, not like a broken cistern that loses its treasure. It is like
the mountain stream, fed by unfailing springs, whose cool, sparkling
waters leap from rock to rock, refreshing the weary, the thirsty, the
heavy-laden. It is like a river constantly flowing and, as it advances,
becoming deeper and wider, until its life-giving waters are spread over
all the earth. The stream that goes singing on its way leaves behind
its gift of verdure and fruitfulness. The grass on its banks is a
fresher green, the trees have a richer verdure, the flowers are more
abundant. PK233-4
INSIGHT
Dr. Daniel Amen says, "Thoughts exert a powerful influence
over your life and body. Uninvestigated thoughts provide the
emotional fuel for anger, anxiety, depression, and unhealthy behaviors."
Mental health requires that we investigate our thoughts, asking
ourselves whether they are true in reality and line up with what Scripture
teaches.
God will show us what is true and help us reframe our
thinking. For instance, we may need to shift our thinking so that we
believe it is possible for us to move forward in faith, food, fitness,
focus, and friends. The essential of faith moves you to obey God's
command to love him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.
Learning to love foods that love you back and practicing daily movement
honor God's command to treat your body as a temple of the Holy Spirit.
Focus teaches you to take your thoughts captive to God and shape them
according to his thoughts. And friends encourage you to love others as
Christ has loved you.
The more you follow these practices, the more you will be
naturally living in obedience to God's priorities for you.A life of
obedience to God's ways is the most free, most liberated life you can
imagine.
As we examine our thinking through God's perspective, we will
increasingly live in ways that honor God. Take the time to investigate your
thoughts in light of God's truth. [The Daniel Plan 365-Day Devotional re
2Co. 10:5 and Psa. 128:1]
ILLUSTRATION
Where we live in Colorado, we get lots of snow, and we love
it. Our grandkids come over to go sledding, have snowball fights,
make snowmen, and eat snow ice cream. A few days ago, we all went
over to our favorite sledding hill. We had more kids than sleds, so
while some were sledding, the rest of us built a snowman.
We rolled and stacked our three giant snowballs, and then we
gathered sticks for aims, grass for hair, and rocks for eyes. When we
were finished, we stood back and admired our work - an awesome
snowman more than four feet tall.
A week later I went back to the sledding hill. The warm sun
had been shining, so all the snow was melted except for the snowman.
He was still standing but was much smaller and much less awesome. A
couple more days and he disappeared completely.
That snowman made me think about the strongholds that once
controlled my life. Even after I came to Jesus, there were areas of my life
that needed attention. Like the snowman, they stood strong and proud
until exposure to the sun (or in this case, the Son!) brought them
down to size. Once I started attending church and recovery meetings
regularly, they melted away to nothing. It was the Son who did it!
Father, thank you for bringing down the strongholds I had
built in my life. The light of your person keeps me free to worship
you. In Jesus' name, Amen. [Celebrate Recovery Daily Devotional by
John & Johnny Baker]
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
Seeking to please Me is a joyous way to live. Of course,
without faith it is impossible to please Me. You must really believe
that I exist and that I reward those who earnestly seek Me.
Living to please Me is a wise investment - not only for
rewards in heaven but also for daily pleasure on earth. I am meant to be
the Center of your existence, the Sun around which you orbit. When
you live this way - enjoying Me, serving Me, desiring to please Me -
you stay in your proper orbit. When you live in a self-centered way,
you go off course.
The challenge is to keep Me central in what you do, say, and
think. This battle begins in your mind, so work on taking captive every
thought to make it obedient to Me. Study My Word to find out what
pleases Me, and remember how wonderfully well I love you. Awareness of
My amazing Love will help you stay in orbit around the Son -
enjoying the radiant pleasures of My Presence. (Heb. 11:6; 2Co. 10:5;
Col. 1:9, 10) [Jesus Today by Sarah Young]
Receive My peace. It is My continual gift to you. The best
way to receive this gift is to sit quietly in My Presence, trusting
Me in every area of your life. Quietness and trust accomplish far
more than you can imagine: not only in you, but also on earth and in
heaven. When you trust Me in a given area, you release that problem or
person into My care.
Spending time alone with Me can be a difficult discipline
because it goes against the activity addiction of this age. You may
appear to be doing nothing, but actually you are participating in
battles going on within spiritual realms. You are waging war - not with
the weapons of the world, but with heavenly weapons, which have
divine power to demolish strongholds. Living close to Me is a sure
defense against evil. (John 14:27; Isaiah 30:15; 2 Corinthians 10:4)
[Jesus Calling by Sarah Young]
Sit quietly with Me, letting all your fears and worries
bubble up to the surface of your consciousness. There, in the Light of
My Presence, the bubbles pop and disappear. However, some fears
surface over and over again, especially fear of the future. You tend to
project yourself mentally into the next day, week, month, year, decade;
and you visualize yourself coping badly in those times. What you are
seeing is a false image, because it doesn't include Me. Those gloomy
times that you imagine will not come to pass, since My Presence will
be with you at all times.
When a future-oriented worry assails you, capture it and
disarm it by suffusing the Light of My Presence into that mental image.
Say to yourself, "Jesus will be with me then and there. With His
help, I can cope!" Then, come home to the present moment, where you
can enjoy Peace in My Presence. (Luk. 12:22-25; Deu. 31:6; 2Co.
10:5) [Jesus Calling by Sarah Young]
Trust Me and refuse to worry, for I am your Strength and
Song. You are feeling wobbly this morning, looking at difficult times
looming ahead, measuring them against your own strength. However, they
are not today's tasks - or even tomorrow's. So leave them in the
future and come home to the present, where you will find Me waiting for
you. Since I am your Strength, I can empower you to handle each task
as it comes. Because I am your Song, I can give you Joy as you work
alongside Me.
Keep bringing your mind back to the present moment. Among all
My creatures, only humans can anticipate future events. This
ability is a blessing, but it becomes a curse whenever it is misused. If
you use your magnificent mind to worry about tomorrow, you cloak
yourself in dark unbelief. However, when the hope of heaven fills your
thoughts, the Light of My Presence envelops you. Though heaven is future,
it is also present tense. As you walk in the Light with Me, you
have one foot on earth and one foot in heaven. (Exo. 15:2; 2Co. 10:5;
Heb. 10:23) [Jesus Calling by Sarah Young]
Keep your focus on Me. I have gifted you with amazing
freedom, including the ability to choose the focal point of your mind.
Only the crown of My creation has such remarkable capability; this is
a sign of being made in My image.
Let the goal of this day be to bring every thought captive to
Me. Whenever your mind wanders, lasso those thoughts and bring them
into My Presence. In My radiant Light, anxious thoughts shrink and
shrivel away. Judgmental thoughts are unmasked as you bask in My
unconditional Love. Confused ideas are untangled while you rest in the
simplicity of My Peace. I will guard you and keep you in constant Peace, as
you focus your mind on Me. (Psa. 8:5; Gen. 1:26, 27; 2 Cor. 10:5;
Isa. 26:3) [Jesus Calling by Sarah Young]
CLOSING THOUGHT
Jesus asks us to consecrate ourselves to Him. If you will do
this, He will quicken your conscience, renew your heart, sanctify your
affections, purify your thoughts, and set all your powers at work for Him.
Every motive and every thought will be brought into captivity to Jesus
Christ. 7BC909
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
Seeking God Made Real: http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES AND SEMINARS
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies: http://www.bibleresearch.info/
http://www.aBible.com
