For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and we are ready to punish all disobedience, when your obedience is complete. 2 Corinthians 10:5-6 AMP
The church at Corinth had some major issues going on. Paul wrote two letters to them trying to get them straightened out. One major problem they had was that false teachers had infiltrated their congregations and some were listening to their false teachings and believing them.
In this scripture passage Paul is trying to explain to them that though we are mere mortals and live in the flesh, as Christians we do not war according to the flesh. In Ephesians 6:10-18 Paul talks about spiritual warfare and the armor that God provides. If you wage war against someone on your own and they are waging war against you on their own, well quite honestly this is where two fools collide and it’s a toss up as to what can happen. I say this because I have learned that if I allow God to fight my battles all goes well. When I fight them on my own I usually don’t have a very good outcome. In 2 Chronicles Chapter 20 we see a prime example of this when Judah is attacked by not one but two very large armies. King Jehoshaphat sought the Lord’s protection and God fought the battle for them. It was an awesome outcome and I strongly encourage you to read the whole story which is in this one chapter.
As Christians, we have the ability to call on the divine power of God when we face battles. He has the power to destroy fortresses. We can trust in Him to fight these battles for us. But we must be sure that we do all that He calls us to do. We must choose to give it all over to Him and trust in Him. Paul tells the Corinthians that they must take every thought captive to be obedient in Christ.
If we love the Lord with all our heart, all our soul, and all our mind as the Bible instructs us to do (Matthew 22:37), we will focus on Him. His Holy Spirit will fill our heart and we know that whatever fills our heart is what spills out of our mouths (Matthew 12:34). When we give something lip service, then it may become a plan of action and before you know it that thought becomes the action of sin which will drag you down and destroy you if you are not careful. It all begins in the mind with that first thought. So Paul tells them to take captive every thought. This is where we nip it in the bud, so to speak. If you find yourself having sinful thoughts, stop it right there. Don’t even think about it.
We can live according to God’s will and walk in the Spirit and trust in Him or we can live according to the flesh. Galatians 5:16 tells us that if we walk in the Spirit that we will not carry out the sinful desires of our flesh. In order to do this, we must train our minds to focus on God and things above and not on earthly things (Colossians 3:2).
Today, I challenge you to change your mindset. Why not try to begin the new year focusing on God and walking in the Spirit, you would be amazed at the difference it will make in your life. When we honor and exalt God in our hearts and our minds and with our mouths, he takes good care of us.
In order to be successful in walking in the Spirit, we must set our minds on it. We must take captive every thought to make us obedient to Christ. Our pastor calls sinful thoughts, stinking thinking. We need to rid our minds of any stinking thinking. Focus on God and things above and don’t allow yourself to get all tangled up in what is going on here on earth.
Have a great day!