“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare [are] not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;” 2 Corinthians 10:3-5
Continuing on the theme of spiritual warfare…
I love this passage because it gives me great hope in the victory that Christ has won for us and giving us what we need to daily live out an effective faith.
We are not left to fend for ourselves, but are given weapons that are mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds.
And one of the keys to pulling down those strong holds lies within verse 5.
“Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God.”
What are imaginations?
Imagination is the action or process of bringing several images together into one.
When we say that someone has a vivid imagination it is because they seem to join the most un-joinable things.
But in this verse it would appear that they are considered to exalt themselves against the knowledge of God.
Not that they are denying that God exists, but that they are challenging all that God knows… which is futile.
But then it continues…
“bringing into captivity every thought…”
How do we take a thought captive? First we have to admit that thoughts are things that come from external sources.
Good thoughts… thoughts that are perfectively in line with the will of God… can only come from Him.
Bad thoughts come from… well… the opposition.
We don’t ever have an original thought… because it came to us from somewhere. (Often from things we read, or see, or hear… and yes… from others.)
We can have original ideas… which are formulated thoughts or opinions… but only very rarely are they truly original… just new to us.
Understanding this position on thoughts allows us to realize that we can take them captive.
Now I have to admit that sometimes the thoughts we “have” are really only the thoughts that we have “received and held on to.” We keep them in our heart (for that is where the Bible says the mind is) in a permanent reference bank.
And then, we bring them together… but this poses a problem…
“And GOD saw that the wickedness of man [was] great in the earth, and [that] every imagination of the thoughts of his heart [was] only evil continually.” Genesis 6:5
It is so critical for us to realize that in a fallen nature… outside of the Grace of God and the love of our Lord Jesus… we would never be good. We would continually imagine evil (that which dishonors God).
So, we are charged to bring every thought into captivity. I have found no better way of doing this than first praying out loud, “In the name of Jesus I take every thought captive…”
Here is where I have to pause. Because the next part of the verse… the grand finale… can be read effectively in two ways.
I used to read it as though it was saying that we have to bring every thought captive to obey Jesus. And while this is true, it misses the point.
It is written… “bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ”.
What is the “obedience of Christ?”
“And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” Philippians 2:8
Every thought needs to be brought back to the cross!
Why, because we are speaking of spiritual warfare! And it was at the cross, when Jesus laid down His life that the stronghold of the devil was broken. Our debt was paid at the cross.
When the enemy brings thoughts to us… remind him… MY DEBT IS PAID!!!
The devil has no legal right to you anymore.
You belong to Jesus now.
We are to obey the Word of God. And we are to defeat the devil in our daily lives with the Word of God.
And when the devil comes, as he did to Eve, and says, “Did God really say?...”
When he tries to plant that seed of deception… that wicked thought…
Bring it back to the cross…
And by the way... the Bible doesn't say to bring just the "bad" thoughts... it says every thought.
So when you get a "good" thought...
Bring it back to the cross...
Because at the cross, the thoughts that are from the devil are destroyed and the thoughts that are from God stand.
Always... always... always... remember the cross.
And remember…You were worth dying for.
SDG
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