Ever eaten food you recognised as being exceptionally good? We can have the same experience spiritually. In our minds we understand all scripture is inspired by God, but sometimes a passage "hits the spot," so to speak. God's Word speaks to specific needs in a person, and when applied by the Holy Spirit the results are transformational.
This morning we read 2 Corinthians 10:4-6 at Calvary Chapel Sydney: "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 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, 6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled." I used to think "spiritual warfare" was something that occurred out in the world. The Bible reveals the "ground zero" for spiritual battles takes place in our minds. Paul was writing to Christians to beg they wage war upon their worldly ideas and sinful thought patterns. The regenerated Christian mind is filled with strongholds of satanic lies and deceptions only the Word of God can expose and the Holy Spirit through faith in Christ can pull down.
When we are born again and given a new nature, our physical brain stays the same. We continue to live in the world, exposed to all manner of sinful thoughts and ideas. We still live in a body which lives to please itself. Imagine for a moment your mind as a massive kingdom which for years was ruled by a ruthless, cruel tyrant who oppressed and enslaved the common people. Little did the people realise the tyrant was actually a usurper who assumed the throne by deceit. Fearful of overthrow, he sent spies and hired mercenaries throughout the kingdom to maintain his elaborate network of strategically-placed shelters with provisions, weapons, and armour. One day a man clothed in white appeared before the tyrant's throne. He unsheathed his sword, looked at him sternly and said, "I know who you are, fraud and father of lies! You have no right to sit upon this throne. Before God, I am the true King!"
Frightened by the man in white, the coward commander stood to his feet, surrounded by men loyal to him. "You may have won today, your Majesty," he said sneering, "but I will not give up my power so easily. I won't go down without a fight!" With that, he and his men stormed off to their strongholds. As you knelt before the rightful King, he turned to you and said, "You are now my loyal subject. I have commissioned you to seek out these strongholds of lies wherever they remain and wage war against them until they are utterly destroyed. For every stronghold you vanquish in my name, another may rise up to take its place. Be on guard against this. Be of good cheer, for I have overcome!" As he sat upon the throne, he gave a word of warning: "Be sober and vigilant. A stronghold pulled down can be rebuilt." And with that, the battle for your mind began.
When we are born again through the Gospel, Jesus Christ becomes the LORD and Saviour of our lives. We are freed from the power of Satan who oppressed and enslaved us. Though Christ is on the throne and we are justified from all sin, Satan engages in guerrilla tactics against our minds. He has established strongholds in our minds, lies we have believed as long as we can remember. He assaults us with arguments and temptations to idolatry. A spiritual battle requires spiritual weapons and armour. We have been given the fearsome sword held by Christ Himself. The Word of God illuminates the strongholds, and we have authority from Jesus to pull down those strongholds. These established, fortified, hidden strongholds are brought to light with God's Word, overthrown in prayer, and obedience to God in faith causes the enemy to surrender and flee. We must take captive all thoughts to the obedience of Christ, for worldly arguments and idols have a way of scampering off and fortifying themselves again.
There is a wonderful illustration of this spiritual battle for our minds found in the book of Joshua. When the children of Israel entered the Promised Land, the stronghold of Jericho loomed before them. Skirting the stronghold was not an option: it had to be utterly destroyed. Joshua 6:1-5 reads, "Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel; none went out, and none came in. 2 And the LORD said to Joshua: "See! I have given Jericho into your hand, its king, and the mighty men of valour. 3 You shall march around the city, all you men of war; you shall go all around the city once. This you shall do six days. 4 And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark. But the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. 5 It shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the wall of the city will fall down flat. And the people shall go up every man straight before him." God granted his people victory over this great, ancient stronghold. It does not take a military genius to see the plan given the people was beyond orthodox - it looked completely ridiculous! But since God gave the command, faith in Him and obedience to His Word brought about the victory promised by God. What is true for Jericho is true for the deeply entrenched strongholds scattered throughout our minds: the weapons of our warfare are mighty in God to pull them down and utterly destroy every one!
After the service this morning, it dawned on me: Jericho did not stay vanquished forever. Joshua pronounced a curse over any man who would rebuild the city, but it did not stop it from being rebuilt. In the days of wicked Ahab, the land was rife with idolatry and wickedness. 1 Kings 16:33-34 says, "And Ahab made a wooden image. Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him. 34 In his days Hiel of Bethel built Jericho. He laid its foundation with Abiram his firstborn, and with his youngest son Segub he set up its gates, according to the word of the LORD, which He had spoken through Joshua the son of Nun." Strongholds in the minds of Christians can be rebuilt even as Jericho was. Every Christian must understand the primary location of the spiritual battle taking place they are called to engage is within their own minds. When we order our minds in obedience to Christ, and align our hearts and will with God's, we enter into the victory Jesus has provided!
This morning we read 2 Corinthians 10:4-6 at Calvary Chapel Sydney: "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 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, 6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled." I used to think "spiritual warfare" was something that occurred out in the world. The Bible reveals the "ground zero" for spiritual battles takes place in our minds. Paul was writing to Christians to beg they wage war upon their worldly ideas and sinful thought patterns. The regenerated Christian mind is filled with strongholds of satanic lies and deceptions only the Word of God can expose and the Holy Spirit through faith in Christ can pull down.
When we are born again and given a new nature, our physical brain stays the same. We continue to live in the world, exposed to all manner of sinful thoughts and ideas. We still live in a body which lives to please itself. Imagine for a moment your mind as a massive kingdom which for years was ruled by a ruthless, cruel tyrant who oppressed and enslaved the common people. Little did the people realise the tyrant was actually a usurper who assumed the throne by deceit. Fearful of overthrow, he sent spies and hired mercenaries throughout the kingdom to maintain his elaborate network of strategically-placed shelters with provisions, weapons, and armour. One day a man clothed in white appeared before the tyrant's throne. He unsheathed his sword, looked at him sternly and said, "I know who you are, fraud and father of lies! You have no right to sit upon this throne. Before God, I am the true King!"
Frightened by the man in white, the coward commander stood to his feet, surrounded by men loyal to him. "You may have won today, your Majesty," he said sneering, "but I will not give up my power so easily. I won't go down without a fight!" With that, he and his men stormed off to their strongholds. As you knelt before the rightful King, he turned to you and said, "You are now my loyal subject. I have commissioned you to seek out these strongholds of lies wherever they remain and wage war against them until they are utterly destroyed. For every stronghold you vanquish in my name, another may rise up to take its place. Be on guard against this. Be of good cheer, for I have overcome!" As he sat upon the throne, he gave a word of warning: "Be sober and vigilant. A stronghold pulled down can be rebuilt." And with that, the battle for your mind began.
When we are born again through the Gospel, Jesus Christ becomes the LORD and Saviour of our lives. We are freed from the power of Satan who oppressed and enslaved us. Though Christ is on the throne and we are justified from all sin, Satan engages in guerrilla tactics against our minds. He has established strongholds in our minds, lies we have believed as long as we can remember. He assaults us with arguments and temptations to idolatry. A spiritual battle requires spiritual weapons and armour. We have been given the fearsome sword held by Christ Himself. The Word of God illuminates the strongholds, and we have authority from Jesus to pull down those strongholds. These established, fortified, hidden strongholds are brought to light with God's Word, overthrown in prayer, and obedience to God in faith causes the enemy to surrender and flee. We must take captive all thoughts to the obedience of Christ, for worldly arguments and idols have a way of scampering off and fortifying themselves again.
There is a wonderful illustration of this spiritual battle for our minds found in the book of Joshua. When the children of Israel entered the Promised Land, the stronghold of Jericho loomed before them. Skirting the stronghold was not an option: it had to be utterly destroyed. Joshua 6:1-5 reads, "Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel; none went out, and none came in. 2 And the LORD said to Joshua: "See! I have given Jericho into your hand, its king, and the mighty men of valour. 3 You shall march around the city, all you men of war; you shall go all around the city once. This you shall do six days. 4 And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark. But the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. 5 It shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the wall of the city will fall down flat. And the people shall go up every man straight before him." God granted his people victory over this great, ancient stronghold. It does not take a military genius to see the plan given the people was beyond orthodox - it looked completely ridiculous! But since God gave the command, faith in Him and obedience to His Word brought about the victory promised by God. What is true for Jericho is true for the deeply entrenched strongholds scattered throughout our minds: the weapons of our warfare are mighty in God to pull them down and utterly destroy every one!
After the service this morning, it dawned on me: Jericho did not stay vanquished forever. Joshua pronounced a curse over any man who would rebuild the city, but it did not stop it from being rebuilt. In the days of wicked Ahab, the land was rife with idolatry and wickedness. 1 Kings 16:33-34 says, "And Ahab made a wooden image. Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him. 34 In his days Hiel of Bethel built Jericho. He laid its foundation with Abiram his firstborn, and with his youngest son Segub he set up its gates, according to the word of the LORD, which He had spoken through Joshua the son of Nun." Strongholds in the minds of Christians can be rebuilt even as Jericho was. Every Christian must understand the primary location of the spiritual battle taking place they are called to engage is within their own minds. When we order our minds in obedience to Christ, and align our hearts and will with God's, we enter into the victory Jesus has provided!
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