For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5
Paul used the word "we" frequently through this passage, and though we were not his contemporary "we", as followers of Christ, I believe the "we" includes us as well.
That being said, let us look and see how Paul's "we" statements in this passage compare to "we" in today's world:
For though we live in the world...well, so far so good.
we do not wage war as the world does...or do we? When we 'do battle' do we do it as God would have us do it? Or do we act just like everyone else. Are we spiteful, unrighteous-ly angry, gossipy, and deceitful (to name a few)? Does the world look at us as Christians en masse, individual churches, and individuals, and see us acting differently than the rest of the world?
The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world...we certainly have these weapons available to us, things like the Fruits of the Spirit, and being slow to anger, and prayer. We must make certain that we are seeking God's help constantly, in making use of these weapons.
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God...what a lofty goal! How do you feel about being part of this "we"?
and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ...this is the place to start! This is the linchpin for this passage. Taking every thought in our own minds, and making it obedient to Him. If we could do this one thing, the others would fall into place. If every thought of doubt and anger, every temptation, every fear, were immediately turned over to God, and submitted in obedience to His Son, our lives would change so drastically. Our vision would become so clear. We could then see those Heavenly weapons, see His use and purpose for them, and see others in the light of His love.
The battle belongs to the Lord!
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Questions:
1. How do you feel about these "we"s?
2. What would it take to submit each and every thought to Christ?
3. Is it worth it to you to try?
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Thoughts on thoughts:
"The neglected heart will soon be a heart overrun with worldly thoughts; the neglected life will soon become a moral chaos; the church that is not jealously protected by mighty intercession and sacrificial labors will before long become the abode of every evil bird and the hiding place for unsuspected corruption. The creeping wilderness will soon take over that church that trusts in its own strength and forgets to watch and pray." A.W. Tozer
"The men who have done the most for God in this world have been early on their knees. He who fritters away the early morning, its opportunity and freshness, in other pursuits than seeking God will make poor headway seeking Him the rest of the day. If God is not first in our thoughts and efforts in the morning, He will be in the last place the remainder of the day." E.M. Bounds
"If you read history you will find out that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next." C.S. Lewis
"God hath my daily petitions, for I am at peace with all men, and He is at peace with me, and this witness makes the thoughts of death joyful." Richard Hooker
"There is mention of a sword turning every way: parallel whereto is the Word of God in a wounded conscience. Man's heart is full of windings, turnings, and doublings, to shift and shun the stroke thereof, if possible: but this sword meets them wheresoever they move; it fetches and finds them out; it haunts and hunts them, forbidding them, during their agony, any entrance into the paradise of one comfortable thought." Thomas Fuller Fuller
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