When I miss an opportunity from my Lord, I tend to "beat myself up." This happened to me Sunday morning in church. Sometimes I trip over this..."all things are to be done decently and in order" (1 Cor. 14:40). I'm afraid I might speak out of turn. I respect our pastor and I don't want to interrupt him. So, I wonder, when do I speak up after God has given me a word?
The word my Lord gave me was this, Behold, I am the Lord of hosts, the Lord of heavenly, angelic armies. You will encounter the enemy, you will face the battle. But more there be with you than there be against you. You have the power to lead the enemy captive. I have given you the power. I have equipped you to fight. Use My word, use the power of My Spirit. Use your sword. Be still and know I am God does not mean lay down and quit. It means to prepare to see My salvation IN the battle. It means hit your knees and pray. It means trust. It means let faith arise in you. I am the Lord your God, I will fight for you IN the battle. Be strong, be of good courage. I am the Lord your God and you are victorious in Me.
I thought of Elisha in 2 Kings 6. The king of Syria sent his army to capture Elisha. But the Lord had sent His heavenly army to protect him. Therefore, Elisha and his servant led the entire enemy army captive.
This isn't what our pastor preached, but it was close. He delivered his message from 2 Samuel 23. He encouraged us to stand up against the enemy and be dedicated to the battle. God has a group of people who will fight. David was a mighty warrior who surrounded himself with like-minded men. You cannot serve the Lord and fight the battle while living in the enemy's camp. You have to separate yourself to be victorious.
I have gone back and re-read 2 Samuel 23 and God continues to reveal more to me about David's mighty men in the battle. In verse 8, we meet Adino the Eznite who "lift up his spear and slew eight hundred men at one time." In Joshua 8:18 the Lord told Joshua to "Stretch out the spear that is in your hand..." And how about in Exodus 14:13-16 when all of Israel was caught between the Red Sea and their enemy. God told Moses "...lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea and divide it..." In all these instances, God gave them victory.
So I ask, "What is in your hand? What can you lift up to the Lord in faith so that He can move on your behalf?" Little David raised a sling and a stone against a mighty giant and God have him the victory. Abraham stretched forth his hand and raised a knife, willing to sacrifice his promise from God. Just look at the results of his obedience (Genesis 22) in verses 17 and 18, blessing and multiplying and possession of the gates of his enemies. Just because he lifted up something in his hand in an act of pure faith and trust in God.
While I am on this, what has God asked you to give up that you are still holding onto? Are you afraid to lay your Isaac on the alter? Are you afraid God will not fulfill His promise to you if you just let it go? What about that job, that relationship, that church? It's easy to lay down the things we don't want or those things that we know are evil. But what about that "good thing" that has actually become your idol? Think about it!! I am.
The next of David's mighty men is Eleazar. He single-handedly attacked the Philistines that were gathered together to battle. He rose up and smote (struck and killed) the Philistines until his hand was weary and his hand clave (adhered to, clung, remained faithful...) unto the sword. The Lord gave him the victory and the people returned and gathered the spoil.
How many of us can say that we clung faithfully to our sword in the heat of the battle? There are times when others will leave us and we are alone in our battle. Our battles are fought, not by might nor by power but only by God's Spirit. And we have to stand, clothed in the armour of God, wielding our sword of the Word. Sometimes others will join us on the battlefield. Other times it's just you and God.
When we pray and persevere, fighting for the kingdom, God will bring the victory and we will gather the spoil. We will take back what the enemy has stolen, not only for ourselves but for the kingdom, for our families, and for our church.
Then we have Shammah. He also stood alone, and faced a troop of Philistines, to guard a piece of ground. It was a garden full of lentils. Did you see that? The garden was FULL! The enemy doesn't want your dirt, he wants your harvest. Not only your physical harvest, he especially desires to steal your spiritual harvest. Read Is. 61:3, 1 Cor 3:9, Is. 60:21, and Jer. 17:8. These verses declare that WE are God's garden or His tree, a planting of the Lord. Don't allow the enemy to enter into your garden.
In the Song of Solomon 4:12-16, the maiden is referred to as a garden enclosed. The only One she invites to come into her garden is her Lord. We must be careful to guard the garden of our heart otherwise "little foxes" will creep in to spoil the vines and steal the fruit (2:15). I looked up the word spoil, it means to impair, damage, or ruin something to the extent that its worth, beauty, or usefulness is diminished. It means to damage beyond repair. It means to impair the completeness, perfection, or unity of. And spoil is also plunder taken from an enemy in war or stolen from a victim in robbery. You are not a victim. You are more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus!!
We know that the thief (our enemy) comes not but to steal and to kill and to destroy. But Jesus came that we would have life, and that we would have it more abundantly. (John 10:10)
There is one more exploit of David's mighty men that I want to expound on in 2 Samuel 23:13-17. In this account, the three men joined together. David had spoken out loud that he longed for a drink of water from the well of Bethlehem which is by the gate. No doubt he was thirsty and the well was deep and the water of that well of Bethlehem must have been cool and refreshing.
This reminds me of the woman at the well in John 4. She came to draw water from Jacob's well but she encountered the Well of Bethlehem. The One who is deep and contains the waters of salvation. The only One who can refresh our soul. The only One who can satisfy our longing heart. Jesus, the Well of living water that sprung forth in Bethlehem. He asked her for a drink. The Bible never tells us that she gave Him a drink but I believe He was refreshed by her faith. How often do we refresh our Lord with our faithfulness?
David is a "type" of Jesus. Here we see that David's mighty men joined forces to break through the enemy lines just to bring him a drink of water. Jesus said there is a reward for someone who gives the thirsty soul a cup of cold water. This was to the extreme. Most of us have never risked our lives to give Jesus something to refresh His heart. And the majority have never even risked their pride to give Him glory.
Think about Mary who was ridiculed as she poured out her precious oil on the head and feet of Christ. Mary, who took down her hair in public to wipe His feet. Mary, who sat at His feet and hung on His every word. What about the one leper out of ten who returned to thank Jesus for making him whole. What about worship; to cry out Hosanna unashamed. Many won't worship in church, let alone on the street. Many of God's children won't even pray in public to thank Him for His provision.
How can we refresh our Lord? How can we pour out an offering to Him? David realized the only One worthy of this kind of love and devotion was his Lord not himself. David didn't drink it, instead he poured out the precious water unto his King. Life giving water that others had risked their lives to give became an offering. What do you have to offer Him? What has He asked you to lay at His feet?
How can we bless the Giver of all blessings? We can thank Him. We can whole-heartedly worship Him. We can do what He said, "What you have done unto the least of these My brethren you have done unto Me."
Blessings!
Showing posts with label Warfare. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Warfare. Show all posts
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Wresting Matches
While others have been writing of Thanksgiving and the preparation of wonderful dishes, here I am writing once again of warfare. Believe me, I am NOT about doom and gloom. I love the holidays, especially Thanksgiving. Who doesn't like to eat?! And I am very thankful for all God has done in my life, especially for my salvation which I do not take lightly. God's blessing and beauty is all around me and I revel in it, in Him. I LOVE HIM WITH ALL MY HEART. However, in the midst of the blessing is the battle and this is where I am and where He is leading me to write. So, here goes!
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds; Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:4-5
Have you ever seen a wrestling match? I'm not fond of the flamboyant wrestling that takes place on television. I know a lot of it is for show and has been staged. I also believe it teaches children to be puffed up and prideful; not to mention, confrontational. This is how satan must appear if we could actually see him. All swollen up and beating his chest as he spews out threats.
In most true wrestling matches, the object is to pin down your opponent, rendering him powerless. The sumo wrestlers of Japan wrestle inside a ring. Their goal is to knock their opponent off their feet or push them outside a ring. The beginners usually step into the ring and begin to wrestle, while the more experienced will size up one another. This is done by coming to the center line in the ring where they crouch down staring at each other. They may do this several times before the actual bout. Each time they will return to their corner for more mental preparation. As children of God, we are mentally prepared by His Word. Our wrestling is not of this world.
The Word of God tells us that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, our warfare is spiritual. (Eph.6:12) If you find yourself in a wrestling match with enemy forces, don't be discouraged. God is in control. I am struggling right now to keep this in the forefront of my mind. The closer I draw to God, the more of His Word I grasp, the stronger the battle becomes. I'm finding this is also true with other Christians I am close to. We may feel like we are losing, but we are not. We are being strengthened to endure what is to come.
God doesn't use those who have a form of godliness but deny His power. (2 Timothy 3:5) Why do we not see more healing and deliverance in the church? Why do we see more sin, more lovers of pleasure than lovers of God? Because these are the last days we are living in and those who are serious about their relationship with God and living holy lives are finding themselves in the heat of the battle.
The Word tells us that there must first come a falling away, then Christ will come. (2 Thess. 2:3) What are people falling away from? They are falling away from Truth. The word for "falling away" is apostasia or apostasy which means defection, rebellion, abandonment, to renounce or to abandon a previous loyalty. I've heard it preached many a time that you cannot "lose" your salvation. Salvation, like Love, is a choice. You can choose to walk away from Christ otherwise the bible wouldn't say that you can.
Jesus said, "You will know them by their fruits." Our lives, our actions, and our words tell the world who we belong to. Jesus speaks in Matthew 24:12 about the love of many waxing cold. That tells me they were once on fire for God, their candle was lit and burning brightly. But now the fire has gone out and their hearts, like wax, have grown cold and hard. The battle can make us weary and many will fall away from Christ. Now is the time to press in and draw closer to Him. He will strengthen you.
Take time to examine your heart. Is it on fire with passion for your first Love? Has it grown cold toward God? Are you lukewarm? Is He standing outside the door knocking or has He taken up residence within you? (Rev. 3:14-22) Allow Him to be your Fortress, your Strong Tower, your Dwelling Place. He will never leave you nor forsake you.
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds; Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:4-5
Have you ever seen a wrestling match? I'm not fond of the flamboyant wrestling that takes place on television. I know a lot of it is for show and has been staged. I also believe it teaches children to be puffed up and prideful; not to mention, confrontational. This is how satan must appear if we could actually see him. All swollen up and beating his chest as he spews out threats.
In most true wrestling matches, the object is to pin down your opponent, rendering him powerless. The sumo wrestlers of Japan wrestle inside a ring. Their goal is to knock their opponent off their feet or push them outside a ring. The beginners usually step into the ring and begin to wrestle, while the more experienced will size up one another. This is done by coming to the center line in the ring where they crouch down staring at each other. They may do this several times before the actual bout. Each time they will return to their corner for more mental preparation. As children of God, we are mentally prepared by His Word. Our wrestling is not of this world.
The Word of God tells us that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, our warfare is spiritual. (Eph.6:12) If you find yourself in a wrestling match with enemy forces, don't be discouraged. God is in control. I am struggling right now to keep this in the forefront of my mind. The closer I draw to God, the more of His Word I grasp, the stronger the battle becomes. I'm finding this is also true with other Christians I am close to. We may feel like we are losing, but we are not. We are being strengthened to endure what is to come.
God doesn't use those who have a form of godliness but deny His power. (2 Timothy 3:5) Why do we not see more healing and deliverance in the church? Why do we see more sin, more lovers of pleasure than lovers of God? Because these are the last days we are living in and those who are serious about their relationship with God and living holy lives are finding themselves in the heat of the battle.
The Word tells us that there must first come a falling away, then Christ will come. (2 Thess. 2:3) What are people falling away from? They are falling away from Truth. The word for "falling away" is apostasia or apostasy which means defection, rebellion, abandonment, to renounce or to abandon a previous loyalty. I've heard it preached many a time that you cannot "lose" your salvation. Salvation, like Love, is a choice. You can choose to walk away from Christ otherwise the bible wouldn't say that you can.
Jesus said, "You will know them by their fruits." Our lives, our actions, and our words tell the world who we belong to. Jesus speaks in Matthew 24:12 about the love of many waxing cold. That tells me they were once on fire for God, their candle was lit and burning brightly. But now the fire has gone out and their hearts, like wax, have grown cold and hard. The battle can make us weary and many will fall away from Christ. Now is the time to press in and draw closer to Him. He will strengthen you.
Take time to examine your heart. Is it on fire with passion for your first Love? Has it grown cold toward God? Are you lukewarm? Is He standing outside the door knocking or has He taken up residence within you? (Rev. 3:14-22) Allow Him to be your Fortress, your Strong Tower, your Dwelling Place. He will never leave you nor forsake you.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
In The Heat Of The Battle--Part 2
Forgiveness is a powerful weapon to use against the enemy. I know that seems like a strange statement, but it is true! Read what Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 2. Paul is urging the church to operate in forgiveness, restoration, and love toward someone. Paul tells them in verse 9 that these things are a test of their obedience. Then he goes on to say in verses 10-11, "To whom you forgive any thing, I forgive also...Lest satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.
His devices are his purposes, his schemes, and his plans. We need to be aware of the point of his attack against us. It's easy to figure out; what is that thing or that thought that is bringing you anxiety and unrest? What is tormenting you? What are you afraid of? Fear involves torment. Therefore, if we are tormented about something, we are in fear. (1 John 4:18) ...There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear... Only the love of God is perfect and can obliterate our fear(s).
Opposition will often come through people. They are not the enemy but they can be used as instruments of warfare by the spiritual forces of evil. When your hostility is directed toward another person, it takes your focus off the deeper spiritual dimensions of your conflict. I have found that when we focus on a person as the enemy that satan is using you against one another. He is killing two birds with one stone, as he lines us up in his sights. If we are focused on fighting each other, his evil plan is going undetected.
All the while, as you are in opposition with someone, the person you are battling may be in need of salvation or spiritual deliverance and you don't even realize it. However, if you are feeling hostility toward someone, God may be using them to point out your weakness or some deep issue and He is wanting to deal with it.
When we seem to be in conflict with someone else, the best thing to do is to immediately and sincerely pray for that person and the situation. Allow the Holy Spirit to open your eyes to what is real and true. Ask God to reveal what part you are playing in the situation. Don't be deceived, but be alert to the spiritual warfare going on around you and/or within you. It is real and has the capability and power to become a destructive force in your life and the lives of those you love. The enemy deceives people into siding with him in his attack against another person. Maybe even you.
Unforgiveness and bitterness is poison to the heart, and the soul. We have to allow the Holy Spirit to uproot these from our lives. One way to determine if you have bitterness and unforgiveness is to listen to what is coming out of your mouth. Jesus remarks, "Oh generation of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh (Matt. 12:34). It's no wonder satan is called a serpent (or viper) for poison is pumped out through his mouth. He has been named the accuser of the brethren, a murderer, and the father of lies. James 3 has so much to say about the tongue and Proverbs 18:21 tells us that "Death and life are in the power of the tongue..." What do your words tell you about what is in your heart?
Don't be discouraged if you feel you are losing the battle, we have the promise that, "Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world." (1 John 4:4) Jesus has already defeated our enemy. "I am He that liveth, and was dead; and behold, I am alive forevermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death." (Rev.1:18) AND, He has given us power... over ALL the power of the enemy.(Luke 10:19)
This is what I have been living. The battle has been intense. I told my Mom that I feel like I have been buffeted by waves of the sea. As soon as one passed over me, the next one hit before I could even regain my footing. I felt as if I were drowning in my own thoughts and emotions. It made my head spin to the point I felt I was no longer effective. I continued in prayer and reading the Word of God, but I was forgetting the powerful force of the spoken Word. I wasn't speaking or acting like a triumphant child of God. I sure wasn't walking in victory. I'm not going to tell you everything is perfect right now. I can only tell you, I am taking the next step in my walk. And, no matter how hard things become, I believe in the love of God and that He never lets go!!
His devices are his purposes, his schemes, and his plans. We need to be aware of the point of his attack against us. It's easy to figure out; what is that thing or that thought that is bringing you anxiety and unrest? What is tormenting you? What are you afraid of? Fear involves torment. Therefore, if we are tormented about something, we are in fear. (1 John 4:18) ...There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear... Only the love of God is perfect and can obliterate our fear(s).
Opposition will often come through people. They are not the enemy but they can be used as instruments of warfare by the spiritual forces of evil. When your hostility is directed toward another person, it takes your focus off the deeper spiritual dimensions of your conflict. I have found that when we focus on a person as the enemy that satan is using you against one another. He is killing two birds with one stone, as he lines us up in his sights. If we are focused on fighting each other, his evil plan is going undetected.
All the while, as you are in opposition with someone, the person you are battling may be in need of salvation or spiritual deliverance and you don't even realize it. However, if you are feeling hostility toward someone, God may be using them to point out your weakness or some deep issue and He is wanting to deal with it.
When we seem to be in conflict with someone else, the best thing to do is to immediately and sincerely pray for that person and the situation. Allow the Holy Spirit to open your eyes to what is real and true. Ask God to reveal what part you are playing in the situation. Don't be deceived, but be alert to the spiritual warfare going on around you and/or within you. It is real and has the capability and power to become a destructive force in your life and the lives of those you love. The enemy deceives people into siding with him in his attack against another person. Maybe even you.
Unforgiveness and bitterness is poison to the heart, and the soul. We have to allow the Holy Spirit to uproot these from our lives. One way to determine if you have bitterness and unforgiveness is to listen to what is coming out of your mouth. Jesus remarks, "Oh generation of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh (Matt. 12:34). It's no wonder satan is called a serpent (or viper) for poison is pumped out through his mouth. He has been named the accuser of the brethren, a murderer, and the father of lies. James 3 has so much to say about the tongue and Proverbs 18:21 tells us that "Death and life are in the power of the tongue..." What do your words tell you about what is in your heart?
Don't be discouraged if you feel you are losing the battle, we have the promise that, "Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world." (1 John 4:4) Jesus has already defeated our enemy. "I am He that liveth, and was dead; and behold, I am alive forevermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death." (Rev.1:18) AND, He has given us power... over ALL the power of the enemy.(Luke 10:19)
This is what I have been living. The battle has been intense. I told my Mom that I feel like I have been buffeted by waves of the sea. As soon as one passed over me, the next one hit before I could even regain my footing. I felt as if I were drowning in my own thoughts and emotions. It made my head spin to the point I felt I was no longer effective. I continued in prayer and reading the Word of God, but I was forgetting the powerful force of the spoken Word. I wasn't speaking or acting like a triumphant child of God. I sure wasn't walking in victory. I'm not going to tell you everything is perfect right now. I can only tell you, I am taking the next step in my walk. And, no matter how hard things become, I believe in the love of God and that He never lets go!!
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
The Heat Of The Battle
It's not just me feeling the heat of the battle these days. I see it in the faces of those around me, I hear it in their voices and in the words they speak. We stand, stunned by the onslaught of the enemy's fiery darts of poison. He knows where to strike us to bring his desired result. He has studied us for generations, he knows our weaknesses. "So, why don't we know his weaknesses?" you may ask. The truth is WE DO!!
His weakness is the Word of God, the blood of the Lamb, and the word of our testimony. Yet, it seems so difficult sometimes to USE the weapons of our warfare. How quickly we forget to raise our Sword of the Word as we duck and run and cry, "Why?"
We desire to be like David standing against the giant, Goliath, with our slingshot. But when the time comes, we are the Israelites hiding in the bushes behind the rocks and shaking in our shoes. All the while our enemy is roaring like a lion and laughing at us as he slings his lying threats. Yes, we read that David placed one stone in his sling and took down the giant, but what came forth first was the Truth. David TOLD his enemy, "I come to you in the Name of the Lord of hosts the God of the armies of Israel..." He loosed the Spirit of God that was within him through the spoken word.
We are IN Christ, we have the liberty to use His Name and His Name is THE Name above all names. Next, David spoke out what his intentions were. He told the enemy what he was about to do, not in his own power, but by God's power. Then he spoke God's Word to the enemy, "The battle is the Lord's, and He will give you into our hands." (1 Samuel 17) It is "Not by might nor by power but by the Spirit of the Lord of hosts." God enables us to do anything by His Holy Spirit.
I have a confession to make. I have been one of those Israelites these past few weeks. I kept trying to "suck up" courage, but then before I knew it, I was quickly deflated by one of those fiery darts and collapsed into a rubbery puddle of uselessness. What the heck happened?
I lost my focus. The enemy had me so focused on me that I lost sight of God. How? Through his threats. And through my own thoughts and emotions. Our thoughts create our emotions. That just came to me, but it's true!! 2 Cor. 10:4 tells us that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal (of the flesh) but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds; (5) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every THOUGHT to the obedience of Christ.
This all concerns the mind. A stronghold is a fortified place which can indicate a way of thinking. It concerns our opinions, prejudices, and viewpoints. The imagination is the part of the mind where ideas, thoughts, and images are formed. A "high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God" are from the principalities, the powers, the rulers of the darkness of this world, and the spiritual wickedness in high places. (Eph.6:12) And then, of course, he tells us to take our thoughts captive--to the obedience of Christ. Even our thoughts have to obey Christ. The only way that will happen is to get His Word into our hearts and minds. But, we all know that, right? How soon we forget. (Okay, ME, ME, how soon I forget!!)
I was struggling and fighting and crying out, "God, I can't do this, if YOU don't do this, it's not gonna happen!!" Do you know what He told me? He said, "I already did!"
Colossians 2:10--YOU ARE COMPLETE IN HIM, WHICH IS THE HEAD OF ALL PRINCIPALITY AND POWER... (V15)--AND HAVING SPOILED (DISARMED) PRINCIPALITIES AND POWERS, HE MADE A SHOW (A SPECTACLE) OF THEM OPENLY, TRIUMPHING OVER THEM IN IT.
Y'all, there is so much more I want to share so there will be a part 2 (and maybe even more). I'll let you think on this while I go back and re-read the book of Colossians. I want to challenge you to join me, it's a short book and could have just copied the whole thing here. But hey, it's already written!!
His weakness is the Word of God, the blood of the Lamb, and the word of our testimony. Yet, it seems so difficult sometimes to USE the weapons of our warfare. How quickly we forget to raise our Sword of the Word as we duck and run and cry, "Why?"
We desire to be like David standing against the giant, Goliath, with our slingshot. But when the time comes, we are the Israelites hiding in the bushes behind the rocks and shaking in our shoes. All the while our enemy is roaring like a lion and laughing at us as he slings his lying threats. Yes, we read that David placed one stone in his sling and took down the giant, but what came forth first was the Truth. David TOLD his enemy, "I come to you in the Name of the Lord of hosts the God of the armies of Israel..." He loosed the Spirit of God that was within him through the spoken word.
We are IN Christ, we have the liberty to use His Name and His Name is THE Name above all names. Next, David spoke out what his intentions were. He told the enemy what he was about to do, not in his own power, but by God's power. Then he spoke God's Word to the enemy, "The battle is the Lord's, and He will give you into our hands." (1 Samuel 17) It is "Not by might nor by power but by the Spirit of the Lord of hosts." God enables us to do anything by His Holy Spirit.
I have a confession to make. I have been one of those Israelites these past few weeks. I kept trying to "suck up" courage, but then before I knew it, I was quickly deflated by one of those fiery darts and collapsed into a rubbery puddle of uselessness. What the heck happened?
I lost my focus. The enemy had me so focused on me that I lost sight of God. How? Through his threats. And through my own thoughts and emotions. Our thoughts create our emotions. That just came to me, but it's true!! 2 Cor. 10:4 tells us that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal (of the flesh) but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds; (5) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every THOUGHT to the obedience of Christ.
This all concerns the mind. A stronghold is a fortified place which can indicate a way of thinking. It concerns our opinions, prejudices, and viewpoints. The imagination is the part of the mind where ideas, thoughts, and images are formed. A "high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God" are from the principalities, the powers, the rulers of the darkness of this world, and the spiritual wickedness in high places. (Eph.6:12) And then, of course, he tells us to take our thoughts captive--to the obedience of Christ. Even our thoughts have to obey Christ. The only way that will happen is to get His Word into our hearts and minds. But, we all know that, right? How soon we forget. (Okay, ME, ME, how soon I forget!!)
I was struggling and fighting and crying out, "God, I can't do this, if YOU don't do this, it's not gonna happen!!" Do you know what He told me? He said, "I already did!"
Colossians 2:10--YOU ARE COMPLETE IN HIM, WHICH IS THE HEAD OF ALL PRINCIPALITY AND POWER... (V15)--AND HAVING SPOILED (DISARMED) PRINCIPALITIES AND POWERS, HE MADE A SHOW (A SPECTACLE) OF THEM OPENLY, TRIUMPHING OVER THEM IN IT.
Y'all, there is so much more I want to share so there will be a part 2 (and maybe even more). I'll let you think on this while I go back and re-read the book of Colossians. I want to challenge you to join me, it's a short book and could have just copied the whole thing here. But hey, it's already written!!
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