Taking Every Thought Captive
2 Corinthians 10:4-5
Primary Purpose: To encourage the congregation take every thought captive
to the obedience of Christ.
Early on in this chapter, the tone of 2 Corinthians changes. Some
believe that Paul has received information from Titus about the situation in
Corinth. Evidentially, it may be that he has found out some are questioning
his authority as a apostle. They suggested according to 10:1 that he was bold
in his letters, but timid when face to face. Paul speaks to them about what
power he does have. It is a power that is divine and from God. It is given to
fight a spiritual battle. The weapons are to be used to fight a spiritual war or
strateuo, a spiritual conflict. They are used to destroy strongholds or evil
fortresses, used to destroy argument that try to establish themselves over the
knowledge of God. This warfare also goes on in the mind. We have power
to overcome a worldly or fleshly mind.
Paul was always in spiritual warfare. Everyday began with his putting
on the full armor of God. Satan was never taking a nap against the ministry
of Paul. We are in a war also. The same power that was available to Paul is
also available to us.
Ernest B. Beevers tell us a story how a friend of his named Herbert Jackson
was a new missionary. He was assigned a car that would not start without a
push. After pondering his problem, he devised a plan. He went to the school
near his home, got permission to take some children out of class, and had
them push his car off. As he made his rounds, he could either park on a hill
or leave the engine running. He used this ingenious procedure for two full
years. Ill health forced Jackson’s family to leave, and a new missionary came
to that station.
When Jackson proudly began to explain his arrangement for getting the
car started, the new man looked under the hood. Before the explanation was
complete, the new missionary interrupted, “Why, Dr.Jackson, I believe the
only trouble is this loose cable.” He gave the cable a twist, stepped into the
car, pushed the switch, and to Jackson’s astonishment, the engine roared to
life.
For two years needless trouble had become routine. The power was
there all the time. Only a loose connection kept Jackson from putting that
power to work.
Ephesians 1:19-20 says “How tremendous is the power available to us
who believe in God.” When I make a firm connection with God, his life and
power flow through me. I have the power through Christ to overcome
anything the devil may throw my way.
The enemy is real. It seeks to raise up the same kinds of things that occurred
in Paul’s day in our day. We see it all around us. Paul describes these things
with several key words. He calls them strongholds or the NASV says
“fortresses”. The devil also uses worldly argument and pretensions. Paul
saw this battle as primarily going on in the mind. He calls on us to take our
thoughts captive.
A stronghold is what the devil seek to build up in your life. A
stronghold (OCHUROMA) can be anything: a negative opinion of the church
or yourself or your neighbor, guilt, worry, fear, greed, bitterness, an
unforgiving spirit. The variety of strongholds are as great as the number of
people on earth and possibly more. The devil seeks to build a stronghold that
is personally built to try to withstand your becoming all that God desires for
you to be. I can only overcome it the way Jesus did with the sword of the
Spirit, His Word. That is what Jesus did. He overcame adversity by quoting
Scripture. He took those negative thoughts captive. He checked it with the
truth from God’s word. God’s word is like a lamp, it keeps us from
stumbling, it keeps us going strong. We have to check our opinions and
beliefs up against it, so as not to give the devil a stronghold.
The devil knows that he cannot defeat you ultimately as a child of God.
You don’t belong to him anymore. He can however try to steal what isn’t his.
He can try to take away all your desire to serve Jesus, your fellowship with
other believers, your love for God, your joy in the Spirit. He can try to fill
your mind with negative or impure thoughts that quench the Spirit within you.
We are warned against grieving the Holy Spirit of God in Ephesians 4:30.
2. The devil seek to build up argument- in Corinth the argument was to attack
the messenger- to try to discredit Paul. In Galatian it was to build up
argument about salvation by confusing the issue with Jewish law. In
Colossae, it was about a Gnostic philosophy that was seeking to build itself
up. In every church, it was different, but the enemy seeks to dilute the gospel
and to change it from what it is. It seek to dethrone the supremacy of Christ
and to make him less important than he is. It exalts man made speculations
and ideas. It elevates science to a religion.
3. The devil seek to attack the mind. The devil realizes that all actions start
with thought. Adultery, suicide, alcholism, drug abuse and abuse of all kind
begin with negative thoughts and erroneous thoughts. There is a saying:
“Watch your thoughts, they become words. Watch your words; they become
actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they
become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.”
Frank Outlaw.
In short, we are in a battle today that begins in our minds. The devil is
real and seeks to defeat us with negative and worldly thoughts. We must be
on our guard and realize that we are in a warfare of our own. We are in a
spiritual warfare that will not end until the day the Lord comes back or calls
us home.
