There is one place where we should focus our spiritual warfare. Paul wrote by THE SPIRIT in 2 Corinthians chapter 10:
4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,
5 casting down imaginations (hostile 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.
Our weapons are not physical weapons but are spiritual in nature and they are mighty in GOD. The question is “Where are the strongholds that need to be pulled down?” They are in our mind, not some external place in the heavenlies! We are to take every though which is contrary to the obedience of Christ and cast it downs. This includes imaginations, hostile arguments, warped philosophies, lofty opinions of oneself, and any other thought contrary to the obedience of Christ.
Every major bondage begins in the mind with a thought. We do not need to look elsewhere for the enemy to fight, only look within our minds where the true battle is occurring. The devil will speak to us and we will hear him bring forth a thought just as he did when he confronted Jesus in the wilderness. The issue is what we do with that thought. Will we reject it or begin to entertain the thought and continue to dwell on it thus allowing it to take root in our mind?
In Acts chapter 2 Peter spoke by THE SPIRIT:
36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”
38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”
This word “repent” means to change one’s mind. We must cast down those thoughts contrary and in opposition to the revelation of Our Lord Jesus Christ. We do not need to hop in the car and go find some place to do spiritual warfare. Simply look in the mirror and see if there is a war against Christ occurring in your mind. I look back over the last 46 years of my life and see that to be the case in every contrary and opposing situation I faced. Each and every time I had to cast down vain imaginations and every high thing that exalted itself. My ego was at the center of most of it. What an ugly reality! Fortunately, I repented and sought forgiveness and FATHER restored me out of HIS unfailing Love. I learned to quickly repent rather than defend an “indefensible” position.
Hearing The Word of GOD sets us free from wrong thinking. Hearing and hearing The Word causes our minds to conform to HIS Word and as we do, our bodies will respond as well. Studying, dwelling, and meditating on The Word day and night is the key to winning the battle of spiritual warfare.
Every single one of us has been mentally and/or emotionally damaged at some point in our lifetime. Some have suffered more than others but FATHER’S grace is able to repair all damage done to us in the past. The damage has been retained in our thought life and it must be removed. We must forgive whomever or whatever caused the damage and then cast down those thoughts which have plagued us ever since the damage occurred. Jesus is not sitting on the throne predisposed to getting even with those who sent Him to the cross. His Love saw the blindness and His forgiveness overcame the sin of the world.
When someone does something against you, they simply don’t have the revelation of Love in their heart. If they did, they would not hurt you in any way but instead would be a blessing. As we realize that reality and take those contrary thoughts captive, we will walk in peace no matter what the situation.
If we are not achieving the right results in our life then we are probably not experiencing “right thinking” and there is something in our mind which needs to change. THE SPIRIT revealed this to Paul when he wrote in Philippians chapter 4:
11 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content:
12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
No matter what the situation we need to learn to be content and it is accomplished when we truly know that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. As we build ourselves up in HIS Word and Love then we are no longer moved by any situation we find ourselves in. As we reject and defeat those opposing thoughts by not allowing them to take hold, we truly become overcomers. Jesus applied the Word when He was tested and He rejected every attempt by the enemy to plant opposing thoughts to FATHER’S Word. Let us do the same.
We must put an end to reasonings and logic which attempt to undermine The Word. As many watch the news and other related shows on TV, they begin to give credence to the world’s logic if they are not well-grounded in The Word. Often the news stories are intended to incite a response in the audience in order to promote increased viewership. We must not allow man’s reasoning and logic to overpower our minds and take hold. If necessary, remove yourself from the world’s influence while you train your mind to conform to FATHER’S Word. We must bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. Let us keep our focus on Christ and we will win the spiritual battles confronting each of us.