” For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience , when your obedience is complete.” 2 Corinthians 10:3-6
Most likely, you have heard this phrase and these verses before. Have you ever really thought about what they mean?
As followers a Jesus, we still live in a fallen world. Sin runs rampant! Sin still influences every area of our lives. This is what Paul meant when he said “we walk in the flesh.” Next Paul implies that we are in a battle and we have some powerful weapons. We have to fight the desire of our flesh in this world. I don’t have to tell you this, you know it all too well. The point here is the weapons we have access to. Think about the spiritual armor described in Ephesians 6. Those are powerful weapons given to us by God. We have them, but we have to chose to use them. When we take captive every thought – we stop the “stinking thinking” that often goes on in our heads. We learn to walk away from a fight, to not give that sassy comeback, don’t slam the door, don’t honk your horn. Every thought we stop and take back for God, is a step in our spiritual growth.
When we allow those thoughts of the flesh to rule, then we allow the enemy to have a stronghold in our lives. Eventually you will find your self on a dangerous path. Worry and anxiety is a path that it would be very easy to walk down these days. Anxiety is a dark and scary path. Usually it is traveled alone. So how can you take captive every anxious thought?
Ask God to give you a verse. You can use this verse- your sword of the Spirit – to cut down those anxious thoughts. One verse that God gave me several years ago is Isaiah 26:3, “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in You.” Whenever I would worry about my marriage, or my kids or money- I would repeat this verse over and over. God used this verse to help me remember He is sovereign – or has authority and power over every aspect of my life. When I had victory here, the enemy would pick a new fight, and God has always been faithful to give me a verse to replace thoughts of the flesh.
What about you? Do you have a verse God has given to you to help you in the midst of a battle? If you so no, God has never given me a verse. I would encourage you to pray and ask God to speak to you through His word. Then read it! You will never benefit from the weapon if you are not willing to pick it up and learn how to use it. Let today be a new beginning! The first day of the rest of your life.