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“We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,”
(2 Corinthians 10:5 NASB).
In my past three post, we looked at two steps for taking every thought captive. Today, let’s look at step three: Reject the Lie.
Once I had a door-to-door vacuum salesman come to my house. To my detriment, I let him in. Before I could convince him I did not need a new vacuum cleaner, he had his demonstration trash sprinkled all over my foyer floor. Almost two hours later, I finally got him to leave.
What was my first mistake? You know it! My first mistake was to let him cross the threshold of my doorway and enter my house. Once he was in, it was difficult to get him out. It is the same way with our thoughts. Once we entertain a thought, once we allow the “salesman” to scatter his “trash” in our minds, it is hard to dismiss it or push it back out again. The place of easiest victory is at the threshold; don’t even let the trash in the door. It has been said, “Every spiritual battle is won or lost at the threshold of the mind.” I think victory is possible once the thought has passed over the threshold, but it sure will save us a lot of heartache and pain if we begin to recognize Satan’s lies and reject them from the start.
Let’s go back to 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 and dig a little deeper by discovering the rich meaning of some of the key words in the original Greek language of the New Testament.
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.
This verse tells us that through Christ, we have the power to demolish strongholds. What is a stronghold? The Greek word for stronghold is echo, meaning, “to hold fast.” A derivation of that same word, echuroma means “a stronghold, fortification, fortress.” Bible teacher, Beth Moore, describes them as “anything in our lives that we hold on to that ends up holding us.” They are formed when thoughts or habit patterns “echo” time and time again in our minds. They are negative thoughts that are burned into our minds through repetition (such as verbal abuse) or a one-time traumatic incident (such as a rape). These thought patterns have the potential to grab hold of a mind and rule a life. Many strongholds are built brick-by-brick for protection, but inevitably they become prisons. Beth goes on to say, “No matter what the stronghold may be, they all have one thing in common: Satan is fueling the mental tank with deception to keep the stronghold running.”
The word demolish implies a kind of destruction requiring tremendous power – divine power. One reason many Christians have remained in a yoke of slavery to past sins and lies of the enemy is because they swat at strongholds like they are mosquitoes instead of blasting them with the truth like they are concrete fortresses formed by years of construction.
We cannot destroy demonic strongholds on our own strength even on our best days. The Holy Spirit can destroy strongholds with His power even on our worst days. The power of the Holy Spirit is the Greek word dunamous, which is where we get the word dynamite. “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.”
The verse goes on to describe another area that needs to be destroyed.“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God.” I don’t know about you, but on a few occasions, (OK, on more occasions than I can count) I have argued with God and against the knowledge of God. Guess what? God always wins.
The Greek word for arguments is logismos, meaning “a reckoning, calculation, consideration, reflection.” A calculated thought might be a conclusion that you are a failure, after you have failed at something. That seems logical. It all adds up. Upon reflection, it seems highly probable. However, that’s not what the Truth says. It is against the knowledge of God. Regardless of your calculations, God says you are a saint who has been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, a child of God, and a co-heir with Christ. You are not a failure and you need to reject the lie. When the thought comes into your head, simply say, “I reject that thought. It is a lie of the enemy and not the truth of God. I failed in this instance, but I am not a failure.”
So far we’ve looked at three steps to taking every thought captive:
Step One: Recognize the Enemy’s True Identity
Step Two: Recognize Satan’s Lies
Step Three: Reject the Lies
Join me next time as we look at the final step to taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.
Let’s Pray
Dear Father, I’ll admit that I toy with thoughts that I know are not true. I feel sorry for myself, entertain thoughts of rejection, and sometimes even feel like nobody loves me. Those are lies. All of them. Right now, I commit to reject the lies of the enemy as soon as the thought comes into my head. Thank you for the truth that sets us free from feelings of inferiority, insecurity, and inadequacy. I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength – and that’s the truth. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
I want you to write down five lies that you tend to believe about yourself and leave some space between them. Now, I want you to write down a truth from the Bible for each one that lets you know it is a lie.
Let me get you started.
Lie: I can’t do anything right.
Truth: I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13
Lie: Nobody ever prays for me.
Truth: Jesus said: “I pray for …those you have given me. John 17:9
I’d love to hear your truth to replace a lie. It might be just what one of my readers needs to hear.Click on comment and share the truth thata corresponds to the lie you have believed.
Want More?
This series of lessons is taken from my book,
Becoming Spiritually Beautiful – Seeing Yourself from God’s Perspective. However, the lessons had such a great impact, she wrote a follow-up book, I’m Not Good Enough…and Other Lies Women Tell Themselves that goes into much greater detail on how to overcome the lies of the enemy. If this is an area where you struggle, I’m Not Good Enough is the book for you. You can find both on her website. This resource will help you change that stinkin’ thinkin’ and see yourself as God sees you!
“[Inasmuch as we] refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One),
(2 Corinthians 10:5 AMP).
My neighbor, Michael, was a stand-in for Samuel, the nine-year-old son of Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson) in the movie The Patriot. For months, Michael wore his hair long with extensions, donned Italian knickers and knee-high stockings and acted the part of an American colonial boy. He traveled to rural South Carolina where part of the movie was filmed and received an education in the production of the silver screen. Michael saw how producers and makeup artists made something appear as though it were real when it wasn’t.
The movie was rated R for violent content, but his parents let nine-year-old Michael watch it upon release. It was a bloody realistic reenactment of the horrors of the Revolutionary War. However, during the guts and gore, little Michael didn’t even bat an eye. Why? He knew it wasn’t real.
During one scene, Mel Gibson pummeled a British soldier and landed a hatchet square in the middle of his bloody forehead. I covered my eyes. Michael watched nonplussed. His comment?
“That guy walked around the set with that hatchet in his head for three days. We even ate lunch together and he had that hatchet with fake blood glued to his face. It isn’t real.”
Michael knew what was true and it removed all fear. That’s the power of the truth. Yesterday we looked at step one to taking every thought captive. Today let’s look at step two:
Step One: Realize the Enemy’s True Identity
Step Two: Recognize Satan’s Lies
In 2 Corinthians 2:11 Paul says, “For we are not unaware of his (Satan’s) schemes.” So let’s take a few moments and look at his battle plan.
If Satan came to you in a little red suit with a pitchfork and announced himself as the devil, you wouldn’t believe a word he said. But he is cunning and disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). When he deceived Eve, he even quoted Scripture – albeit twisted and distorted. He has a collection of old tapes from your past and pushes rewind and play, rewind and play. Oh yes, he knows just which buttons to push. He also uses personal pronouns like “I” instead of “you.” The thoughts sound something like this: “I am a failure. I am a loser. I can’t do anything right. I am ugly.” The thoughts sound like you, feel like you, and before you know it, you think it is you. He did this all throughout Scripture and he still does it today. (See 1 Chronicles 21:1 as an example.)
Satan knows exactly which lies to whisper in your ear. He has watched you over the years and is well acquainted with your insecurities, weaknesses, and vulnerabilities. Do you tend to get discouraged? He will plant seeds of discouragement in your mind. Do you tend to feel rejection and loneliness? He will put ideas that you are rejected in your mind. But are they true? No they are not. You can do all things through Christ who gives you strength. You are loved and chosen by God. That is the truth.
Here’s a simple exercise. If you aren’t sure if a thought is of the enemy, attach, “In Jesus Name,” to the end of it. For example: “I can’t stand that woman, in Jesus’ Name.” “I don’t love my husband, in Jesus’ Name.” “I am a loser, in Jesus Name.” Just doesn’t fit, does it? That is not a fail-safe method for detecting the truth versus a lie, but it is a quick litmus test that takes us in the right direction.
Step two in taking every thought captive is Recognizing Satan’s Lies.
Join me next time as we look at step three to taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.
Let’s Pray
Dear Lord, Help me to recognize Satan’s lies. I know the only way to recognize a lie is to know the truth. I pray that the Holy Spirit will convict me when I am believing a lie and that He will help me see Your truth. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
Think of some of the negative thoughts that have run through your mind this week. Now attach “in Jesus’ Name” to the end of that thought. What does that reveal?
What are some lies that you have believed about who you are? For example: I am a loser. I can’t do anything right. I am used goods. I can never be forgiven. I am too far gone.
Friend, each one of those statements is a lie of the enemy. Now, who does God say that you are? Not sure? Take a look at the list found on my Free Resource page.
Want More?
This series of lessons were originally written in my book,
Becoming Spiritually Beautiful – Seeing Yourself from God’s Perspective. However, these particular lessons had such a great impact, I wrote a follow-up book, I’m Not Good Enough…and Other Lies Women Tell Themselvesthat goes into much greater detail on how to overcome the lies of the enemy. If this is an area where you struggle, I’m Not Good Enough is the book for you. You can find both on my website at www.sharonjaynes.com.
“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 NIV).
In my last post, we looked at 2 Corinthians 10:5 and the idea of taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. We compared it to roping a calf in a lassoing contest. Every spiritual battle is won or lost at the threshold of the mind; right as the calf comes bursting through the door. Let’s look at four simple steps for taking every thought captive and lassoing those runaway thoughts.
STEP ONE
Realize the Enemy’s True Identity
On Tuesday morning, September 11, 2001, after I got my son off to school and my husband off to work, I took a long walk through my neighborhood. The sky was crystal clear blue with a gentle breeze. It was a gorgeous cool North Carolina fall day with just a hint of color on the leaves. There was nothing special on my schedule – just the ordinary. However, one hour later, because of a horrendous terrorist attack on our country in New York City and Washington, DC, by evil personified, the day turned into anything but ordinary. I watched in horror as the television played and replayed the airplanes crashing into the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon.
Amazingly, we never saw it coming. As I thought about that, God reminded me: That’s how the enemy always attacks. When you least expect it.
Let’s think about another monumental day in our country’s history. On December 31, 1999, the country and the world braced for the potentially disastrous effects of Y2K. Families and businesses alike prepared for months for what might occur as the clock ticked past 11:59 PM and into the new millennium. We held our breaths, clasped our hands and braced ourselves. Yes, we were ready. What happened? Nothing. The new millennium came without incident.
Oh dear friends, do you see the correlation? There is an enemy who seeks to kill, steal, and destroy (John 10:10). His name is Satan. He desires to destroy us just as sure as the hijackers drove those airplanes into, and toppled, the twin towers in New York City.
Satan has other names – the devil, the accuser of the brethren, a liar, the father of lies, and the deceiver. A deceiver is someone who presents a lie in such a way, it sounds like the truth. He can make you believe something is not true when it is and make you believe something is true when it isn’t. He speaks in your own voice. The thoughts feel like you, because they are the old you that he has memorized so well. He’s not very creative, but he is very effective and he uses the same methods with us he’s used since the beginning of time.
The first step to changing the way we think is to recognize the enemy’s true identity. It’s not your mother; it’s not your father; it’s not the person who abused you as a child. The real enemy is Satan himself and he uses your past hurts and failures as cannon fodder to wound you. If you don’t have sufficient ammo in your past, he concocts some of his own.
In my next three posts, we’ll continuing look at the steps for taking every thought captive.
Let’s Pray
Heavenly Father, I know that I cannot win a battle if I do not know who I am fighting. Help me to recognize the enemy’s true identity. Spiritual warfare is very real. Today, I put on the armor of God and stand firm against the powers of the enemy. I am more than a conqueror through the power of Jesus Christ.
In His Name I pray and stand, Amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
Can you think of a time when you blamed someone for a difficulty in your life when it might have been an attack of the enemy?
Go back and read John 10:10. What does the enemy desire to do?
What is he called in John 8:44?
Why do you think it is important to know who the real enemy is in order to win the battle? Click on “comment” to share your answer.
Want More?
Every spiritual battle is won or lost at the threshold of the mind. If you would like to learn more about how to take every thought captive, my book, I’m Not Good Enough…and Other Lies Women Tell Themselves, is the perfect resource. This will help you change that stinkin’ thinkin’ and replace the lies with the truth. While you’re there, download a free sample chapter and watch the introductory video.
April 17, 2012
Spring Valley BaptistColumbia, SC
April 21, 2012
Hawthorne Gospel ChurchHawthorne, NJ
April 28, 2012
Westfield Evangelical FreeWestfield, MA
