“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;”
2 Corinthians 10:3-5
The war we fight as Christians is not against people. Sure, it may seem like that on the outside when a friend shares gossip behind your back, or you are rejected by those who you thought were closest to you. But in reality, these ordeals are evidence of a spiritual battle–a highly complex fight for our minds and hearts. We are wrestling against the evil “powers and principalities” that freely control the minds of others who either reject God completely, are apathetic, or who claim to be neutral and not involved in either side.
In the Spiritual Fight, Neutrality is a Lie
One big lie that Satan would have people believe is that there is a neutral side in this world when in reality there is not.
Everything we put into our bodies whether it’s what we watch, read, listen to, or even eat has the potential to draw us closer to God and His truths, or lead us away. Read that last sentence again. This is serious stuff. Even though we are flesh and blood, and have a human body, Paul says our focus and motivations as Christians should not be the same as the world’s. He goes on to say that as true followers of Christ we need to practice self-control and bring every thought and action into obedience with God’s will–yes, even if the activity doesn’t seem to be harmful to us or anyone else.
As time goes on and the world becomes more and more wicked we need to be asking the difficult question, “Does this activity draw me closer to God, or pull me further away?” Maybe an even better question would be, “Do I feel like praying while I’m reading this book, watching this show/movie, playing this game, etc.?” If you don’t, that’s the indication that that activity, or past-time is pulling you away from God. In 1 Thessalonians 5:17 Paul encourages us to “pray without ceasing“. This is basically living a life with our hearts in such a state of intimacy where at any moment we can pray to God as easily as we take our next breath. We should not, however, use “breath prayer” or other trance-inducing, New Age practices to achieve this. A genuine relationship with God can never be “brought about” by hypnotic rituals (that idea is one of Satan’s biggest deceptions within the Christian church). With Christ as the foundation of our lives, this concept of relationship where we “pray without ceasing” means the lines of communication are always open no matter what we are doing, and we can’t help but talk freely and honestly to God as to our best friend.
The Progression of Error and Idolatry
Satan is the ultimate narcissist, the ultimate manipulator. He tempts us to do something wrong and then piles on the guilt blaming us, or even tempting us to blame God when things fall apart. We know God does not tempt people (see James 1:13), however, He will also not stand in our way and prevent us from making a poor decision if that’s what we really are set on doing. This is where we need to use extra caution when making decisions about what we consume. Without discernment from the Holy Spirit, we are doomed to keep stumbling forward in this ruinous cycle.
Paul clearly explains this progression in Romans 1:16-32. He starts out saying that because people willfully rejected God’s truths, and started to worship idols (idols are anything that lead us away from God–not just images), God “gave them over” to their perverted lusts and passions–perverted because they were not what God originally ordained. In other words, He stepped back and let them choose to do what they wanted since God is the ultimate respecter of free will.
If you study the Bible you will see this progression time and time again of idolatry leading to sexual sin, and the encouraging of others to participate in wicked practices. The majority of the kings of Israel and Judah are a sad evidence of this cycle. God spent close to 350 years sending prophet after prophet with anguished warning messages before Jerusalem was ultimately destroyed by the Babylonians, but even in those warnings were promises of future restoration.
Breaking the Cycle: Restoration and Freedom in God
I hope that if you’ve read this far you can see how patient and loving God is and how He longs for our hearts. He wants us to come to Him freely and not out of fear or coercion. He desires to have us turn over every part of us—our lives, bodies, and imaginations—to Him, not because He wants to control us, but because He wants to help us break the cycle, and tear down those fortresses of sin (fortresses which Satan has built, through cleverly influencing our choices to ensnare us). God wants more than anything to set us free from the control of sin in this high-stakes fight for our souls. This is why we need to “bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” as Paul advises.
The particularly devastating reality about all of this warfare is that sincere Christians can, and do, fall into these traps of the Devil too. When this happens it causes more damage to the cause of God than just about anything else. But, as I mentioned at the beginning, we need to remember this is not a war against our fellow man (or woman), but against the Father of Lies himself (see John 8:44). This week, I encourage you to pray against the forces of evil and the spiritual strongholds that Satan has established in you, in your children, and your families at large. Pray also for those friends, or former friends who have hurt, or wronged you. The battle is fierce—no one is unscathed—but God has power to tear these things down and restore what is broken if we ask and keep earnestly seeking His ways. In Isaiah 58:12 God makes a promise to those who turn to Him with their whole heart: “And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.” It is only through obedience to God that this victory is possible.
For extra encouragement and a broader understanding of the amazing things God wants to do for those who follow His commands, read all Isaiah 58:8-14.
❤
Kirsten
PS: Do you know someone who would be blessed by this message? Please feel free to share the link so they can be encouraged too!