"casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ," (II Corinthians 10:5 NKJV)
Not every thought in your head is your own! The enemy is right there, whispering to you, to tempt you, deceive you, and twist even The Word of God around, to get you to fail! Just like in the garden; just like he did to Jesus!
"And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’ ” (Luke 4:3-4 NKJV)
There are two lines of defense against these attacks! 1) Taking your thoughts captive and 2) with the Word! That's why it is so important to read your Bible!
Taking your thoughts captive;
Refusing to allow yourself to follow a line of thinking is your first defense! For example: the enemy begins to tell you that so 'n so is mad at you, because of what they said - shut it down! You don't know what has happened to that person that day or what they are thinking about! Most likely it has nothing to do with you! The devil is always trying to sow seeds of discord into our relationships! Just don't let him have free reign in your field! Kick him out! That's exactly what Jesus did!
"And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ” (Luke 4:8 NKJV)
Second - Get in The Word! Read your Bible! You have to KNOW it, not just memorize it!
Hide the Scriptures in your heart and counteract the lies of the enemy with the Word of God - just like Jesus did!
In a war (and make no mistake, we are in a war) you have to know how to use your weapons and you have to know your enemy!
"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ," (II Corinthians 10:3-5 NKJV)
Having the knowledge of God; spending time with Him on reading His Word, listening to His voice, knowing His nature will give you the best ammunition in your fight against the powers of darkness! That is where your power and your strength comes from; you have none on your own, but you have His; if you have bothered to arm yourself!
"And the evil spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?”"(Acts 19:15 NKJV)
You can't battle and win without preparation and training!
And you can't be a conscientious observer in this war!
You are in, because you are breathing! Your only choice -
the side on which you battle; good or evil!
"And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”" (Joshua 24:15 NKJV)
Even Bob Dylan sung about it!
"But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed -
You're gonna have to serve somebody -
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord -
But you're gonna have to serve somebody"
But you're gonna have to serve somebody"
Your choice!
The battle is raging! You do not want to be counted as a casualty of this war!
Time is running out for all of us. But as long as you are breathing, it's not too late! To the victor go the spoils!
It's all about eternity!
Repent and enlist while there is still time!
Even so - MARANATHA!
From 2/12/15, 3/29/15
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