by Kevin Burton
A lawyer asked Jesus what was the greatest commandment of all. But he wasn’t seeking information. This was spiritual warfare.
Here’s what Jesus said:
“‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets” (Matt 22:37-40 NKJV).
But what does that look like in your day-to-day Christian walk?
The verse I have in mind for that is also a great answer to the question, what’s on your agenda?
“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,” (2 Cor. 10: 5 NKJV).
That verse speaks especially well to loving the Lord with all your mind.
Every thought.
Being a Christian is not about putting a patch on your sleeve or a bumper sticker on your car. It’s about being all in for Jesus. If you are, that puts you in the Lamb’s Book of Life. But for your earthly years, it also puts you at war.
Spiritual warfare doesn’t take a day off, not even a minute.
“Many believers today do not realize that the church is involved in warfare, and those who do understand the seriousness of the Christian battle do not always know how to fight the battle,” wrote Pastor Warren Wiersbe in his commentary on Second Corinthians. “They try to use human methods to defeat demonic forces, and these methods are doomed to fail.”
“You cannot fight spiritual battles with carnal weapons. The word warfare in 2 Cor. 10:4 means ‘campaign,’ Wiersbe wrote. “Paul was not simply fighting a little skirmish in Corinth; the attack of the enemy there was part of a large satanic campaign. The powers of hell are still trying to destroy the work of God (Matt. 16:18), and it is important that we not yield any ground to the enemy, not even one church!”
“In speaking of our spiritual warfare, Paul says that we take every thought captive and subject all thinking to Christ Jesus,” reads a passage on the website www.gotquestions.org.
“The primary point in this section of 2 Corinthians is that we are in a spiritual warfare. What leads up to the statement that we take every thought captive is important,” the passage reads. “In verse 3 Paul states that though we walk in the flesh we do not war after the flesh. That is, we do not rely on human ingenuity or manmade plans to bring the victory. The flesh is powerless against the wiles of the devil. “
“In verse 4 Paul mentions the “strongholds” or the “fortresses” that are destroyed by God’s power. These strongholds are the philosophies, arguments, and “proud opinions” mentioned in verse 5.”
“Without question, there are many human thoughts that need to be taken captive. Numerous ungodly philosophies hold people in bondage, and those spiritual fortresses need to be demolished,” the passage reads.
“In our day, these systems of human thought include the theory of evolution, secular humanism, existentialism, the cults, the occult, and false religions.”
“How many people are held captive by the idea that they are the products of chance in a godless universe? How many spiritual prisoners labor under the requirements of Allah and await freedom in Christ? We must take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ. ‘If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed’ (John 8:36).”
“False religion and secular philosophy have created thinking that has imprisoned the minds of millions. It is a true spiritual battle: ‘The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God’ (2 Cor.4:4). Any idea, opinion, or worldview that asserts that Christ is unnecessary is reflective of the devil’s pride. Such thoughts must be taken captive and made obedient to Christ.”
“Those who know the truth must confront error with the weapon we’ve been given, the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (Eph. 6:17).”
“Our weapons in the spiritual battle are not carnal, but mighty through God. As we are transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2), we engage the battle against pretense and arrogant philosophy in the world. Trusting Christ and rightly dividing the Word of God (2 Tim. 2:15), we take every thought captive, pull down the strongholds, and, by the grace of God, set the captives free.”
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