The Lord says our weapons are not carnal, they’re not fleshly, they’re not natural, but they’re spiritual weapons that can cast down the strongholds, casting down imaginations and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled. (2 Corinthians 10:6)
Strongholds (ochyrōma) A stronghold, fortification, fortress. The root of the word is “échō” to hold fast.
Arguments-NKJV (logismos) imaginations, thoughts. A reckoning, calculation, consideration, reflection, reasoning, speculations.
So, I like to translate this word, Arguments in this verse concerning doctrine. Because this is the battle ground in my ministry, I am going to have to destroy these false doctrines in the body Christ, because if the enemy can keep the church divided, he can keep his control over planet earth. But imaginations and thoughts are what this message is about.
In Ephesians 1:17 the eyes of your understanding. The word understanding is (dianoia) means imagination, mind, understanding. And this word is best translated imagination in this verse; it is the screen of our mind.
Most strongholds in believers is arguments, Doctrines that have been taught from the bible, that have become belief systems, and it is harder to deal with these strong holds, than sins of the flesh. So, I try to avoid them, which is hard for me, but I try to avoid them, because they are the controversial doctrines, and I am trying to teach foundational truths, so that who you are in heaven can be vitally operating in your life on earth, so that you can have a supernatural life and so that we can have an impact in our cities.
Casting down (kathaireō) with the violence of the Spirit demolish, cast (pull, put, take) down, destroy.
Punish (ekdikeō) to vindicate, retaliate, punish, to take vengeance on. Which is another message, I cannot expound upon because it is controversial. But in this message, we will define the word “as”- it means bring out my right or justice so the accusation of my adversary may not stand against me.
I was baptized in the Holy Spirit, in 1985 and it happened when I was reading something from Jimmy Swaggart, and I cannot quote what he said it was a long time ago. It was something about your personal powerlessness and how we need the power of the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit filled my bedroom where I was more conscious of the manifest presence of God than my room, and I was baptized in the Holy Spirit, and I clearly heard three words in my spirit and kept speaking them over and over again, until I could speak in tongues fluently at will.
I also remember him saying once, one thing, one thing. And I think he was talking about the Lordship of Jesus over your life, but there is that one thing, that one thing, that one addiction that you have not gotten free from.
In his case, I believe it was lust for the opposite sex. This happens in a male’s life usually when their sex drive starts operating, he probably had this problem for years.
So, there may be that one thing you still struggle with, it could be drinking, it could be lust, it could be smoking, overeating, anger, and the list goes on.
So, this message may help you, but taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ applies to all of us in the body of Christ.
Notice this verse-bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.
Remember I taught that our spirit is the spirit of Christ, so we could say bringing every thought into obedience to the Lordship of Jesus over our spirit.
Though we walk in the flesh we do not war according to the flesh the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but mighty before God, to the casting down of strongholds, casting down imaginations, and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God.
In the context of this verse. Flesh (sarx) meaning flesh is used for the body, the material nature as distinguished from the spiritual. In other words, being part human (mortal body), part divine (spirit). New creation.
Every thought is brought into captivity to obey Christ. It means that every stronghold, every enemy, every difficult thing that can be named is named right here your thoughts, your imaginations.
If you could capture people’s imaginations and control them, you would have dealt with one of the greatest forces that ever controls the life and the destiny of a person.
Imagination is really behind advertising and everything else these days.
Now, Paul says here that our weapons are not fleshly things. They’re not material things, but they’re so mighty through God to the point of bringing down every stronghold that the enemy has upon the believer’s life.
There isn’t anything they can stand against the authority and the power that Christ brings to us.
Now, this is the thing we must face.
Are you concerned about strongholds that you’ve not been able to take? Jerusalem was a place like that. You know, Jerusalem, for a long time after the invasion of Canaan, was never taken. Finally, David was the one who took the city. And you remember then how long the kingdom had been flourishing, or the children of Israel had been in the land of Canaan before David was able to take that mountain and possess it.
1 Chronicles 11: 4 And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem, which is Jebus, where the Jebusites were, the inhabitants of the land. 5 But the inhabitants of Jebus said to David, “You shall not come in here!” Nevertheless, David took the stronghold of Zion (that is, the City of David).
Jebus means the “threshing place” It is that one thing in your life, that keeps you from being Zion, the remnant, the man-child, the hundred and forty-four thousand, talked about in the book of revelation.
But in this message, we will call it the one thing that keeps us from walking in all the fullness of God.
This one thing we get free from is going to be the greatest blessing, the place where God can finally make it his habitation, the place Satan hangs onto. He makes a stronghold out of it.
Sometimes a brother or sister says, I know God wants me to enter a ministry, but it seems like I’m just stuck here, I can’t break through.
Well, the enemy makes a stronghold out of the very thing that is going to be the greatest blessing to you.
Remember that. Will you remember it? And if the thing is difficult for you to break through, then don’t worry about it. Just keep believing, because God has given us weapons to pull down those strongholds.
He’s given us the provision to bring them down. I believe that. I know I’ve been battling away with things, and I’ve seen one stronghold after another come down.
Real strongholds. We’re going to take them by the grace of God. We’re not going to back off. We’re going to move right in by the grace of God.
God will give you weapons that’ll take strongholds. God can move so mightily through you that can bring imaginations and thoughts into control.
If you could just remember one fact, always remember to never forget it, the fact upon which this Bible is based, God loves you.
And if you remember that, every other doctrine, every other enemy becomes something that you can overcome.
You Say, well, look at my problems. Remember, underneath it, God loves you. God loves you. Do you love him? You’ve got it made.
All things work together for good to them who love God and are called according to his purpose.
This whole thing is a lot simpler than you think. It’s a matter of the father and his big family.
He doesn’t want you to fight around the table. He wants you to be at peace.
He wants you to come and eat the living bread that He sets before you. He wants you to be nourished and strengthened. He wants you to overcome. He wants you to learn to battle.
He wants to challenge you with difficult things. He’ll throw a few mountains in your way if you don’t have enough. He’ll help you all the way.
He’ll give you the authority and weapons to take strongholds, to bring thoughts and imaginations into captivity. He’ll do it all, and behind it is a loving Father.
And you must remember his love. He loves you.
The Lord says our weapons are not carnal, they’re not freshly, they’re not of the natural, but they’re spiritual weapons that can cast down the strongholds, casting down imaginations. and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.
There isn’t anything they can stand against the authority and the power that Christ brings to us.
Are you concerned about strongholds that you’ve not been able to take? Jerusalem was a place like that. You know, Jerusalem, for a long time after the invasion of Canaan, was never taken. Finally, David was the one who took the city. And you remember then how long the kingdom had been flourishing, or the children of Israel had been in the land of Canaan before David was able to take that mountain and possess it.
The things that are going to be the greatest blessing, the place where God is going to make his habitation, the place out of which great blessings are going to be dispersed, Satan hangs onto them. He makes a stronghold out of them.
Sometimes you say, I know God wants me to enter a ministry, but it seems like I just get stuck, I can’t overcome this thing. There’s just so many things that I didn’t think would be like this, but I can’t break through.
Well, the enemy makes a stronghold out of the very thing that is going to be the greatest blessing to you.
And if the thing is difficult for you to break through, then don’t worry about it. Just keep believing, because God has given us weapons to take those strongholds. He’s given us the provision to bring them down. I believe that.
I know I’ve been battling away with things, and I’ve seen one stronghold after that come down.
We’re going to take them by the grace of God. We’re not going to back off. We’re going to move right in by the grace of God.
If you could just remember one fact, always remember to never forget it, the fact upon which this Bible is based, God loves you.
And if you remember that, every other doctrine, every other fact becomes something that you can overcome.
You say, well, look at my problems. Remember, underneath it, God loves you. God loves you.
Do you love him? You’ve got it made. All things work together for good to them who love God, that are called according to his purpose.
This whole thing is a lot simpler than you think. It’s a matter of the father and his big family.
He doesn’t want you to fight around the table. He wants you to be at peace.
He wants you to come and eat the living bread that He sets before you. He wants you to be nourished and strengthened. He wants you to overcome. He wants you to learn to battle. He wants to challenge you with difficult things.
He’ll throw a few mountains in your way if you don’t have enough. He’ll help you all the way.
He’ll give you the authority and weapons to take strongholds, to bring thoughts and imaginations into captivity.
He’ll do it all, and behind it is a loving Father. And you must remember his love.