2 CORINTHIANS 10:4-5
Christians have a long history of refusing to take part in physical warfare. Many Christians are pacifists.
The Bible however speaks about the reality of a conflict we face as believers, and we popularly call that conflict “spiritual warfare.”
Even though we are encouraged to be involved in spiritual warfare, the Bible does not grant us permission to focus all our attention on the devil. Any approach to warfare that over magnifies the devil’s power does not reflect biblical spiritual warfare.
Some argue that the concept of Satan and demons is only an attempt to explain evil, but the Bible reveals them as real, supernatural beings who oppose God and His people. Our attempts to explain away these forces do not invalidate their reality.
In our combat, we face three enemies: the world, our flesh, and the devil (Ephesians 2:1-3). In some cases, the three are so interwoven that it becomes difficult to tell them apart.
Scripture is clear that if we follow Jesus we are by default engaging in warfare. This is more of a resistance movement – resisting Satan from exercising his dominion on earth.
Our responsibility is to live and demonstrate that the practical reality of God’s kingdom mandate is possible for every Spirit-filled Christian. To do so, we must be sure to get a measure of both our enemy and the tactics that will be used against us. Much of this is driven by unseen forces that seek to invade our thoughts and direct our actions. Making those thoughts our prisoner at the earliest opportunity disempowers them, and empowers us to choose God’s way within life’s countless pressures.
* Lord, we pray that You will help us take every thought captive and think about whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. We want to have positive minds and lives, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
