May 30 Thought for the day...strongholds

Maybe it is the way we are raised. Sometimes it is life events. Sometimes it is our choices. Regardless of the root cause, we must always be aware of strongholds in our lives.

2 Corinthians 10:4,5 "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,"

Growing to be who Christ has called us to be, requires us to be introspective, examining closely, our own lives to find the strongholds and tear them down. There are two basic types of strongholds those that make sense and those that are nonsensical. 

Those that make sense are the most dangerous. The word "arguments" here comes from the root word meaning logic. It is the things that we can process and figure out how not to follow the Lord. God asks us to share the Gospel, and we think of 4 or 5 reasons not to. God challenges us to take a leap of faith, and we talk ourselves out of it. God calls us to trust Him through giving, and we come up with all kinds of reasons that we can't. God challenges us to choose Him for our kids over all the other extracurricular activities, we chose the stuff fearing our children will miss out. These are the most dangerous strongholds because we can cause them to make sense and present good logical reasoning to either disobey or not trust God!

The non-sensical strongholds are the irrational fears we have of developing a terminal illness, early, losing our job, crashing in an airplane, fear of rejection, most of us will never see any of this happen. Normally, these types of strongholds will run their course and then dissipate. If they stay because we are dwelling on them too long, we have to bring them captive. 

Notice Paul doesn't mention the devil at all in this discourse. The devil has no power unless we don't bring these thoughts captive. If we do not, then he has the right to attack and try to take control in those areas where we have allowed the strongholds to remain. 

We don't have to allow the enemy to have any control. Pray and ask the Lord to show you the strongholds you are facing then take those thoughts captive, apply peace, love, trust, obedience. Believe God at His Word. Read His Word so you will know it then defeat every thought that would try to take you captive by taking it captive!