Thursday – January 28, 2016
Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I trust that you are hungry and ready to devour the Thursday God’s Word.
Proverbs 9:1, 8 (KJV)
1 Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars: 8 Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee.
Pictured is the Capital building for the State of Alabama located in Montgomery. (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) The purpose of this is to remind us to pray for the pillars of our society and today I am highlighting the Pillar of Government. We are studying Spiritual Warfare so let’s jump right back into our study. Our primary text is from Colossians.
Colossians 2:1 (KJV)
1 For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh;
The Apostle Paul is writing a letter to the saints and faithful brethren at Colossae and tells them that he is in spiritual warfare on their behalf and those at Laodicea. We have talked about the importance of intercession which is spiritual warfare on someone else’s behalf under the leadership of God. This can be critical when a person is in a time of temporary darkness but the best spiritual warfare that builds the Kingdom of God and the family name is our personal warfare in which we are victorious.
2 Corinthians 10:3-6 (KJV)
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
6 And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.
I think you will find this same passage very interesting and perhaps clarifying in the Message Translation.
2 Corinthians 10:3-6 (MSG)
3 The world is unprincipled. It’s dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn’t fight fair. But we don’t live or fight our battles that way—never have and never will.
4 The tools of our trade aren’t for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture.
5 We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ.
6 Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity.
Let’s focus on verse five.
2 Corinthians 10:5 (KJV)
5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
To cast something down is to remove it for its place and dispose of it like taking something to the trash. These imaginations are ungodly thoughts and words which we are to remove from our minds (heart) and speech. Those wicked ideas are to no longer be a part of our paradigms. The phrase “every high thing” refers to ideas and words that lift themselves up above the Word of God. The Serpent did this in the Garden with Adam but they failed to cast those imaginations and high things down taking them captive to the Word of God (Jesus the Christ) and the leadership of the Holy Spirit. The verse goes on to say we are to take captive every thought (perception, understanding, purpose) in obedience to Christ. The word ‘thought’ is most commonly translated mind giving the idea of disciplining our mind concerning these imaginations and ideas that lift themselves above our knowledge of God. Again, recall that the word ‘Christ’ may mean Messiah, Anointed One, or Anointing meaning the Holy Spirit. The phrase really encompasses it all but on a more precise level is referring to the Holy Spirit, or as the Holy Spirit leads. The Holy Spirit is our main teacher and He is the One who leads us into maturity and thus to sonship. We are to identify the evil imaginations, ideas that exalt themselves over the ideas of God, isolate them, and lead them away captive. It is like putting something on our computer in the trash and then emptying the trash and emptying the recycle bin. Consider the following verse in this context.
Proverbs 4:23 (KJV)
23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
The implication being that if we do not discipline our mind (heart) with all diligence instead of life nourishing our body, our soul, our spirit man, the people around us, and our environment we will be toxic or bring death instead.
There is no power in the modern day Church because of the traditions of men.
Mark 7:13 (KJV)
13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.
Each of us may be thinking, surely he is not talking about my Church. Let each of us answer this question. Does your Church look like the ministry of Jesus?
Luke 7:22 (KJV)
22 Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached.
If not we are a Pharisee, those whited sepulchers Jesus spoke about.
Matthew 23:27 (KJV)
27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.
Consider this Word of the Lord thru the Prophet Ezekiel.
Ezekiel 6:1-3 (KJV)
1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, set thy face toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them,
3 And say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD; Thus saith the Lord GOD to the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys; Behold, I, even I, will bring a sword upon you, and I will destroy your high places.
The Word of the Lord and the sword in this passage are the same thing and that is what tears down and destroys the high places, the ideas, the talk, and ways of wickedness in the Church.
By Pastor David R. Wood
