Journey Through The Bible
     Old Testament Reading: Ruth 1-4
     New Testament Reading: 2 Corinthians 10

For although we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh, since the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds. We demolish arguments and every proud thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to obey Christ (2 Corinthians 10: 3-5).

In biblical days, cities were built with walls surrounding them for defense, to protect them from enemy invasion. That is why, when Nehemiah returned to rebuild Jerusalem, he started with the wall. That’s why, when Jericho was invaded by the Israelites, they first had to bring down the walls.

That is the image Paul draws on as he compares our spiritual battle. The fortress is our mind. Our overall mindset, our pattern of reasoning, and our mental attitudes all represent the wall built around the fortress of our mind. Those strongholds are all the arguments and every proud thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God that we have developed over the years. Not until the Lord penetrates that wall of defense can we obtain victory over our thoughts.

God’s strategy in the spiritual battle is to take every thought captive. The walls of resistance to God must be destroyed. All our sinful thoughts and prideful attitudes must be captured and brought into submission.

Paul did not depend on his personality, human abilities, or even the authority he had as an apostle to win the battles. To win the battle of the mind, Paul used the spiritual weapons of prayer, the Word of God, love for all the saints, and the power of the Holy Spirit at work in his life.

So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things (Col 3:1-2).

Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable – if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy – dwell on these things (Phil 4:8).