Ever notice how “lie” is smack-dab in the middle of the word “believe”?
It makes a great word picture, showing us that Satan is much too clever to come at us with a boldfaced lie. Instead, he wraps some truth around the lie — like he did by quoting Scripture to Jesus to tempt him into sin.
Likewise, he comes at us by telling us the truth about our earthly nature. Or, to put it more precisely, he points out reality instead of Truth.
In 2 Corinthians 10:4-5, Paul describes thoughts as strongholds and tells us to “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
But every wrong thought doesn’t necessarily originate from Satan. There is also the mind of the flesh which is hostile towards God:
...for the mind of the flesh [is] death, and the mind of the Spirit — life and peace; because the mind of the flesh [is] enmity to God... (Romans 8:6-7, Young’s Literal Translation)
But whether the thought comes from devil or the flesh, the solution is still the same... take every though captive. Here’s what I mean:
I woke up one morning feeling particularly down. I had been taking care of the kids while my wife was out of town visiting her mother and I was feeling overwhelmed. I sat on the edge of the bed for a long time thinking about how I didn’t have the strength to even start my day and contemplated staying home from work.
But then I remembered a verse. Or, more precisely, I remembered a song. It was Everlasting God, by Lincoln Brewster. At the end of the song a young child reads Isaiah 40:28-29, but it was verse 29 that popped into my mind that morning:
He gives power to the weak
and strength to the powerless.
As I spoke the words, I could feel strength return to my body. I got up, got ready for work and had a great day. But here’s the deal: I had to say these words out loud. Romans 10:17 says that faith comes by hearing, not by thinking. Would I have had the same experience if I’d sat on the bed and just thought about that verse? I doubt it.
Does it feel strange to do that, like you’re talking to yourself? David didn’t think so... he talked to “himself” regularly:
Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.
- Psalm 42:5 (Also see Ps 42:11, 43:5)
And:
Praise the LORD, O my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits-
who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases...
- Psalm 103:1-3 (Also see Ps 104:1,35, 146:1)
Your soul (i.e., you mind, emotions and will) must submit to either the flesh or the Spirit... there’s no middle ground. Remember, your flesh dwells within you, but you are not your flesh. So tell your flesh to shut up, tell your soul to rise up, and walk in the victory He’s promised.
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