Sunday August 21, 2022 Words of Encouragement, Spiritual Warfare

I attended service online this morning as I tested positive for Covid on Saturday. Yesterday I had no energy and could barely work on the computer. This morning I was fever free and had energy for my shower and online church.

Pastor’s message was based on 2 Corinthians 10:1-6; Spiritual Warfare Doing Damage to the Darkness.
We need passion in spiritual weapons just like physical weapons. (See spiritual weapons in Ephesians 6.) Darkness is damaged by spiritual warfare. Something happens in the spiritual realm.
Spiritual warfare pulls down strongholds. “Strongholds” is a military term for fortified places where the troops are dug in. Things like: “I don’t need God; I don’t need Church” are strongholds.

First, believe there can be victory. With God ALL things are possible. Don’t believe the lies of the enemy that only some things are possible.

Strongholds are thoughts, personal reasons that people use to fortify their minds against God. Strongholds are the antithesis to the Biblical theology that tells us to surrender to God.

2 Corinthians 10:5 ESV says, “5We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,…”

Like geometry, we may not remember the right formula for the instant problem. That is like the enemy pushing false formulas on us. Allow faith and spiritual weapons to prevail. Believe for the supernatural kingdom of God to appear in our lives.

Faulty reasoning and lofty opinions (pride) run rampant in our society. Pride says “I can handle it myself.” That is false. God is not limited but we need to turn to Him to battle the enemy.

God intends for us to take control of thoughts that might cross our mind. Bring thoughts into captivity by controlling what you put in your mind: news, music, reading. Remember the story of the two wolves. Make sure you are feeding the good wolf, not the evil wolf. Sin starts with the conception of a thought. Everything needs to be brought to surrender to the Lordship of Christ. Make sure the thoughts that run in our life bring us closer to God, be obedient

Fight against those things that distract us from God and obedience. If thoughts bring division or sin, bring those thoughts into captivity. There is a victory coming when we are obedient. Delayed obedience is disobedience. We need to strive for complete obedience – under God’s control, not our own.

This song speaks of our God of the Impossible!

Verses for Today:
2 Corinthians 10 NIV
Paul’s Defense of His Ministry
10 By the humility and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you—I, Paul, who am “timid” when face to face with you, but “bold” toward you when away! 2 I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of this world. 3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 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. 6 And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.


Lord, please help me to control my thoughts and to trust You to respond in spiritual warfare.