FUNDAMENTALS OF DISCIPLESHIP
2 Corinthians 10:4 (For the weapons of our
warfare are not carnal, but mighty through Elohim to the pulling down of strongholds;)
5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of Elohim, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Messiah;
5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of Elohim, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Messiah;
Last week’s post ended with this comment:
Any time we say "I will
never," we immediately reclaim the mastery of our life
away from Messiah; because if we say
we will “never,” then we will not obey
Him when he tells us to do
otherwise. With such fortifications
programmed
within us, we can never become
genuine disciples; because we can never give
ourselves fully to the Master. We cannot be so yielded to him that he can
control even these protected areas
of our life.
Today, we begin our
61st installment of our “Kingdom Heart” series. For more than a year we have been striving to
“drive home” the concept and the significance of cultivating a heart that does
not resist the will of IAUE. If we were
created by IAUE, then IAUE has the right to determine the purpose of our
existence. He has decreed that we are to
do His will. All of our life’s enjoyment
both now and in eternity, ultimately, is based upon the measure of our success
in fulfilling that purpose, of obeying His will. It only stands to reason that we should be
diligent in driving out anything within us that opposes His will. Remember the counsel of Solomon? “Keep thy heart
with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life.” (Prov 4:23)
Last week, we
identified the concept of “strongholds,” as towers of opposition to the will of
IAUE erected in our hearts to establish footholds of the flesh, to keep the
flesh alive and in power in our lives.
Rom 6:16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants
to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of
obedience unto righteousness?
No
man can serve two masters. If we allow
strongholds to be erected and remain in our heart, we will routinely pursue the
dictates of the flesh whenever those strongholds assert their dominion over
us. We are the servants of the one we
obey. Said in a different way, if we lend
ourselves to follow the dictates of the flesh, then we are under the authority,
rule and control of the flesh. It is our
master.
Understand
this, and consider it carefully: If we
live our lives predisposed to comply with the “Christian culture” and to do the
things we think IAUE wants us to do; but retain the liberty to pursue our own
interests whenever that appeals to us, or yield when we are tempted and drawn
away by the lusts we have allowed to remain within our hearts, IAUE does not
see us as His servant. He sees us as the
servant of the flesh; servants of sin. If
we retain strongholds of stubbornness and resistance to IAUE’s will within us,
no matter how much time we may spend obeying the will of IAUE, the flesh knows
that it is our master; and that we serve sin unto death rather than obedience
unto righteousness.
IAUE
requires ALL of us. The flesh only
requires a little of us; because a little is enough for it to be our master. If we can understand this; then we can
understand why Paul refers to this process as warfare.
2 Corinthians 10:4 (For the weapons of our
warfare are not carnal, but mighty through Elohim to the pulling down of strongholds;)
This is a war for the dominion over
our lives. A war is comprised of many
battles. Battles may be won by either
side; but the war is only won by one side.
Paul’s counsel in this passage of scripture relates to winning the war;
and that begins by engaging weapons that are effective. If we engage weapons of our own making, they
will not enable us to win battles or the war.
Remember, “There is a way that seemeth right
to a man; but the end thereof are the ways of death.” Death is the result of yielding our members
as servants to sin...to the flesh.
Romans 8:13
For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through
the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of IAUE, they are the sons
of IAUE.
We should take note of one special
difference between the Spirit and the flesh.
The Spirit seeks our eternal good and benefit, understanding that our
time spent in the body will not always be marked by good times, pleasant
experiences or will be without pain. The Spirit directs us steadily towards
Light and Life aware that it often comes at a price to our life’s convenience
and circumstances. The flesh seeks only instant gratification. It has no view to the eternal. It wants what it wants; and it wants it
now. In the words of an oft-quoted WWII
saying, the policy of the flesh is, “Damn
the torpedoes. Full speed ahead!”
The flesh has absolutely no concern about the consequences to your life;
neither socially, nor spiritually. If
the flesh tempts you into an adulterous relationship, for example, it is only
to satisfy its craving for that moment.
It has no regard for the possibility it may yield the loss of your
marriage, the loss of your family, the loss of your standing in the fellowship,
the loss of your job, or even the loss of your freedom. In fact, we would do well to understand that
to entertain the flesh at all is going to result in loss.
One of the aspects of strongholds is
that they are almost always horizontally directed. They are seldom ever erected against IAUE or
His Spirit. They focus on human
relationships. For example, if someone
approaches you in obedience to Hebrews 3, and asks you to give an accounting to
them of how you are living your life with respect to a certain sin they
perceive to be in your life; your first reaction might be to say, “It’s none of
your business,” or “Who are you to be asking me that?” or “Don’t try to pull
out the splinter in my eye when there is a beam in your own eye.” All such responses are redirection away from
accountability. A kingdom heart would
respond with, “Thank you for bringing this to my attention. You are truly a loving brother/sister to want
to help me walk in obedience to the will of IAUE. I will seek the Father’s counsel in this
matter. Please pray for me that I will
hear correctly and respond well to whatever He instructs me to do.”
The root of all strongholds is a
thought process. It is a program that we
have written that is triggered to run whenever that issue is provoked. Its operation is automatic once the stronghold
has been erected. We can hardly help
ourselves from complying with the program once it has been triggered. We have mentioned in past posts that we have
all seen movies where a person is on the verge of losing the love of their life
because their behavior has been triggered by a programmed response. We sit on the edge of our seats yelling at
the television or movie screen saying, “Just go to her! Hurry!”
We don’t want to watch the movie end with unrequited love. It is such a waste. All he had to do is get over his foolish
self-imposed programmed response. Note, that even in this example, the flesh only
wants what it wants right now. It does
not care of the long term loss that satisfying it will produce in our lives.
This is only one of a hundred different illustrations that could demonstrate
the principle we are discussing.
To win the war, our weapons must be
forged in the will of IAUE. They must be
powerful enough to pull down the strongholds the flesh has erected in our
hearts.
5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of Elohim, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Messiah;
It
may sound like an oversimplification, but it is not. The spiritual weapon that brings down the
flesh’s strongholds in our life is a mind set on obedience to the Master; and a
readiness to exercise dominion over every fleeting and contrary thought. This preparation
of heart and mind proceeds from an alliance with the Spirit of IAUE in order to
remain obedient to the will of IAUE.
Remember,
strongholds are based upon thoughts which combine to form a belief or a
conviction which results in a preprogrammed behavioral response…a response that
has no regard for the will of IAUE. If
we are militant about casting down any imagination or thought that is contrary
to the will of IAUE (remember, this is a war, so a militant mindset is
appropriate), our strongholds cannot be triggered; and over time, the thoughts upon
which those strongholds were erected will be discovered. Once they are discovered, we repent of them. That is when the stronghold is destroyed.
Kingdom heart: a heart that offers no resistance to the performance
of the will of IAUE.
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