A war in our minds...

In my Bible reading this morning, I reflected on 2 Corinthians 10. When I came to verses 3-6 it was almost as if I could see the battlefield, hear the artillery fire, smell the pungent odor of smoke, and hear officers barking commands to their troops. The scene is vivid ...

2 Corinthians 10:3-6 (New Living Translation)

"We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ."

The imagery that God through the Apostle Paul paints in our minds is powerful!

But, as we reflect on this scene, we realize that God's Word is not talking about a literal battle. It's not talking about actual soldiers.

This text points out that all of us are in a battle ... every day. And the battlefront isn't some landscape in a far-off land. It's in our minds. It's in our heart. It's in the realm of ideas and convictions.

Who (or what) is the enemy? Simply, any idea or worldview that doesn't conform to the teachings of Scripture.

There could not be a clearer text that points to the seriousness with which we need to engage in Bible study and the development of a biblical worldview.

With a growing knowledge of God's Word that takes deep root in our minds and transforms our thinking (Romans 12:2), we must see to it that any thought in our minds that doesn't conform to Scripture should be attacked. We should defeat it and put some Scripture there (through memorization and meditation) to take it's place.

Also, we are called to be salt and light (these influence their surroundings - Matthew 5:13-16) so we must also realize that the Apostle Paul, in this text, was really talking about someone else's worldview. The Corinthians had some things wrong. Paul sought to correct it. As a Christian, a person of influence, Paul recognized that he needed to teach and correct the Christians in Corinth so that their thinking/worldview could be rescued from the enemy.

So, today, spend time in God's Word.
Realize that you study God's Word to transform the way you think (Romans 12:2).
Be willing to tactfully, compassionately speak God's Word into situations today that need to be conformed to His Word.