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Friday, March 10, 2023

Spiritual warfare #6

 While the tendency is to believe that a demon cannot possess a true believer in Christ, there is also the tendency to overlook the ability of the enemy of our souls to occupy strongholds in our minds. 2 Corinthians 10:4 – 5, “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholdsWe destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.” [ESV]

 

Paul explains these “strongholds” are ideas (arguments and opinions) that set themselves against the knowledge of God. What kind of ideas set themselves up against God? Let me tackle that with a “Trinitarian” answer.

 

Generally, when the Bible speaks about “God” the reference is to “God the Father.” There are several world systems that wish to deny the existence of God in general. For instance, the “theory of evolution” is an attempt to frame “atheism” in the language of science. The reality of science is that the “facts” are always changing. Remember when scientists stated the world what flat? Unfortunately, the Pope at the time agreed. Thus, Christians have been tagged as “flat-earthers.” Paul dismisses this nonsense in one sentence, “For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.” [Romans 1:20 NLT]

 

Two titles are attached to Jesus (“God the Son”). The first is “Christ.” This is the Greek way of saying “Messiah” (from the Old Testament). It means “anointed one.” Attached to this title are roughly 4000 years of prophecy pointing to Jesus as the one and only savior. The other title is “Lord.” In Paul’s day, the claim to “Lord” was to claim deity and the right to rule absolutely. Thus, not only is Jesus the undisputed point of prophecy, Jesus is also God, demonstrating and displaying all the qualities of “God the Father.” Anything (or anyone) that stands in the way of someone knowing Jesus as Christ (savior) AND Lord qualifies as a “stronghold” that is demonically fueled.

 

The Holy Spirit points people to Jesus. If you find a situation where the Holy Spirit is portrayed as center stage, I suspect you have found a satanic stronghold. Jesus put it this way, “He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and proclaim it to you.” [John 16:14 CEB] There is an advanced theological concept called “sanctification.” I call it advanced because many pastors and theologians have missed its point. The Bible paints the picture of crucifying the “flesh,” (“old man,” “sinful nature”) as both a single-point crisis settlement and a continual and progressive pattern of obedience and maturity. I believe this is done through yielding to Holy Spirit and acquiring His power for daily life.

 

As Paul pointed out, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. And the life that I now live in my body, I live by faith, indeed, by the faithfulness of God’s Son, who loved me and gave himself for me.” [Galatians 2:20 CEB] And again, “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the self with its passions and its desires.” [Galatians 5:24 CEB] Crucifixion was a sure but painfully protracted process. Thus, the image of a single-point crisis settlement (nailing to the cross) and the continual progressive pattern (dying on the cross).

 

What mental fortresses have you set up, or allowed, that keep you from knowing God?

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