2 Cor 10:3–6 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.
When we read this verse we think:
- We have to Pull down strongholds
- We have to Cast down arguments
- We have to Cast down every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God
- We have to Bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ
We read this verse and we know that we have to be winning the war but in reality we are not winning. Most often we end up thinking perhaps ‘I got something wrong’ and just move on and accept living our lives in defeat.
I want to share with you what the Lord revealed to me when I was meditating on this passage. I was living my life in defeat, during this time I started meditating on this particular verse and what the Lord showed me was so simple; no wonder we miss it. We expect it to be some complex solution but it is not, it is very simple.
First, we need to understand this “For though we walk in the flesh”: it simply means we live our life in the flesh(driven by our five senses). We should not fight the war in the flesh(driven by our five senses)!
Second, we think the word “strongholds” means it is Satan’s fortress. Unfortunately for us it is not Satan’s fortress. The Greek word used for “strongholds” means the physical castle, fortress but it also means “anything on which one relies on: of the arguments and reasoning by which a disputant endeavors to fortify his opinion and defend it against his opponent”. In simple words it means “Your thoughts and your reasoning when Satan brings a thought to your mind”.
For example: At work you are part of a conversation between two colleagues, they are discussing how one person felt something in his body and later the doctor diagnosed him with a disease. You get back home and you continue to live your life. After a week or a month or even a year you feel the exact same symptom in your body. Now, what is the first thought in your mind? More often than not you are thinking about the doctor’s diagnosis for your friend. That’s the stronghold(the thought and the reasoning the Satan immediately brings to you). Satan brings a thought and fills your heart with fear and so you are bringing all the carnal reasoning against that thought that builds the stronghold.
Third, when we read “pulling down strongholds” we generally think Oh! I must pull down Satan’s strongholds by my own strength. No! it does not mean that. The Greek word used for “pulling down” is not a verb, it is not something that you do rather it is a noun which means “Extinction”. This being a noun means that Extinction of strongholds is the endgoal. The strongholds will be extinct by:
- Casting down arguments
- Casting down every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God
- Bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ
Let us analyze each of these statements
- Casting down arguments
The word used for “Cast down” is a verb, the word means “to make extinct”. The word for arguments is “thoughts”. In simple words this means we need to make extinct our thoughts. Thoughts that are contrary to the Word of God.
For example: Let’s continue with the same example we used earlier. When you experience a symptom your mind is thinking things that your colleagues spoke about and thinking about things that the doctor said. You need to make extinct those thoughts. Immediately recognize that Satan is trying to fool you into thinking all these carnal thoughts. Take control of the situation and annihilate all those thoughts, replace them with the Word of God which is speaking to that situation. In this case verses like “Psalm 103:3 - who heals all your diseases” and “1 Peter 2:24 - By His stripes you were healed(were healed - in the past tense)”
- Casting down every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God
The same as above applies to every thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God
- Bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ
The word “thought” here in Greek means “every thought that your mind thinks”. Again it is about your thoughts. You bring it captive(exactly where your carnal thoughts belong - in captivity)
Conclusion#
This whole passage is speaking of our “thoughts” and how we respond to them. Many times we let our thoughts run loose, we let them wander. Our mind is powerful. If we let a thought stay, our mind makes it come alive. We can either replace the carnal thoughts immediately with the word or continue to muse on them and dwell in defeat. The choice really is ours! But, the Lord has made provision for us to live in victory and He encourages us to learn and follow!
God bless you 😇