EVERY STEP TOWARD GODLINESS AND EVERY STEP TOWARD SIN BEGINS WITH A THOUGHT. That’s the power of a thought! Godliness is always premeditated and sin is always premeditated. As a person thinks, that’s who you are. THINKING DETERMINES OUTCOME. What comes into your mind—Comes out in your life. Nothing will be different until we think differently.
2 CORINTHIANS 10:3-5
4 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE BATTLE of THINKING
❶ OUR BATTLES AREN’T PRIMARILY PHYSICAL. 10:3
It seems like everything we battle is physical, but…
5 Mental Battles That Seem Like Physical Battles:
- Behavioral problems seem to play out in the physical world but… –anger—abusive—impulsive—addictive
- Financial problems –overspend, over worry, over stash or hoard, overestimate it’s joy
- Relational problems –pull away or selfish or deceitful
- Attitudinal problems –negative, –pessimistic, –petty, –arrogant, –apathetic
- Moral problems –feel like physical battles but they come down to a decision to honor God or not
❷ OUR WEAPONS FOR BATTLE ARE SPIRITUAL 10:4a
Weapons of the flesh (Galatians 5)—anger, jealousy, divisions, impurity, drunkenness
If you bring physical weapons to a spiritual battle, you are going to lose every time! Our weapon is the Word of God—Ephesians 6. Personal time is important. God’s Word helps us think rightly, clearly, biblically, and purely.
❸ DESTROYING DEEP-ROOTED THINKING IS DIFFICULT 10:4b In order to think differently you have to destroy thought processes that you’ve had for years.
It takes divine (THEOS) power (DUNAMIS), our minds are battling strongholds (a fortified fortress of thought processes in our mind) and the goal is to demolish or destroy them. Your thoughts have imprisoned you.
❹ EVERY THOUGHT THAT IS COUNTER TO GOD NEEDS TO BE ARRESTED 10:5
Argument = self-justifying reasons I do what I do; justifying my behavior before God, arguing against God
Pretention = lofty opinions, puffed-up, arrogant thoughts about ourselves. We like our opinions = IMO
Anything that sets itself against the knowledge of God = anything godless, anything counter to God
To live differently, you must think differently.
To think differently, you must take arguments, opinions, and Godless thoughts to Jesus.
To do this, you’ll need to know Jesus
YOU CAN’T THINK DIFFERENTLY WITHOUT THE PRESENCE OF CHRIST IN YOU. Your life will always move in the direction of your strongest thoughts. Are excited about the direction your thoughts are taking you?