Please help ELM welcome Pastor Ken Keeler to the ELM Philly staff! Here’s his first blog:
“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ…” 2 Corinthians 10:3-5
A young man went to a Christian counselor for help for his thought life. After listening to his mile long list of sins, the counselor didn’t think he was being honest with him. So, he then asked, “Are you sure that is all? “Yes,” he replied. Still not quite convinced, the counselor asked him, “Are you positive you haven’t been entertaining any impure thoughts lately?” “Oh, No” the young man replied, “but they sure have been entertaining me!”
We are shaped by our thought life. That is why what is going on in our head is very important.
We need to realize we are in a spiritual battle, vs. 3 “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.” We are fighting our enemy who uses the power of sin working through the flesh and the world to seek to defeat us. We cannot win in this battle if we fight by the flesh. We cannot fight spiritual battles with human reason, ingenuity or by our own strength and abilities. The flesh cannot handle spiritual warfare.
We need to apply by faith the proper spiritual weapons, vs. 4 “for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.” It is only through Christ’s divinely powerful spiritual weapons that we can destroy fortresses or strongholds in our lives and live in victory.
Strongholds are entrenched habits that hold us captive by the enemy. Strongholds can take many forms. We can have strongholds of deceit, lying, bitterness, unforgiveness, depression (not caused by chemical imbalances), self-pity, gossip, a critical spirit, addictions, pride, self-centeredness, fear, insecurity, rebellion, self-will, greed, materialism, manipulation, control, lust, sexual impurity, laziness, lack of discipline, lack of prayer and spiritual growth.
Our weapons are God’s Word and the resurrected Christ living through us by His Spirit. These are divinely powerful battering rams that knock down these huge walls and destroy our strongholds in our mind. What is going on in our heads? Is it destructive strongholds? Or, are we destroying the strongholds of our mind by Christ’s divinely powerful weapons?
In part 2 we will look at applying the right strategy for victory from vs. 5.
Grace to you,
Pastor Ken Keeler
Director of Church Relations, ELM Philly
Exchanged Life Ministries 