(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) [5] Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
2 Corinthians 10:4-5 KJV
The mind of a man plays a huge role in what he is and what he will be. It is a place where ideas are received and processed. This is where the imagination, the memories, and most of a mans beliefs and ideas of life are shaped. It is responsibility for the mental interactions of a man. For an idea to be shaped in the mind, it is first received from two major entrances: his eyes and his ears. These ideas take shape over time and become what Paul in 2 Corinthians 10:5 calls strong holds and high things. The power of the mind can be seen in Proverbs 23:7, where the preacher said “As a man thinketh in his heart, so he is”. The preacher pretty much said that a man’s perception of himself forms his character and ultimately his reality.
1 Peter 1:13 refers to a mans loins as his mind. The loins of a man is the reproductive part of this man. This means that the mind of a man is the where the seeds are kept that mature into the realities in his life. This makes sense since man was created in the image of God and after his likeness. In Psalm 90:1, Moses said, “Lord, thou has been our dwelling place, in all generations”. Before we were created, we had been in the mind of God and this is a very tangible place. How do we know this? Because His Words, which were the expression of His mind, are not just mere words, but Spirit and life. Being in the mind of God was like being in His loins and Him speaking out these words, was Him bringing out of His loins, life and Spiritual beings that became man. These words simply became flesh, and all that we see around us today.
Paul having this understanding, realized that the warfare we actually face is in the mind. A man will not kill until he has judged it right in his mind. Often times, it is a result of malice that has built up over time. A person will not demean another because of their looks or social class unless they have judged that it is the right thing to do. While the emphasis is not self confidence, you can tell the difference between a person with a high self esteem and one with a low self esteem. This shows up in their actions and is a result of what they have taken in over time. Knowing this, how do we cast down these mind strong holds? The bible says we have weapons and they are not carnal, meaning they are mighty through God and can pull down these strong holds, which are like seed that become a mighty tree. Psalm 29 gives us the key to this battle.
Psalm 29 starts off saying, that the voice of the Lord is upon many waters. We see this played out in Genesis 1:1-2 where the Lord spoke into darkness and deep waters and life and light came out. It then says the voice of the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon. These are strong trees that have grown over time, and would be an accurate representations of strong holds in the mind and beliefs formed via culture (the way of life of a group of people) or just interactions with life. His Word breaks in pieces lies and also is as a fire to burn them up, Jeremiah 23:29. Knowing this, how do we win the battle of the mind? Just stay in the environment of His word. Jesus in Luke 8:18 said be careful how you hear. This a major door way to a man’s mind. Even before a baby sees, they begin to hear their mother, while in the womb. The only way to deal with strong holds and deep rooted characters in a persons life is to surround themselves with the Word of God.
Depending on how strong or high these enemies of our minds may be, we may need a spiritual detox. This means a drastic separation. In the physical, we could do a water only (Just the Word of God) or we could add fruits to it (which can be the seed of the word of God in a person that has grown to be able to feed others, e.g messages or interaction with spiritual men), while completely cutting off everything else. You may also choose to gradually remove things that the Lord may be pointing to you. Beloved, go before the Lord today and ask Him, “what lies have I believed that have become a cedar of Lebanon (a mighty tree that is a high thing above the knowledge of God and a strong hold). Be rest assured that as you wait on Him, The God of glory will speak! He will thunder!
Prayer for today: Lord Jesus, thank You for Your Word and Your weapons that are mighty to deliver me. I know that Your word is mighty and can search intents of the heart, even my inner most being. Father search me today and show me any lie I may have believed. Shake through the trees, whether shrubs or cedars of Lebanon in me and remove any thing that is exalting itself above your knowledge in my life.
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