(II Cor 10:3-5 KJV) For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 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.
We have been looking at this passage all week. Yesterday we looked at Abram (aka Abraham) as an example of someone who was able to develop an image of what God wanted them to be, and he was then able to release his faith, along with the corresponding action, in order to bring to make the image a reality. This morning we come back to Paul's teaching and we circle around to the final thought. When I taught you the negative aspect of this verse I explained how negative thoughts create negative images, and if negative images, if unchecked, can create negative strongholds. We looked at all three aspects - thoughts, images, and strongholds - from the negative, but to this point we have only looked at two of the three on the positive side. I have yet to discuss the "stronghold" portion, so we will address it this morning as we close out the week.
If it is true (and it is) that negative thoughts and images can eventually produce a stronghold (walled cities) that will make it difficult for Godly and positive thoughts to make it into the forefront of the arena of our mind, then the opposite must also be true. Pure thoughts and righteous images, over the process of time, will not only lead to Godly actions that will produce Godly results - making our way prosperous so that we can enjoy good success (see Joshua 1:8) - but they will eventually produce a similar situation to the negative stronghold.
In other words, if we meditate on the Word long enough we can actually find ourselves living in a walled city, but not a city of sin, stress, and frustration; a city of blessing, peace, and Godly prosperity. Once you get to this stage it will be hard for negative thoughts to penetrate your walls of Godly protection and you will be so convinced of the Godly images you have meditated on that when the enemy attempts to get you to see yourself defeated, you will quickly disregard that image and refocus on God's image of you. You will walk around with a hedge of protection (Ps 34:7), angels become your walls and blessings become your neighborhood.
Who would not want to move to Blessing BLVD? Who would not want to build a house on Prosperous Way? That is God's desire for our lives. He wants to bless us, keep us, and protect us; but it all starts with US! We must change our 'Stinking Thinking' through the Word of God and allow our minds to be reprogrammed, so we can see the changes and the blessings in our lives!
So what does this mean to you? If you submit to the process of mind renewal, allowing yourself to be deprogrammed and then reprogrammed through the Word of God, you can actually get to the stage where you are SO conditioned to think God's way that it will be extremely difficult for the enemy to get a hold of your mind with his negative thoughts of fear, failure, and defeat. This is the stage I pray you desire to get to and I pray that you do. It won't happen overnight, but if you submit to the process, little-by-little, it WILL happen!
Father, I now understand that one of the greatest ways of dealing wit negative stress is to deprogram my mind and then reprogram it to line up with Your Word. Once I start to think like you desire for me to think, and those thoughts produce Godly images of success and victory, I will stress less and enjoy life more. I also know that if I live this way long enough my mindset will become so fixed and focused on You that 'walls' of protection will be established around my mind and it will be like I am TRAPPED behind walls of blessing, where negative thoughts of fear, failure, and defeat will have a hard time getting in. I want to arrive that this stage and I declare by faith that I will. Little-by-little my mind will be renewed and I WILL arrive at the place where I am SO conditioned to thinking Your way that it will be second nature for me to operate in faith and it will be strange for me to operate in fear or stress. In Jesus' name. Amen!
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