Strongholds
In medieval times, strongholds were built to protect whoever was inside them. These strongholds were castles surrounded by tall, thick walls of stone. They were fortified, too.
This is the idea behind what Paul is saying in 2 Corinthians 10
2 Corinthians 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 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, 6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.
Strongholds are built in the soul through a process. It begins with a thought suggested by the enemy through a false instruction. The thought is made to be appealing and pleasing, and thus, it is not rejected but instead entertained. That thought is a seed, and when it germinates, it will spring forth as a high thing in the soul. A high thing is any thought that is given greater weight than the obedience of Jesus. Once it becomes a high thing, it demands to be protected, so in the soul, a fortress is built to protect it from attacks. Now, the enemy has a protected holding place in the thought life. It becomes well entrenched and can affect choices and decision-making.
But there is good news! Even though we are human, we do not fight these battles as mere humans. We have weapons that are mighty through God for pulling down such strongholds. These weapons help us to cast down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. They bring thoughts into captivity to the obedience of Christ!
Let’s think about this for a moment. The arguments and high things that must be cast down have been exalted against the knowledge of God. What exactly does that mean?
God knows something, and whatever it is, God knows it is more accurate and trustworthy than anything we can experience in the flesh or know according to human reasoning. This brings us to the counsel of His word. Whatever God has spoken in the context of the current covenant in force is the final say, and nothing should be allowed to be exalted above it. This is why every thought must be brought into captivity to the obedience of Christ!
Notice it says the obedience of Christ, not my obedience to Christ. This is about His obedience and what it accomplished. This is the essence of New Covenant truth at its core. How many thoughts are to be brought into captivity according to His obedience? Every thought!
This is where our obedience finally comes into play. Disobedience will be punished whenever we fulfill our obedience. What is our obedience? Believe, stand firm on the truth He has spoken, and let God be true, and every man is a liar. Apply the highest esteem and regard for what God has spoken to us in His word as it pertains to who Christ is, what Christ has done, and how that is now applied to us as His new creations.
What are these mighty weapons, the New Life we have received in Christ Jesus that places us in Christ and puts Christ in us (Our new identity), the New Covenant word of truth (without mixture of law), and the person of the Holy Spirit given to us as our promise from the Father.
Suppose we struggle to understand the New Covenant Jesus established with His blood and how it has brought us to victory in a way nothing else could. In that case, we will only be able to see how impossible a stronghold looks and fail to do anything about it. But when we understand as we should, we realize just how frail these strongholds are, and we realize we can see them demolished easily by comparing their lie to the truth of Christ’s obedience and what it accomplished. We use the weapons we have been given to cast them down!
Strongholds don’t stand a chance against the weapons that are mighty through God!
