No, to get rid of a dandelion, you have to pull it out by the root.
Slothful and undisciplined behavior is like those dandelion weeds. Many people will try to get rid of them by working above the surface.
They'll buy self-help books from the secular bookstore. They'll get counseling and therapy and psychological help. They'll get prescriptions from their doctor. They'll make New Year's resolutions and turn over a thousand new leaves.
All of these efforts are like cutting that dandelion off at ground level. They're external. It may seem to do good for a time, but before long the problem comes back worse than ever.
If you want to exercise true change, you're going to have to go after the root of slothful and lascivious patterns of action. The good news is, God's Word tells us how to do it.
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 strongsholds;) 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 Cor. 10:3-5).
The first thing I want you to observe about this passage is the nature of and location of the battle. We're told that though we walk in a fleshly body, this battle is not a flesh battle.
This is where most people make their first mistake. They think their flesh is out of control, the problem must be in their flesh. As a result, they attack the problem with carnal or natural weapons.
What kind of weapons should we use? Verse four tells us: "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;" (2 Cor. 10:4).
The weapons that will win your war against addictions and negative behaviors are not carnal (fleshly and natural) ones. They are mighty through God.
Think about it. What type of spiritual weapon has God placed in the hand of every believer? The sword of the Spirit - the anointed Word of God. To win this fight, you're going to have to be heavily armed with God's Word. You are going to have to know it, meditate on it, speak it and do it.
What is this weapon good for, according to verse four? The pulling down of strongholds.
A stronghold is nothing more than a demonically inspired and instigated pattern of thinking. A pattern that is deeply entrenched. In fact, it's just what its name suggests - a strong hold on your thinking by demonic powers.
The battleground is your mind and the only effective weapon is the Word.
Not only does this passage of scripture give us the weapon, it also gives us the strategy. Aren't you glad it does? In a war, it's not enough to have the most powerful weapon, you also have to have the proper tactics and strategy if you want to completely defeat your enemy.
We find the winning strategy in verse five: "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 Cor. 10:5).
Here we have another confirmation that the battleground is your mind. The words in this verse are imaginations, knowledge and thought. All three of these things are in the realm of your mind, aren't they?
This verse also shows us why the Word of God is such a powerful weapon against these strongholds. You can't know whether something is exalting itself against the knowledge of God unless you have knowledge of God from His Word.
You can't bring thoughts into captivity to the obedience of the Anointed One and His Anointing, unless you know what to obey.
Excerpt permission granted by Creflo Dollar Ministries