Guest Minister James Tan joined together with Pastor Jim Hammond to tag team preach the message, Spiritual Warfare and the Imagination. Their message was based on 2nd Corinthians 10:3–5, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 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.” We are in a spiritual war that we need to take seriously. According to what Paul wrote, our weapons are not carnal. They are mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. Notice strongholds is plural.
How does that warfare begin? It begins in your mind.
All people have to deal with multiple strongholds that are set up in their bodies or souls throughout their lives. Every stronghold starts with imaginations.
When you have imaginations that go against the Word and what God wants you to think, you say, “Okay, I should not go with that thought. I’m not going to keep thinking about that thought.” That is how you bring every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.
Remember, the enemy is going to give you ideas and imaginations that go against the Lord. If you think about whatever comes into your mind, you are letting a stronghold be built. Take those imaginations captive and cast them down to the obedience of Christ.
Jesus was obedient in the way that He became our sin so that we might become the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ. His sacrifice and resurrection enabled us to stand before God without any guilt or inferiority.
A lot of the imaginations and strongholds we deal with are from the past. That’s a stronghold from something that’s happened. Bring it to the obedience of Christ. Capture that thought and make it bow to the righteousness in God.
When a negative thought comes to you, just say, “I’m the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ!”
