2 Corinthians 10:3-6: “For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.”
Some of the most precious encounters with Scripture are the times not of new content (which is good, I suppose, since there’s a finite amount of Scripture), but of new understanding, when new connections are made. That happened recently as I was reading 2 Corinthians 10. I think we’re probably most familiar with the “taking every thought captive” phrase of verse 5, but that’s not what caught my attention. I was struck rather by the word picture presented in verse 4: “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.” and how it connects with Ephesians 6.
The dictionary definition of a stronghold is a place that has been fortified so as to protect it against attack. In the context of 2 Corinthians, it’s frequently presented as a besetting sin, an area of persistent struggle or temptation. I think verse 5 helps flesh this out – arguments and lofty opinions raised against the knowledge of God. Sounds like human logic, pride, and self-righteousness to me. I can just picture Satan scurrying around with sandbags, fortifying a tower of pride and temptation, and the weapons that this world gives me – self-help, the power of positive thinking, medication, sheer willpower, self-confidence, etc – prove rather ineffective indeed, assisting with the fortification rather than breaking down anything. But the weapons of the Lord – the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God; the shield of faith; the helmet of salvation, to name a few – destroy these things.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t know that I live like I have at my disposal weapons that have divine power. Many times, it’s more like I brought a water balloon to a gun fight, and I may as well surrender before the battle even starts. Realistically, it’s not often that the Lord negates the predispositions brought about by upbringing, personality, past experience, and habits. Still, I can’t help but wonder what might change if I chose to live in light of the reality that the Lord has given me weapons that will be effective.
How have you seen the Lord break down strongholds in your life? Is there one you’d like to see Him break down in the near future?
Yes! If only we could grasp the spiritual realities of our everyday lives! This is definitely something we can pray about and seems to be the Lord’s will that we change in this way. Thanks for the reminder.