(These are simply some ‘polished’ ideas from notes I jotted while studying and meditating on 2 Corinthians 10:2-5 one night after our men’s study at Broadway Christian Church. Thanks to Dana Collins for bringing this amazing scripture to my mind and heart again).
Thoughts on:
2 CORINTHIANS 10:2-5 (NIV, KJV, NAS) 
I posted three translations for your comparison:
NIV:
2 I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of this world. 3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
KJV:
2But I beseech you, that I may not be bold when I am present with that confidence, wherewith I think to be bold against some, which think of us as if we walked according to the flesh.
3For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
4(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5Casting 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;
NAS:
2 I ask that when I am present I need not be bold with the confidence with which I propose to be courageous against some, who regard us as if we walked according to the flesh. 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 of the flesh, but [a]divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. 5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,
This is the verse that really grabbed a hold of me:
Vs. 5 “Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God”.
Let’s look at the definition of that word imagination:
i-mag-i-na-tion (noun)
- ability to visualize
- creative part of the mind
- resourcefulness
- creative act
WOW! We know the power of our imagination, yes? Our ability to visualize whatever we want is amazing, isn’t it? Our thoughts run all over the place, pulling us along as if they were dogs on leashes. When they start to run, they don’t hear, see or notice much of anything else: only their hunger matters and it is placed above every other consideration.
We hold on and allow ourselves to be pulled, all the while pretending we have control because, after all, we OWN our thoughts…and they’re on a leash.
I think the belief that the ‘leash’ by which we try to restrain our thoughts is enough is one of the biggest lies the enemy uses to mislead us, and we eat it up hook, line and sinker. We tell ourselves, “I can handle it. It’s not an addiction, it’s just something I enjoy occasionally”. Read Romans 3. If you’ve ever thought it ridiculous that congress gets to vote on their own pay raise then you know how silly it is to expect our flesh alone to be effective at self-policing.
Ever tell yourself that something doesn’t really affect you like it would someone else because your spiritual walk is stronger? Uh-huh. I have, and that was plain and simple bovine excrement. There’s no way to justify that kind of backwards thinking and we both know this, right? Besides: the belief that spiritual maturity / strength gives us a license to engage in sinful activity because we can ‘handle it’ is simply the act of someone looking to hold onto a sin that he or she finds more pleasing than obeying God. I know, that’s pretty pointed, but I’m talking from personal experience. I’ve tried all the tricks, including the ‘I’m covered by grace so it’s cool’. Grace isn’t a substitute for a changed heart and it was never intended to be a smoke screen used to hide a tree that’s barren of spiritual fruit. Remember Romans 6? Yeah, I went there.
I threw in the definition of captive, too:
cap-tive (noun)
- prisoner
- somebody dominated by emotion
cap-tive (adjective)
- unable to escape
- forced to use or accept something
(Detour: You know, #2 shifted my brain into gear and made it more clear what it means to be captivated by someone).
There is a difference in having a dog on a leash and actually making it obedient. If he’s leading you, he’s not trained and he’s definitely not a captive, is he? So…what do we do to stop this raging beast from dragging us into places we KNOW we shouldn’t go?
vs. 3: For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
THAT’S the good stuff I’m looking for: the truth that tells me I’m not subject to earthly limitations when it comes to choosing a weapon to fight these strongholds. I think this is a reminder that while the world offers a host of ‘cures’ and solutions, the only true, lasting change occurs when God’s power is applied. Man hands me a leash and tells me to pull hard. Well, man also introduced disco and purchased millions of pet rocks back in the ‘70’s. Is that the think tank you wanna dip into? Really? But what would God have me do? Listen to what Paul had said earlier in his letters to the church at Corinth:
2 Corinthians 2:14:
But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere.
Now I’m wondering: maybe I’m supposed to hand the leash over to Christ? It sounds like God wants me to become His captive (prisoner): to become captivated by Him. Is it MY triumph? Nuh-uh. Christ conquered sin and death. We know that it’s only the power of His blood, the love of our God that can change us:
Romans 12:1-2:
1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Titus 3:4-7:
4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.
Ephesians 4:20-24:
20 That, however, is not the way of life you learned 21 when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Pray:
“Father God in heaven, peel my fingers from any leash that leads me away from You. Please, Father, teach me to turn my eyes away from the stuff that rusts, dies, fades and lies. I don’t want to soil Your perfect gift with second-hand junk anymore. Continue to reveal Your glory, that I may become captivated by You and You alone. Let nothing else satisfy me.” Amen
Steve Wilhoff 