Spiritual Warfare and the Imagination | Jim Hammond and James Tan
Recap
Guest Minister James Tan joined together with Pastor Jim 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…” Pastor Jim and Guest Minister James took us step by step on how to cast down and take captive any thoughts that do not exalt God.
Dive Deeper
2nd Corinthians 10:3–5, “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…”
This scripture tells us though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh. Pastor Jim said we must view it as a war… a serious spiritual war that you can either win or lose.
What are our weapons in this war? Verse 4 says our weapons are not carnal, yet 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, casting down imaginations… pictures 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.
Verse 5 says, “Every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God.” The word exalt in the Greek means “to build a wall.” So your imagination can build a wall to your connection with God or to you getting knowledge from God. You take that imagination and you captivate it.
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.
You have to do something to take captive these thoughts. That means it’s something you actively have to do. It doesn’t happen just because you attend church or pray in tongues. It’s something you have to actively participate in.
Yes, Calvary won it all and we are possessing all that Calvary won. However, there are things you need to do in this spiritual war. You have an active part in this. This is what possessing all that Calvary won for us looks like.
James Tan said, “I believe that success or failure in the Christian life will depend on this…”
Basically, this verse is saying is demons will attempt to build a wall in your mind by shooting thoughts in there. If you think about whatever comes into your mind, you are letting them build a stronghold in your mind. That’s why you must take those imaginations captive and cast them down to the obedience of Christ.
The obedience of Christ is he who knew no sin became sin. That was His obedience. He was obedient in the way that he became our sin. So that we might become the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ so that we have the ability to stand before God without any guilt or inferiority.
Why is it so important for you to be able to stand before God acquitted, knowing that you’re acquitted from what Jesus did on the cross. A lot of the imaginations, strongholds, that we have to deal with are from the past. And so that’s a stronghold from something that’s happened. And you bring it to the obedience of Christ. You capture that thought, which is your righteousness in God.
Philippians 3: 13 says, “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead.”
What can you do about your past. What can you do about that past? We are to forget whatever happened in the past so you can reach forward to the things that are ahead.
Know that God is not judging you, frowning on you. He’s looking at you through the cross and the resurrection and He sees that you are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.
When a thought comes to you, just say, “I’m the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ.”
Read About It
2nd Corinthians 10:3–5, “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…”
Phil 3:13 “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead.”
Discussion Questions
2nd Corinthians chapter 10 tells us that our weapons are not carnal. So what are the weapons of our warfare in Christ Jesus?
We are to take captive every thought that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. How does one do that, take captive of thoughts?