This second broadcast in our three part series is called Thoughts and Imaginations. If you are going to get your thoughts and imaginations under control, you must fight against them with the Lord’s weapons. Overcome them by God’s mighty weapons, 2 Cor 10:4. They cannot be whipped by carnal weapons, 2 Cor 10:3-4. Clever psychology does not work on these.
Thoughts and imaginations must be:
Pulled down, 2 Cor 10:4.
They are strongholds in your mind and they will continually defeat you if you don’t get them pulled down. They must be pulled down so that they do not obscure the Lord or his words. The best way to do this is found in Eph 4:22-24. Put off the old man, be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new man. Our old man is crucified with Christ, Rom 6:3-14. And Christ now lives his life in us, Gal 2:20. According to Col 3:5, we must mortify our members and let these old thoughts and imaginations die.
Cast down, 2 Cor 10:5.
The thoughts and imaginations that exalt themselves against God must be cast down. The best way to do this is to, first, expose these private thoughts and imaginations to the Lord, Ps 139:23-24. Get them out in the open right before his throne where you can display them. Then ask him to obliterate them through the blood of Jesus Christ, Heb 9:14. Confess these wicked thoughts to the Lord as sin so that he can cleanse you from this unrighteousness, 1 Jn 1:9. And if the devil is involved in putting thoughts into your head, pray, “The Lord rebuke thee”, just like Michael did in Jude 9, and just like the Lord did in Zech 3:2.
Brought into captivity, 2 Cor 10:5.
The ultimate objective is to get your thought life in line with the Lord’s. This is done when your thoughts are taken captive by Jesus Christ; when they obey him rather than you. In 1 Cor 2:16, we now have the mind of Christ. So, we can be transformed by the renewing of our mind, Rom 12:2. And then our thoughts will be more like God’s thoughts, Is 55:8-9, rather than our own.
Conclusion to Thoughts and Imaginations
These are the mighty weapons God has given us to get our thought life under control. Tomorrow, we will look at some other weapons that you can employ that will help you start thinking better thoughts.