[TABLE="width: 0, align: center"]
[TR]
[TD="width: 100%, align: left"]2 Corinthians 10:5
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,
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="colspan: 3"]
This verse is amazing to me as I read it in context. I used to wonder how to do this., the problem was not knowing how to cast every thought... It is looking at HIM., it's always about looking to Jesus, beholding HIM is what gives us joy and peace. We are constantly admonished in the Bible to behold Jesus.
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="colspan: 3, align: left"]Have you ever felt condemned because of the bad thoughts you have had? You could be in the middle of a prayer meeting when suddenly a dirty thought enters your mind. Actually, it is the devil who puts such thoughts in your mind. Then, he steps back, looks at you and knocks you on your head, saying, “How can you call yourself a Christian and still think such thoughts?”
I used to be in bondage over the bad thoughts I had because I felt that I had to confess every one of them and seek God’s forgiveness. But that is not what God’s Word exhorts us to do. You see, God wants us to bring “every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ”. Now, whose obedience are we to focus on? Christ’s obedience and not our own obedience!
This was an amazing truth I learned some time ago. The enemy is constantly messing with our thought life. We have this body of flesh and our responsibility is to bring every thought unto the obedience of Christ., focus on how we are in Him and not left to fend for ourselves against the enemy. He has already defeated our enemy.
But what is “the obedience of Christ”? It is His obedience at the cross, where “by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous”. (Romans 5:19) Jesus shed His blood for us at the cross. This means that when our thoughts condemn us, we are to focus our thoughts on Jesus’ obedience at the cross.
Amen and yahooooo to that. There is therefore now NO condemnation to them who are IN Christ Jesus.. period. For you are not under law but under GRACE.
My friend, the devil can only make inroads into our minds when he gets us to focus on our obedience instead of Christ’s obedience. His strategy is to point us to our obedience or the lack of it to determine our standing before God. But just as our position as sinners is not based on what we do, but what the first Adam did, in the same way, we are forever righteous today not because of what we do, but because of what Christ, the last Adam, did on the cross.
This is so key to rightly dividing the Word of Truth. IMPUTATION. How many of us know what that fancy word means??? I didn't pay much attention to it until taking a deeper look at grace. We were under the first Adam's sins. We didn't even do anything when we were born IN Adam. Yet we were guilty before God. BUT then Jesus, the last Adam came into the picture and now we who had done NO good thing, are imputed HIS righteousness. Only God could do this.
So the next time your thoughts seem to condemn you, say, “I am righteous whether I have good or bad thoughts. My righteousness has nothing to do with my obedience. Jesus’ obedience at the cross made me righteous.” Then,go ahead and pray, knowing that you have access to God and His favor, and that He hears the prayer of the righteous. (Proverbs 15:29)
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
I'm so glad the Lord did this and shows it to us in His Word. It opens up all new things to us. Righteousness is a place, a standing and a gift we receive when we receive Jesus Christ as our Savior.
