TIME OUT with Pastor Ben Talley - 2 Corinthians 10:4 5

Morning My name is Pastor Ben. I'm the associate pastor at Wynton Memorial Baptist Church This is another timeout

How's everybody doing today? It is a good day Probably still raining outside, but it's a good day to spend time in the word

So today's scripture is from 2nd

Corinthians chapter 10 We'll be going over verses 4 & 5 4 & 5 of 2nd

Corinthians chapter 10 so 2nd

Corinthians is a book that Paul wrote and And in chapter 10

Paul is defending his ministry against those who are criticizing him

They are saying that He is too bold or saying that uh, you know, he he walks in the flesh or this is overbearing and things like that and so he is uh

He is he is defending his ministry and the way he walks saying he walks in the flesh and and And so he he says in 2nd

Corinthians chapter 10 verse 4 He says for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds

We destroy arguments and every lawfully opinion raised against the knowledge of God and take every thought captive to obey

Christ says for the weapons of our warfare the weapons of our warfare are Or is the

Word of God the Word of God As we know from Hebrews chapter 4 verse 12 is living and active sharp discerning and A Discerning of the thoughts and the intent of the heart it is is to divide the joints and marrows and discerns our thoughts and our actions

Gets down to the nitty -gritty of our intentions our desires Things like that so so it really rips open

Every little thing that we desire and we intend and we think about When it won't apply to our life, and it says that that they are not of the flesh, but of divine power divine power of God They're the scriptures are

God breathed so It says to destroy strongholds

Strongholds are anything that someone is leaning on anything that if someone is is

Is putting dependence on any kind of presupposition or any thought?

Something that people are basing a belief or a worldview on what's up,

Rebecca? How are you? So That would be like when you witness into someone and they say you know like the whole world thinks pretty much that that everybody is pretty

Much good You know I encounter it all the time and witnessing. Oh, I'm a pretty good person.

You know Everyone seems to think they're pretty good when when they when they veer away from the proper anthropology of the

Bible that That man is is bad that man is corrupt that man is sinful

Then they run into problems so when they hold on to the stronghold of thinking that they're good that that will lead them to hell because that that leads them to think that That I'm good, and God accepts me.

You know I'm a pretty good person. I mess up sometimes You know God loves me. God loves everybody.

You know that kind of thing that can lead to an improper belief and lead someone straight to hell and And devil the devil loves putting people in that type of stronghold a stronghold can be any kind of sin any kind of false belief any kind of false idea so So it says we destroy arguments in every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God So there's any kind of what's up Carlene?

any kind of false Opinion lofty opinion destroying arguments any lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God a lot of ideas from modern philosophy and Psychology really

Hit home with this they're they're they're lofty opinions Against the knowledge of God one is this whole self -love thing you know

I must love myself before I serve others and they take the verse You know love your neighbor as yourself.

They say that we can't properly Minister to others until we love ourselves.

That's not true. That's not what Jesus said He did not say you must love you must love yourself before you love others

You can't that that's not what he's saying He's not saying you must serve and take care of yourself before you take care and serve others

So I'm just saying it's all in fact. He's saying the opposite. He's saying you love yourself enough

You know we love ourselves already we do pretty good at that. We're selfish people

We're selfish as a as a as a human race

You know so We do pretty good at that already We must instead step outside of ourselves and serve others.

That's what he means by Love your neighbor as yourself as you do yourself so that's what he meant by that, but what people have have twisted it and turned it and changed it and Turned it into something that he's not saying at all

So so Paul was saying that we need to take every thought captive Every thought captive, you know to obedience to Christ so You know,

I'm thinking of the way a Soldier Would handle a enemy

Sneaking into the camp of an army When a enemy would sneak into a camp and the soldiers found that enemy they would put him in gunpoint and Take him to the the captain

So in that same way we need to take our thoughts any kind of ungodly thoughts any kind of ungodly idea or Concept that comes into our mind.

What's up, Lisa? What's up, Tracy? Any kind of ungodly thought or idea that comes into our mind

We need to in a sense take it put it to gunpoint you know use the

Word of God and Bring it into submission to the captain, you know to Christ So just Just I hope that makes sense so so um, so any thought that we have any any thoughts of Either an attack against you you know against who you are in Christ saying you can't be forgiven or You know

God's not pleased with you or you know things like that, you know Oh God will never be pleased with you all kinds of sense thoughts that the enemy may put against your head of Insecurities or you're unworthy of Christ.

You are unworthy of Christ, but God has made you worthy by the blood You know

He's he's Justified you he's he's made you Complete he's made you whole he's made you

Able to stand before him in a sense. That's what I mean, but he's made you worthy. So So, um

Walk in this manner walk in the in the way of Taking your thoughts and taking them captive and bringing them into submission of Christ So That's the that's what we have to do

We have to take our thoughts and bring them into submission of the Word of God and bring them before the

King So Yeah, that's that's that's the constant battle we face

Of taking the Word of God applying it to our life You know

Applying it to every situation You know Every little thing that Satan may throw at us, especially nowadays, you know all this thing with fear and Anxiety and worry

That we may face We have to know that God does care for us that he is sovereign and that he is control

So every thought that comes up against the fact that God doesn't care about me That God is not sovereign that God is not in control we need to know that God is good the

Lord is good The Lord is in control You know

You know, we need to meditate on scripture verses that say that and quote those back meditate on those and know that He is in control and he does care and we need to meditate on those and apply those to our life

Because that's how it works take every thought captive that comes against the knowledge of God and The knowledge of his word

So I love y 'all Make the most of your time because the days are evil

But God is in control he is sovereign he has a plan he is good

He is loving he loves you And he is trustworthy

So always know that Despite whatever the world says

Whatever Thoughts in your head that are out there, you know, so remember that believe that and Get into the word today

You know And take every thought captive God loves you.

I love you. Let's pray God I pray for For all the believers and all those who don't know you

Lord. I pray that we understand that you are in control That you your word is sufficient for our needs and for everything you're doing in our life

God I pray that we remember that I pray that we trust you and I pray that you help us take every thought captive And bring it under submission to your will and to your plan and do your good purposes for our life