To Encourage You

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ”

Opinions: everybody has them.  One dictionary defines an “opinion” as “a view or judgment formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge.”  Obviously then, not all opinions are based on truth.  While they may be the basis of “arguments” as the verse above says, or may be viewed as “lofty,” something held up as wise by many, if they’re not based on truth, they are nothing more than a barrier to having the true knowledge of God.  You see, God knows everything.  It’s a character trait called omniscience.  And He’s the only One who has it.  Every other idea, no matter how high-sounding and “accepted” by many, if it’s opposed to the knowledge of God, is nothing more than a lie.  Actions that proceed from lies benefit no one, as opposed to actions rooted in truth, which is the means to abundant life. 

The Bible calls this competition for ideas a “warfare,” and in any warfare, there are casualties.  So, how do we protect ourselves against destructive philosophies, opinions, or otherwise “reasonable” ideas that may be nothing more than fine-sounding lies?  It’s by the use of the spiritual weapons God has given us – things like the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, and praying that God will give us understanding of His Word by His Holy Spirit (Ephesians 6:17-18).  It is these things that defend us against thoughts that may bombard our minds that are meant to divert us from the Way, the Truth, and the Life. It is these things that are our God-given means to destroy the “strongholds” in people’s lives that are keeping them from the faith that comes from hearing, and the hearing that comes by the Word of God.   

May God help us to fill our minds with God’s Truth available for us in the Word of God, for that’s the only defense against the many opinions that are rooted not in the omniscience of God, but in very fallible human ideas, or even worse, the schemes and arguments of the enemy of our soul.