[5 Conversations With Christ] Anxiety / Worry Part 2ናሙና

Our Mind, the Battlefield

In 2 Corinthians 10:4–5 we are told that we must pull down strongholds and cast down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. We are also told to bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Notice how the text uses the words strongholds, imaginations, and thoughts. The Apostle Paul gives us clear instructions on what we are to do. The first thing we must do is to destroy strongholds, which are better understood as fortresses. A fortress is composed of many layers of bricks until a big wall is completed. In the very same way, many ungodly thoughts can build a fortress, which becomes a place that is strongly guarded by enemies. As we identify which ungodly thoughts have become a stronghold of the enemy, we can take them captive to the obedience of Christ. This will happen as we screen every thought and sift it through the Word of God. Once we are able to identify all the lies of the enemy, we will be able to pull down those fortresses.

How can we apply 2 Corinthians 10:5 to the problem of anxiety and worry? We can begin by screening our thoughts to identify which of them instill feelings of fear, stress, and worry in our hearts. Once we discern those specific thoughts, we must surrender them to Christ—that is, we must refuse to continue accepting them as possibilities. The mind is the spiritual battlefield of the devil; therefore, we must learn to discern and screen our thoughts, and if they are not aligned with the Word of God, we must cast them out. 

Isaiah 26:3 says: “You keep in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” (ESV) God is well able to keep your mind and heart at peace if your mind is set on Him.

Should you feel anxious, ask the Holy Spirit to help you discern your own thoughts to see where they are coming from. The Holy Spirit is but one prayer away to help you in your distress.

Should you feel worried, decide to believe not your thoughts, but God’s Word and promises. Seek God’s rest because “in quietness and in trust shall be your rest.” (Isaiah 30:15, ESV)

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