Bringing Thoughts Into Captivity Part 4

H. Gird up the loins of your mind against the false treasures that mislead us and dethrone God from His rightful dominion over our hearts, souls, minds and strength. MAR 12:30. 1. One’s attention and affection will necessarily be directed according to what he values most, so choose wisely. MAT 6:20-21. 2. Think not that you can “have it all” without forfeiting what is best. MAR 8:36. 3. The unlawful things like the lusts of the flesh must be mortified or they will make you their captive and will chastise you. COL 3:5-6. 4. Lawful things must be governed lest they become inordinate (not regulated, controlled, or restrained) affections. 1CO 6:12. a. This includes everyday needs and desires, including relationships. David’s love for his rebel son, Absalom, muddied his thinking about him while he lived and still controlled him after his death. 2SAM 18:5; 19:1-4. b. NOTE: the greater our emotional investment in anything or anyone, the more power that thing or person has over our minds and decisions. 5. There is peace and joy that believers cannot have stolen from them. They can only lose it by forfeiture. JOH 14:27; 16:22. a. No joy means no strength (NEH 8:10) and girding requires strength. b. Excess care wars against the peace of God which keeps our emotions and thoughts healthy. PHIL 4:6-7. c. Contentment is attainable regardless of gain or loss. PHIL 4:10-13. I. Gird up the loins of your mind against focusing on outward appearances of things which appeal to our senses and appetites. 1. Satan cloaks his deceptions in outwardly righteous garb. 2CO 11:13-15. a. The Pharisees appeared outwardly righteous. MAT 23:28. b. Mystery, Babylon the Great is richly appareled, materially prosperous and full of sensual delights. REV 18:16-23. c. Paul warned about those who have “...a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof...” (2TI 3:5). 2. God judges according to the heart, not the outward appearance. 1SAM 16:7. 3. Jesus taught, “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment” (JOH 7:24). 4. Jesus appeared “...as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him” (ISA 53:2). 5. An undue deference to outward appearance brings men into bondage. 2PE 2:18-19. 6. Again, do not confuse beauty of holiness (PSA 29:2) with holiness of beauty, and end up errantly concluding, “Surely the LORD is in this place...” (GEN 29:32). 7. We must renounce any tendency to judge the validity of something based upon its outward appearance and resolve to agree with God in judging according to truth, measuring all things by His word. PSA 119:128; 1JO 4:6. 8. This principle applies in everyday matters: watch out for premature conclusions about others before getting the bigger picture. JOH 7:51; JOS 22. J. Gird up the loins of your mind against the notion that circumstances are signposts from God informing you of His will, leading you to ask, “What is God trying to tell me?” 1. It must be understood that God is not trying to tell you anything. He has already told you in His word what He wants to say. ISA 8:20; HEB 1:1-2. 2. Relying on circumstances alone to determine right or wrong can be very misleading. It is actually akin to pagan superstition. ACT 28:3-6. 3. A Biblically-informed saint who has the word hidden in the heart (PSA 119:11) may be able to wisely interpret circumstances and act appropriately. But this is not a matter of circumstances containing divine messages: it is the divine messaging of Scripture prompting the mind to wisely interpret the circumstances. K. Gird up the loins of the mind concerning the influences of conscience. 1. Conscience is an important part of our being and should not be flippantly violated. ACT 24:16; 1TI 1:19. 2. But, as seen earlier, conscience can be corrupted by sin or searing. EPH 4:17-19; 1TI 4:1-4. 3. The conscience may be weak through lack of knowledge of the truth. 1CO 8:7. 4. “Always let your conscience be your guide...” but understand that your conscience may be inaccurately burdened and may need to be amended by the truth of God. 5. The best conscience is one that is formed by perfecting knowledge of good and evil according to the word of righteousness. HEB 5:13-14. VII. Paul also in 2CO 10:5 emphasized the casting down of “...every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God...” This may apply to what God knows, and to what may be known of God. A. Worldly wisdom challenges God and blocks men’s minds from knowing Him in truth. ROM 1:21-23; 1CO 1:17-21; 2:4-8. B. We are warned against worldly philosophy. COL 2:8. C. We are warned against “...oppositions of science falsely so called...” (1TI 6:20-21). D. The Jews exalted Moses and the Law for knowledge of God’s will but missed its message of natural corruption and of Christ as the Answer. ROM 2:17-20 c/w JOH 5:45-47. E. Job thought himself clever enough to challenge God until God dared him to make a complex universe and then get back to Him. JOB 38-41. F. Universities pale in knowledge and wisdom to the One Who made the universe. G. All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ. COL 2:3. 1. Christ is the Supreme Revelator of God. 1JO 5:20; JOH 1:18. 2. He is the perfect Man Who shows us also how best to overcome Satan’s lies while still under the restraints of corruption. EPH 4:13-15. H. “and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God; every proud thought of the heart, every great swelling word of vanity, every big look, even all the lofty looks and haughtiness of men, with every airy flight, and high towering imagination, reasoning, and argument advanced against the Gospel of Christ; which is here meant by the knowledge of God, and so called, because it is the means of leading souls into the knowledge of God, even into a better knowledge of him than can be attained to, either by the light of nature, or law of Moses; to a knowledge of him, and acquaintance with him in Christ the Mediator, in whom the light of the knowledge of the glory of God is given; and with which knowledge of God eternal life is connected, yea, in this it consists; it is the beginning of it, and will issue in it.” (John Gill Commentary) Bringing Thoughts Into Captivity 4-5-26 Page 8