by Kala Loptien

Destroying Strongholds

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“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.”
2 Corinthians 10: 4-5 English Standard Version

I absolutely love autumn. However, I must share with you that I strongly dislike Halloween. I have many friends and neighbors who love it. I’ve just never been a fan. The movie previews give me nightmares. The items on the shelves cause me to sprint the other direction. There’s often a slight twinge in my spirit–an overall uneasiness with the dark undertones of the season.

I’ve had a number of conversations recently with our inquisitive, six-year-old daughter along these lines. Like many of us, she has some unnerving, anxious memories and visuals that replay in that beautiful head of hers. The other day, we talked about the action of redirecting/capturing those thoughts that frequent our minds. What a tough practice to implement– at any age! It’s quite easy to zip down the rabbit hole, allowing ourselves to fall deeper into the trenches of worry, fear and/or shame. We’re haunted by these all-consuming thoughts. Let’s face it, they’re tough to shake.

But God does not want us lingering in this head space. Not even for a second. He made us for so much more. He wants us to quickly capture all of the things that are not of Him and replace them with Gospel Truths. In fact, we are to fill our minds with what’s true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent and worthy of praise (Philippians 4:8). God knows when we have our eyes fixed on Jesus, our thoughts follow suit. He knew we would stumble, and He knew we would be confronted with strongholds.

For this reason, we’ve been given His Word to remind us that the weapons of our spiritual warfare have divine power. We can call upon the Lord; pray for interference and meditate on the words written upon our hearts. As we do, we find freedom, a peace that surpasses and can continue focusing on our calling.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado