As I reflected on today’s writing, I thought about the many battles that shaped our world today.

 

The battle of Midway, a naval battle that shaped the war in the Pacific during World War II.

 

The battle of Gettysburg, the results of which stirred Abraham Lincoln to the very depths of his soul…..inspiring him to write the Gettysburg Address on the back of an envelope.  And his speech is now written on the Lincoln Monument.

 

Battle of Stalingrad during World War II.  A war of attrition that ended up taking the lives of millions of people.

 

With all due respect, a battle is brewing in our communities that might be the most important in human history.  

 

It is the battle that brews in each of our minds.

 

I am not writing in hyperbole here…..it is a battle that is of colossal importance.  And each of us must step up and begin to war in ways that we never have before.

 

Children…..step up….and protect your parents.

Fathers…..wake up….and protect your daughters.

Sisters…..stand up….and protect your brothers.

Wives…..open up….and protect your husbands.

Friends…..hustle up….and protect your squad.

 

The enemy has launched an assault on the hearts and minds of millions—looking to sway their hearts and demolish their minds.

 

Via the internet, he has taken full assault on all of us to attack the very core of all of us.

 

When I was in high school, I had a friend who was beautiful in every way you could describe.

 

She was kind.  Patient. Loving.  Loyal. And physically, she was as attractive as anyone I knew.  And yet, the enemy had her convinced that she was overweight, that she was ugly, that she was worthless.

 

Before anyone knew what to do or how to help, she was gone.

 

The enemy had invaded her mind and demolished her worth.

 

As I reflected on this situation last week, God broke my heart.  He brought me back to that place in a way that broke me. And He has asked me to write this today.

 

And so I say, STAND UP.

 

STAND UP and speak the gospel.

 

Jesus did not die on a cross 2000 years ago so that we could sit in a peaceful meditative position and allow the enemy to wreak havoc on our society.  He died so that we might have life, and have it in abundance.

 

As Paul says to all of us:

2 Corinthians 10  5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

 

Think about that line:

Take Every Thought Captive

 

Take them captive!  Literally—throw them in prison and throw away the key.

 

Imagine if we released 100 hardened criminals into your city or neighborhood?

 

They would cast a shadow of fear over all who lived there and certainly change the dynamics of our everyday lives….

 

And yet….many of us do this very thing every day.

 

We do it when we do not control our thoughts.

 

I had not considered this principle until last week, and this verse that I had read and uttered hundreds of times began to come to life.

 

Think about it!

 

In the spiritual realm, Satan can wreak havoc without one action.  If he can, in fact, plant a thought in our head, then how we react can actually empower his evil.

 

Satan works at the speed of thought.

 

And what we do with a thought either cripples or empowers him.

 

Take your thoughts, and treat them like a hardened criminal.  Throw them in prison! Take them as your captive. And DO NOT LET THEM OUT UNLESS THEY ARE OBEDIENT TO CHRIST.

 

The more I think about this very simple principle the more I believe that we need to be doing this with all of our hearts.

 

How much do we worry about, or anticipate, or fear, or assume.

 

What would happen if we truly monitored our very thoughts?

I challenge you today to take your thoughts as your prisoners.  Lock them up and ask God to help you process them.

 

The Battle in front of us can be won.

 

It can be won with worship.

It can be won with love.

It can be won by a body of believers standing in unison.

 

Jesus is the only hope.  He activates things that we never thought we had.  He heals things that we thought could never be healed.  He loves people who are unlovable. He conquers kingdoms that are impenetrable.

 

He is, after all, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah.

 

Take Them Captive!

And then give this gospel to someone else–so they can do the same.

 

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

 

Know anyone who might like these?  Encourage them to jump on to 2minutewarning.blog and hit the FOLLOW button!!!

Coach J