Paul's Letters 2 Corinthians

Battling Spiritual Warfare

Discover Jesus as: Treasure 2 Corinthians 10 Read on Bible Gateway (HCSB)

Day 528 of 730
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INTRO

We’ve been looking at 2 Corinthians 8—9, which have been all about giving. Our word for 2 Corinthians is Treasure (2 Corinthians 4:7). We have the Treasure inside of us. In 2 Corinthians 10, we’ll see a big shift that seems not to fit with the verses and chapters before it. Chapter 10 is about the power of Christ in us against spiritual battle. Paul also used the opportunity to address the Judaizers who were making false claims against him.

TEACHING

2 Corinthians 10:1-6: Wiersbe divides chapter 2 into three sections, the first dealing with, “How to Wage Spiritual Warfare.”1 This section is so important that if we don’t get past these first six verses, I’ll be okay with that. Paul began in “the gentleness and graciousness of Christ” (v. 1a). He then spoke against the Judaizers who said he was weak in person, but bold from a distance (v. 1b). Nelson’s Commentaryexplains that “by saying ‘I beg,’2 Paul was gently asking the Corinthians to deal with his critics before he came so he would not have to be stern with them.” Paul described them as living in the flesh in verse 3, even as he himself lived in the flesh. But Paul would not behave “in an unspiritual way,” because his warfare was not worldly but was through the power of God (v. 4). Nelson’s Commentaryexplains, “The powers of hell are still trying to destroy the work of God (Matthew 16:18).”3 Paul continued that he would demolish arguments and high-minded theological thoughts that did not come from the knowledge of God (v. 5). Finally, Paul was ready to punish any who had been disobedient (v. 6).

Verse 3 mentioned spiritual warfare. What is spiritual warfare? Spiritual warfare attacks us through many levels of revelation.

  1. The first level is fleshly—the flesh versus the power of God, which the enemy (Satan) is trying to draw us into. We have to fight this with one of the weapons God has given us—by saying we will not engage in a fleshly battle with him.

The second level is speculations, arguments, and lies that become lodged within us. Satan cannot be in more than one place at a time, so we mostly face demonic assignments, such as fallen angels who have turned away. They attack us with lies about ourselves. In many cases, the enemy speaks into our lives when we are young through a traumatic event that makes us question our own worth. We feel devalued and insecure, and we interpret life through that lens.

The third level is lies about God that enter our hearts. These lies work with the lies in level 2 to create a web of deceit and misunderstanding within our hearts. This web of lies can cause us to question if the Holy Spirit is real, if Jesus will desert us, if God actually cares about us. This causes desperation and hopelessness about our lives and our faith. All these create strongholds in our lives that the enemy can use to try to defeat us. They happen before we are believers and we bring them into our relationship with Christ. When we open our hearts to Jesus, we have to open those areas as well.

The fourth level contains the fortresses and/or strongholds. If we feel devalued and get angry at perceived insults, we’ve created a stronghold where the anger resides. If we don’t get to the root of the cause of the stronghold, we cannot experience freedom in Christ. Jesus has to cut out the root of the stronghold before we can be free.

We have the Treasure of God within us. How do we walk through these levels so we can defeat these levels?

We have to know the enemy’s voice from God’s voice. The enemy’s voice sounds like us, but God’s voice is a thought or a vision that we didn’t put there. God’s voice will sound like His character. The enemy is making himself sound really good, but his words have no substance.

Is God’s voice setting us free, or is the enemy’s voice putting us in bondage? If you hear a voice that is contrary to God's nature, then pray the opposite as Holy Spirit leads. Speak life and truth through Jesus, and the enemy’s voice will go away.

CLOSING

Jesus, thank You for coming to set the captives free and to release the prisoners. You paid a high price for the captives to receive freedom. I pray those who hear or read this will experience You in a new and profound way. I pray these will press through the enemy’s voice and lies to be able to know Your voice and hear You personally. Jesus, come set us free. Amen.

  1. Warren Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary: New Testament (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989), p. 664.

  2. Earl Radmacher, Ronald B. Allen, and H. Wayne House, eds., Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Pubishers,1999), p. 1507.

  3. Wiersbe, p. 665.

Questions

  1. In 2 Corinthians 10:1–2, Paul spoke about boldness in Christ. Do you think you walk with this type of boldness? Why or why not?
  2. How would you explain 2 Corinthians 10:5 to someone? What does “bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” mean? Is this easy to do or a struggle for you?
  3. According to 2 Corinthians 10:15–16, for what reason did Paul want to increase the faith of the Corinthians? How would the Corinthians’ faith allow Paul to travel farther?
  4. What did the Holy Spirit highlight to you in 2 Corinthians 10 through the reading or the teaching?

Next: the Daily Word →

Daily Word

Laura Martin 2 Corinthians 10:4–5

“Since the weapons of our warfare are not worldly, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds. We demolish arguments and every high-minded thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God, taking every thought captive to obey Christ.”

As a follower of Christ, you must realize, just like the Corinthian church, you are in a spiritual battle. It’s not a battle against flesh and blood but a spiritual battle against rulers, authorities, world powers of this darkness, and spiritual forces. What the Lord intended for good, the enemy wants to defeat.

To fight the battle, you must be aware of the war raging against you. Then the Lord says to renew your mind daily because you need the truth to stand firm, to resist the enemy, and to hear the voice of the Lord. The voice of the Lord speaks truth and life. The more you read His Word, the more you will recognize the Lord’s voice in battle. The enemy speaks lies to you: “You aren’t good enough. You aren’t worthy. You are rejected. You can’t succeed.” Paul instructed the Corinthian believers to take every thought captive. This means that when these lies creep in, stand and proclaim God’s Word and the Truth: “You are perfectly and wonderfully made. You are clothed in righteousness. You are worthy. You can do all things through Christ who gives you strength.” Believe the truth will set you free, and the enemy’s voice will flee. Then you will find victory in the battle. Today, practice taking every thought captive and proclaim Jesus in the middle of your battle. He is with you, and He is freedom!

“Since the weapons of our warfare are not worldly, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds. We demolish arguments and every high-minded thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God, taking every thought captive to obey Christ.”

— 2 Corinthians 10:4–5

FURTHER SCRIPTURE

  • John 8:32— “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
  • John 10:10— “A thief comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.”
  • Ephesians 6:12— “For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens.”