Are you receptive to God? Are you open to having God reveal Himself to you? Or: Have you built your high walls to shut Him out, refusing to hear-Him-out (hear out) — stonewalling Him? Are you narrow-minded?
Christians are the most open-minded in the world, because they follow the open-minded God of the Universe, Creator of all that is. (Why would Creator God need to be close-minded?!)
Christians – 0pen-minded? Yes, most certainly. But they are careful to bring every thought captive to the mind of Christ.
Since we follow only Christ – many think we are close-minded. Not so. We are closed to Satan and his evil ways, but open totally to Christ and The Way.
taking every thought and purpose
captive to the obedience of Christ
2 Corinthians 10:3-5 Amplified Bible
3 For though we walk in the flesh [as mortal men], we are not carrying on our [spiritual] warfare according to the flesh and using the weapons of man. 4 The weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood]. Our weapons are divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.
5 We are destroying sophisticated arguments and every exalted and proud thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought and purpose captive to the obedience of Christ 1
True knowledge
“The [true] knowledge of God” (v5) is found in the Bible, which is God’s Word to man. The Bible is “able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation”. Have you considered that knowledge?
We can gain “absolute confidence in His wisdom, power and goodness”
by reading what God put together for us in the Bible.
– Source: The Bible is “able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation”
See: What God has going on with us here on this planet
Your mind can either be hardened, or it can be receptive. Which is it going to remain? Hard or receptive? Are you able to be receptive to God’s truths?
Mirriam-webster.com | Definition of receptive |
1 : able or inclined to receive especially : open and responsive to ideas, impressions, or suggestions
Jesus often used parables (“hard-to-understand illustrations“), and some of the Bible is difficult. But it is Truth. The prophet Isaiah said,
‘They hear, but don’t understand; they look, but don’t see! 15 For their hearts are fat and heavy, and their ears are dull, and they have closed their eyes in sleep, 16 so they won’t see and hear and understand and turn to God again, and let me heal them.’ – Matthew 13:14-17 Living Bible
See God
We have to get over ourselves – to see God. If we cling to our rebellion against Him, then we will never “see and hear and understand and turn to God“.
Matthew 13:10-17 Living Bible
10 His disciples came and asked him, “Why do you always use these hard-to-understand illustrations?”[a]
11 Then he explained to them that only they were permitted to understand about the Kingdom of Heaven, and others were not.
12-13 “For to him who has will more be given,” he told them, “and he will have great plenty; but from him who has not, even the little he has will be taken away. That is why I use these illustrations, so people will hear and see but not understand.[b]
14 “This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah:
‘They hear, but don’t understand; they look, but don’t see! 15 For their hearts are fat and heavy, and their ears are dull, and they have closed their eyes in sleep, 16 so they won’t see and hear and understand and turn to God again, and let me heal them.’
But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear. 17 Many a prophet and godly man has longed to see what you have seen and hear what you have heard, but couldn’t.
The people belonging to Satan (v38)
34-35 Jesus constantly used these illustrations when speaking to the crowds. In fact, because the prophets said that he would use so many, he never spoke to them without at least one illustration. For it had been prophesied, “I will talk in parables; I will explain mysteries hidden since the beginning of time.”[e]
What kind of fool do you think I am, eh?
37 “All right,” he said, “I am[f] the farmer who sows the choice seed. 38 The field is the world, and the seed represents the people of the Kingdom; the thistles are the people belonging to Satan.
39 The enemy who sowed the thistles among the wheat is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world, and the reapers are the angels.
“the thistles are the people belonging to Satan”
Don’t belong to Satan. Don’t be a ninny.
Get up and get out of there! Satan is the biggest loser in …the end.
FOR MORE:
The Gospel of Christ is unchanging
Only God’s Way Leads to Himself
Still so dull? …And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.
Believest thou this? – John 11:26 KJV
About Satan… a series on our Enemy
Footnotes
- 2 Corinthians 10 verses 3-6 in the Living Bible version
3 It is true that I am an ordinary, weak human being, but I don’t use human plans and methods to win my battles. 4 I use God’s mighty weapons, not those made by men, to knock down the devil’s strongholds.
5 These weapons can break down every proud argument against God and every wall that can be built to keep men from finding him.
With these weapons I can capture rebels and bring them back to God and change them into men whose hearts’ desire is obedience to Christ. 6 I will use these weapons against every rebel who remains after I have first used them on you yourselves and you surrender to Christ.“
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