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Our spiritual warfare 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 AMP
We are in a battle against spiritual forces of evil, Scripture tells us Ephesians 6:12. All our life, we are.
Ephesians 6:12 “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this [present] darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) places.”
But some teachers have taken “spiritual warfare” way past what the Bible actually teaches. So let’s be careful to stay in Scripture to understand it.
Excerpt from Being receptive:
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.
Scripture teaches us:
2 Corinthians 10:3-5 AMP
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
Our thoughts can be one of two types: (1) be in agreement with God, or (2) be in direct conflict with God. So what’s it going to be?
For further reading: | Conflicts because of opinion | The Apostle Paul’s Criticisms |
A weak faith can trip us up, and soon we are not following the Bible. We can find ourselves in direct conflict with “obedience of Christ“. We must fight in order to stay strong, stay biblical…
taking every thought and purpose
captive to the obedience of Christ
– Verse 5 of 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 AMP
Can you say this? I am ready, steady, and able. Jesus enables us, gives us strength.
Paul tells us:
“This is a fight we’re in” 1 Timothy 1:15-20 MSG
This is not a walk in the park. This experience of living on earth is a test. That’s how the Bible puts it.
We have but a short time here. When on earth I’m done and gone — I want something good to show for it. Don’t you? So Paul said (to us all):
“…do this well,
fearless in your struggle,
keeping a firm grip
on your faith
and on yourself.
After all, this is a fight we’re in….”
– Verses 18-19 of 1 Timothy 1:15-20 MSG
– Source: “This is a fight we’re in”
We can lose our spiritual fight because of (1) a weak faith, as the verse puts it, by way of “your faith”; and (2) we can lose it by way of “yourself” (MSG version), not keeping a grip on what you do with yourself.
In the AMP version this is how we understand it:
“…fight the good fight [in contending with false teachers], 19 keeping your faith [leaning completely on God with absolute trust and confidence in His guidance] and having a good conscience; for some [people] have rejected [their moral compass] and have made a shipwreck of their faith.”
– Verses 18-19 of 1 Timothy 1:15-20 AMP
To fight well in the spiritual world, we must be “keeping your faith” and we must stay firm, “having a good conscience”. Keeping a good conscience is a vital part of staying strong 1 John 3:21.
Confident and Bold
Maintaining a good conscience makes us confident and bold when we talk to God. What a great way to live – living with confidence. We can take care of our conscience by keeping up-to-date with God about our sins and failures, and look to Him daily.
– Source: Keeping a good conscience
1 John 3:21
“Beloved, if our heart does not convict us [of guilt], we have confidence [complete assurance and boldness] before God”
Thinking “anything goes”…the faith of anything goes
Where are you at with your relationship with Jesus? Many do not keep a tight grip on what is good and what is not!
Their “think” is allowed to be shaped by the world around them. To them, what’s good is not actually good by God’s standards. And what’s bad to them is… very few things. “It’s all good” they say.
It is a battle to keep our thinking in-line with God’s thinking, with His Word.
19-20 “…There are some, you know,
who by relaxing their grip
and thinking anything goes
have made a thorough mess of their faith….”
– 1 Timothy 1:15-20 The Message
Spiritual warfare
Spiritual warfare is staying in “God’s think“, sticking to God’s meaning of Scripture, not being stupid with the Bible, not wandering off into apostasy or worldly thought. It’s a good thing to know the terms, Truth – Apostate – Antithetical – Heritical.
Romans 13:12 “The night [this present evil age] is almost gone and the day [of Christ’s return] is almost here. So let us fling away the works of darkness and put on the [full] armor of light.”
Only God’s Way leads to Himself. Where are you taking yourself? The choices we make are eternal.
It does matter what we believe.
We have to agree with God.
We have to agree with His Word.
We have to agree with Jesus’ own words.
If we do not, then
– are we truly following Jesus?
I think not.
I think that Peter would say
we are following another god,
if we do not agree with Jesus’ own words.
– Source: Be a little more Christian
FOR MORE:
The battle for our mind is a battle between good and bad, between God’s Word and the world. It’s a spiritual war. How’s your battle going?
__________
Discernment when interpreting…The key is: stay in Scripture. Don’t add or subtract from it.
Getting down to God’s meaning…of Scripture
What is good, and what is not – Micah 6:8 …Are you going with God? Or, are you going against God? What’s it going to be?
Titus 1:15-16
“…They profess
to know God,
but by their deeds
they deny Him….”
Biblical Inerrancy and Bart D. Ehrman
Only God’s Way leads to Himself…be careful to stay in The Way Excerpt: It makes sense that God will have HIS WAY. Why do so many today think God is McDonald’s, saying “Have it your way!”?
Have it God’s way!
Agreeing with God…being in agreement with God
Arguing with God…being in direct conflict with God…So what’s it going to be?
When it comes to God – who wants mere opinions?
Taking hate to Holy Heaven? Your ways, your views?
What fellowship have you with Darkness?
Values Jesus taught that the world fails to understand
Being tested to know for sure your faithfulness to God…living on earth is a test
Jesus Christ is in you—
unless indeed
you fail the test
and are rejected
as counterfeit
– 2 Corinthians 13:5
Living in the wild and woolly world
What a wild and woolly rollercoaster ride we are on
Being an “evangelical” in today’s wild and wooly ungodly culture
If I Were To Let Sin Reign In My Body
Are you concerned about your relationship with Jesus?
How you can know you are a Christian
Jesus will reject many Christians
The faith of anything goes – 1 Timothy 1:15-20 Excerpt: God wants us all to be saved. But He is Holy. So He is extreme to the nth degree. We must be so in our faith. The Christian faith is extreme to the inth!
Hymenaeus and Alexander (1 Timothy 1:15-20) “made a thorough mess of their faith” by loosening-up the true Gospel. They started thinking “anything goes”.
Loving the world Excerpt: The way of the world is: thinking anything goes.
Is yours a sound doctrine that Jesus will approve? – 1 Timothy 1:6-11 Excerpt:
Getting “approved” these days is not easy. I went to the checker, put my credit card into the reader… and… Whew! It said “Approved”. I wish I would be approved by everyone every day.
What about you and Jesus? Your belief system. Is yours a sound doctrine Jesus will approve? Or have you jacked-up, messed up, fiddled with, adulterated – The Gospel of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and Paul. It may surprise you to find the gate to Heaven locked to you.
About false teachings of today
“By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error”
Dancing with doctrines of demons Excerpt: Based on Don’t Dance with the Devil
– from Olive Tree Ministries, with Mark Henry
Needing something more than Jesus
Double-minded means both loving Jesus and loving a different gospel
How to biblically refute dunderheads
Words of Mere Men Are Not God’s Words
The Bible is the standard for Christian thought and practice. Not me. Not you.
Are Christians to remain hog-tied and silent in the face of evil?
Verses I have written – poetry, satire, and make-believe
Running with sin and calling it “just fine with me”
Taking hate to Holy Heaven? Your ways, your views?
Live your best life wherever, doing whatever you want…whatever you prefer – is “just fine with me”
Charismatic religious sins you take for granted every week but you are practicing sin
The NAR – “A New ‘Reformation’ That Many Don’t Realize They’ve Joined
King Solomon’s Fool Excerpt: Without wisdom, you are basically characterized as “a closed-minded, self-confident fool”, according to the wisest man ever on earth, King Solomon. Solomon said, if you are not following “wisdom”, then you are one or more of several not so wise types….
Keeping sin AND getting God’s Holiness also
About past sins and being forgiven now
Your chance to choose…beforehand
Be a little more Christian Excerpt:
These days it seems so few know what the Bible really says about being a Christian. Many think it does not matter what you think. They say: Follow whatever you prefer.
Just call yourself Christian, and try to “be a little more Christian” every day: be nicer, kinder, less cranky, more tolerant, accepting of others. That’s what it’s all about… they say.
Got the attitude? Excerpt: Only the righteous will enter Heaven. You know that, right?
Only logical. How could unforgiven dirty rotten sinners, vile to Jesus – like I used to be 1 Corinthians 6:11, enter God’s Holy Holy Place? Not a chance in Hell!
The Entrance into the Eternal
Well, actually, there is One. (But no chance at all once you have stepped into that Abyss, Hell. No second chances. You must arrange the Way beforehand.)
Is your life fruit – Agape Love?
Growing into our natural new life in Christ
God’s Normal…the biblical norm
I am ready, steady, and able. Excerpt: In our walk as believers, the biblical norm we aspire towards as Christians is an extremely high standard. In fact, it is an impossible norm – unless we are consistently filled with the Holy Spirit. Are you? The only way we can be who we truly are in Christ – is to be filled by His Spirit.
My simple frequent practice of repentance
Pairing with God…an easy morning prayer to start it right
Being a temp in our temporary tent…living this temp life Excerpt: Being a Temp in our temporary tent existence (2 Corinthians 5) on this temporary earth (Revelation 21:1)….
Livin’ it to the max! Excerpt: What if God appeared right in front of you, right there where you are, right now, and asked, “I’d like you to come to heaven and enjoy my Kingdom with me.” Would you say, “No”?
What kind of fool would you be!…? You might be thinking, “What kind of fool do you think I am?”
What kind of fool? The Bible teaches that anyone who does not believe in God – is a total fool type of fool (Psalm 14:1). And for many who grudgingly admit there has to be “a god”… “There is no fear of God before their eyes” (Romans 3: verse 18). What kind of God do you think He is? 2
Living It Deep – Luke 18:17 Excerpt:
…Deep in my soul l’m undone
such shallow existence I know so well
oh no here’s the sunset
I’m left once again
I’m so nothing good
all alone cries my sick and painridden self
ever empty luckless soul
It never ends
always here again
here I am again alone
no hope
oh despair
That was what it was
without Jesus as Savior
but now I am His
and He is mine
I accepted Him like a child
I am clean in my spirit
I belong for the first time
praise to Jesus who saved me
I did not deserve it and never will
I stand on His mercy and grace….
When on earth I’m done and gone
The reality of incompleteness on earth
Being a Temp in our temporary tent…All our life, we are
Growing into our natural new life in Christ
A Christian Democrat’s hard decision | by Joseph Backholm | April 9, 2026 | a decision by Michigan state Rep. Karen Whitsett – “Karen Whitsett reveals the tension between Christianity and a party that has become deeply committed to promoting sin” Excerpt:
“…But somewhere along the way, a caution against political idolatry became a conviction that Jesus hovers above it all, equally at ease and equally uncomfortable with everyone; that all platforms are flawed enough to be equivalent, and that sincerity is sufficient to resolve whatever tension exists between your faith and your politics.
Michigan State Rep. Karen Whitsett, a lifelong Democrat from Detroit, now says that’s not true. On March 2, she announced she will not seek re-election and will never run for public office again. The reason, she said, has nothing to do with polling or political strategy.
“This is not a political calculation—it’s a spiritual decision,” Whitsett said.
She then went further, naming the Democratic Party itself as incompatible with her Christian faith—not a particular candidate, not a single vote, but the platform.
“For me, it is impossible to be a faithful follower of Jesus Christ while remaining a member of the Democratic Party as it exists today,” Whitsett said. “I cannot reconcile that platform with Scripture.”
Turning away from God…If you go against Me
The Way to Salvation always involves obedience to Jesus – Titus 1:15-16
Contradicting Jesus…If you go against Me
What God wants…what I, God, want Excerpt: Have you given any thought as to what God wants? What does God want from you?
Jesus will reject many Christians
Was your confession accepted by God?
NAR-types are changing God’s Way, denying the Old Testament
“You are not of God”, Jesus said
Is yours a sound doctrine that Jesus will accept?
The Seed of the Word was sown. What happened to yours?
Footnotes
- For more clarity, see this passage in the Living Bible version:
2 Corinthians 10 verses 3-6 Living Bible
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.“
- Fools in the Bible:
Galatians 3:1
O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?Psalm 14:1
The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt…
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