What's on your Mind?

By: Steven Jefferson, Sr.

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ (II Corinthians 10:4-5) NKJV.

Do you suffer with self-deflating thoughts? Do you find yourself constantly struggling to find anything good about yourself or your life? Does it seem like life is passing you by? Is it difficult for you to maintain a positive, joyous attitude? In today's society, many people struggle with these thoughts.

Low self-esteem is becoming more prevalent in the 21st century. It is a false or negative perception of oneself derived from various external influences. At the root of these false perceptions is Satan and the forces of darkness. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12) NLT.

These foreseen forces attempt to plant unhealthy suggestions (seeds) into our thinking. Our minds, if not guarded by heathy thoughts (the Word), will foster these seeds until they begin to manifest in our emotions and actions. We then start to embrace these seeds as our own personal truths about ourselves. These thoughts become stronger and stronger by being reinforced by external forces and rehearsed over and over in our minds. The bible refers to these unhealthy seeds as strongholds, For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ (II Corinthians 10:4-5) NKJV.

Only the Lord Jesus Christ has the power to break and destroy these evil forces. He is more than willing to come to our aid; however, we must be open, honest, and willing to receive his help, God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants (John 3:17-21) NLT.

Throughout his life, Jesus encountered people who were bound and oppressed by various situations and circumstances to which he had the solution. He teaches us to seek him for the solution. Jesus wants us to take steps of faith toward him, believing that our situation(s) will get resolved, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened (Matthew 7:7-8) KJV.

Will you be courageous and diligent enough today to make the same choice?

Rise up and Fight

By: Anthony Martin

³ For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. ⁴ For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, ⁵ casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, ⁶ and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.  2 Corinthians 10:3-6

Do you know that God’s Word is a powerful force against the philosophies and secular reasoning of this age? It contains godly wisdom, knowledge, and direction for every area of our lives. Although people have tried to discredit the bible, it has stood the test of time. As a Christian man you know the bible works because look at the change in your life today? You are not the man that you once were. Yet, there are forces of darkness working through the secular society that we live in that fights against our faith. In the above passage, notice the words that are used such as war, weapons, strongholds, arguments, captivity, and punish. These were strategically written by God to help us comprehend the kind of battle or debate that rages against our minds.

Here is the thing; we don’t have to receive the blows from secular reasoning and its temptations. We must rise up and be valiant men in holding fast our Christian values. We don’t have to surrender to an enemy (Satan) who our Champion, Jesus Christ has defeated. In verse 4, it tells us that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal. This means we no longer have to resort to tactics, ideas, and lifestyles that are by secular means in attempting to live morally. On the contrary, our weapons are mighty in God to the pulling down of strongholds. This means the way we win for our faith comes through God’s might and not our own.

As men, we are hard-wired with strategy, analytic reasoning, and dominance. Too many Christian men are still trying to fight in their own wisdom, ideas, and personal approach to matters of their lives. Those tactics or arsenals are no longer needed to sustain us. Let’s face it, one of the hardest things to convey to Christian men is they no longer have to use their own might when facing life's challenges. Before we accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior we marched to our own beat. Now that we have decided to place our faith in Christ we are exhorted through scripture to allow him to lead. He is the vine and we are the branches (John 15:4-5). When we are submitted to His lordship things work out in us for the best; even if things don’t work for the best around us.

Each day Christian men are facing all sorts of challenges but none greater than resorting to our own method of figuring life out; however, we must rise to this challenge and declare a complete and total dependence on God. We accomplish this by training our minds with God’s word each day (Matthew 4:4). We cannot let up for a second. We must be offensive by starting our days off with prayer, reading, and meditating on the words in the bible. We don’t have to wait until a situation arises and then start defending; but we can score first with approaching each day with submission to God.

Finally, the way we win is not the way we are used to winning. You know, using our own might, wisdom, force, and knowledge on matters. However, winning for us is submitting to God and allowing him to handle matters his way. This is a great challenge for us as men because as stated, we often feel that we must exercise our methods in handling matters. Our victory can only be achieved when we practice submitting ourselves daily to God’s leading by his Spirit, and through his Word.

The Challenge of Trusting God

By: Anthony Martin

Of all the things in my Christian journey, the one that has been the most difficult is trusting God. I have no problem trusting His character; it is placing my trust in His providence that has been my challenge from time to time. There are moments when I find myself in a struggle between my ability and God's ability. Sometimes it is difficult to reconcile in my mind that God is working and moving on my behalf. Are you one of those men who say within themselves, "I have to make it happen because no one else is going to do it for me"? Well, you are in good company. As men we are hard-wired with a "drivers" mentality. We want to be in control. We want to take the lead over our own lives. A man and his wife both walk to the car, and if you notice; the man automatically goes to the driver's side. We want to drive, take the lead, and be in control. The only thing is—so does God. 

This is where we have the choice to either challenge His position or submit to it. It's one thing to acknowledge God in our lives; but it is another thing entirely to allow Him to lead us. We trust that God is who He says He is. We don't question it. However, when He tells us to trust in Him with all of our hearts, and lean not to our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5), it can really be challenging, especially when we have relied on our way of viewing and approaching matters. 

Trusting God has been a struggle for most Christian men, who find it difficult allowing God to lead and drive. The key to overcoming this is daily interaction with God in prayer and in the study of His Word. This is a discipline that will yield tremendous results. His words will speak to your mind and feed your thoughts. His Words will gradually replace  self-reliant attitudes and behaviors. Before long, what was difficult will become a way of life.