CASTING DOWN IMAGINATIONS
FOR THOUGH WE WALK IN THE FLESH, WE DO NOT WAR AFTER THE FLESH: FOR THE WEAPONS OF OUR WARFARE ARE NOT CARNAL, BUT MIGHTY THROUGH GOD TO THE PULLING DOWN OF STRONGHOLDS. CASTING DOWN IMAGINATIONS AND EVERY HIGH THING THAT EXALTS ITSELF AGAINST THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD, AND BRINGING INTO CAPTIVITY EVERY THOUGHT TO THE OBEDIENCE OF CHRIST; AND HAVING IN A READINESS TO REVENGE ALL DISOBEDIENCE, WHEN YOUR OBEDIENCE IS FULFILLED. 2 Corinthians, Chapter 10, Verses 3-6.
Although we live in the realm of the natural, we do not or should not war against flesh and blood. Our battle is not an earthly one, but a spiritual one. Paul wrote to the Ephesians and said: “we wrestle against principalities, powers, rulers of darkness, and spiritual wickedness in high places.” Our enemies are masters of deception and manipulation which cannot be seen with the naked eye. Our enemies are not waging a conventional war, but a spiritual war. That war is taking place in the battlefield of our minds.
When our desires, attitudes, and motives are carnally subjective, the enemy can and will easily infiltrate our minds and take our thoughts captive. If we have not been renewed in the “spirit of our minds,” our enemy can be our own emotions, attitudes, motives, will, and desires.
The devils we face are the most devious, ruthless, vicious, and unrelenting force anyone ever had or will have the displeasure to confront on the face of this Earth. They do not follow the rules of warfare established by the Geneva Convention, but by the rules of warfare established by the Devil’s Convention. They give no quarter (rest) and will release no prisoners unless they are confronted with the Blood of Jesus which always renders them powerless.
Satan’s greatest weapons are his powers of “deception and fear.” Satan used his ability to deceive, and manipulate Eve in the Garden of Eden when he beguiled her into partaking of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Beguilement, or witchcraft, is the spirit by which all other evil spirits find entrance into the psyche. The Spirit of Witchcraft works alongside the “Spirit of Confusion.” At times the ‘Spirit of Confusion” will work with others demonic spirits to entrap, deceive, and seduce people. All evil spirits use the tactics of beguilement, entrapment, and fear in one form or another.
When Adam and Eve took their focus off of the Tree of Life (Christ) and placed it on the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil they left themselves open to beguilement, sin, and temptation. Spiritually speaking, the Tree of Life was all they needed to sustain them. Jesus is the Truth, the Life, and the Way. In Christ we can find all the knowledge, wisdom, and understanding we need to sustain us spiritually. Partaking of the “sensual wisdom” and the “good side” of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was rebellious and sinful. According to the Bible, earthly wisdom and goodness is sensual and devilish in nature. (James 3:15).
Satan changed one word which God spoke to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. When they received and acted upon the beguiling words of the Serpent, the whole course of man’s spiritual and physical nature changed. Eve neglected to align herself with God’s Word, but rather with the seductive words the Serpent had spoken to her.
Within the Serpents tempting words dwelt the “seed of evil” which would ultimately plunge mankind into spiritual darkness. This darkness would remain until a Savior (Christ) would come to redeem men from the grip of sin and free them from the Kingdom of Darkness.
Eve reasoned within her mind that all the words which the Serpent had spoken to her COULD be true. After all, the fruit she saw on the tree appealed to her emotional and physical desires. She saw the “fruit was pleasing to the eye, and believed it would make her wise.” However, the wisdom found within the forbidden fruit was not godly wisdom, but demonically and sensually oriented.
Natural reason always opposes faith. It is a byproduct of beguilement which opposes godly principles and precepts. Natural man is in bondage to natural reason. He does not trust in God because he does not have faith to believe in God. He may believe there is a God, but reason stands in the way of him accepting the concept of a God who loves Him.
The carnal mind is “enmity with God” and cannot and will not receive the things of God because “faith to believe eludes him.” Natural reason beguiles men and prohibits them from receiving the things of God. Logic tells the carnal mind that if there was a supernatural God, He would not be approachable by natural man.
There is nothing wrong with human logic in a natural setting, however when dealing with spiritual things, we must become spiritually reasonable and responsible. Natural reason and logic supersede and super-impede the laws of faith through the process of beguilement. Natural reason rejects the supernatural reasoning of God. Faith goes beyond human reason. That is why we must trust and believe in God “by faith” and NOT rely on our own understanding.
In order to believe in God, men must go beyond human reason and logic. In order to believe and receive the “promises of God,” men must set human logic and reason aside and trust Him by faith.
If man is going to win the battle for his soul, he must realize how beguilement affects his daily life. Beguilement (witchcraft) and deception are among the most destructive works of the flesh. Unless we can recognize the role beguilement plays in everyday life, we will not be able to deal with other evil spirits which are warring against our souls.
As Christians we have access to the most powerful weapons in the universe. However, most Christians fail to realize this power exits or that they can have unlimited access to this power. Consequently, many areas of their lives become “battlefields” which have been taken over and are controlled by the enemy.
Every day can be a never-ending, spiritually exhausting battle which rarely or never produces any peace or security for the weak in faith. If we are going to win this war, we must implement all the principles of spiritual warfare which God has so graciously given to us in His Word.
Although we walk in the flesh, we daily come in contact with demonic entities which war against our soul. The enemies which we face are invisible, thus we must have spiritual discernment before we can recognize them or understand how they try to devilishly influence our lives. According to the Bible, Satan can appear before us as an “angel of light.” Many times he will appear with some sinful desire to tempt the flesh to sin against God. Whatever his tactics may be, if we fail to recognize and resist him, we will find ourselves falling prey to his schemes.
THE WEAPONS OF OUR WARFARE ARE NOT CARNAL BUT MIGHTY THROUGH GOD TO THE PULLING DOWN OF STRONGHOLDS. (2 Corinthians 10:4). Our weapons are “mighty through God.” The word “mighty” used in this passage of scripture comes from the Greek word “dunamis.” The word “dynamite” is the English version of the word “dunamis.” In some places in the Bible the word “dunamis” is translated as “power,” and in other places as the “working of miracles.”
In other words, the weapons of our warfare are “powerful” or “miracle working” in nature. They are the most powerful weapons in the universe. It was “dunamis power” which created the universe. Our weapons are powerful (dunamis) through God to the pulling down of “strongholds.”
The weapons we have at our disposal are “dunamis” for the pulling down of devilish strongholds which Satan establishes within the hearts and minds of people. These strongholds become “mind-sets” which will hinder us from receiving the promises of God. They oppose our faith and trust in God.
Strongholds cause many negative issues in the lives of individuals. We can see evidence of strongholds that adversely affect the lives of individuals daily. Until all the negative strongholds existing in the minds of believers are cast down, they will continue to be “thorns in the flesh.”
Strongholds darken perception and distort the truth. They exalt themselves against the will, plan, and purpose of God in the lives of people. Strongholds keep many Christians from “finding and fulfilling” their God given destiny. They block spiritual growth and maturity in believers.
Strongholds hinder the decision making process, thus wrong decisions will be made until those strongholds are cast down. Strongholds oppose the knowledge of God and grieve the Holy Spirit. They steal the joy and peace of many Christians, and leave open doors for demonic activity to come into their lives.
When Moses sent the twelve spies into the Land of Canaan (promise and opportunity) to spy out the land, ten of them came back with negative reports. Ten of the spies returned and reported there were “giants in the promised land” that hindered them from entering into and taking “the land.” The Spirit of Fear has prevented many people from receiving the promises of God. The giants the ten spies spoke of were merely strongholds of unbelief in their own minds which caused fear to engulf their hearts. Fear and beguilement dominate the hearts and minds of people who focus on adverse circumstances rather than TRUSTING in the “promises of God.”
God said that “in the Wilderness the Children of Israel had their perception darkened.” They did not believe they could overcome their enemies because they were “too mighty.” They squandered a great opportunity to believe God and “see the salvation of the Lord.” Victory was at hand, but they failed to believe they were more than able to become victorious over their enemies. We must not allow our perception to be darkened by the “forces of darkness,” but enlightened by the revelation of who we are and what we are able to do in Christ Jesus.
Ten of the twelve spies were too weak in faith to perform the task of “taking the land” God had told them was already theirs. The giants are prophetic of the strongholds which the enemy sows in the hearts and minds of individuals today. Even though God tells people they can defeat Satan, fear tells them they cannot. Their perception of truth is darkened and they choose to put their faith in “what the enemy can do” rather in what God tells them they can do.
Joshua and Caleb “believed the promise of God.” However, the Children of Israel were beguiled by the fearful report of the ten spies who were weak in faith. The “giants in the land” are prophetic of “mind-sets” which the enemy sows into the hearts and minds of individuals today. Hopelessness can and will be a terrifying conclusion when people are desperate for change.
Even though God tells people they have power over “ALL the works of the enemy,” the Spirit of Fear” convinces them they do not. We have all been given a choice to either believe our omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent God, or Satan who does not have the ability to tell the truth.
When Joshua led the Children of Israel across the Jordan River into the Promised Land, a giant fortress, or “stronghold” stood in their way. The Promised Land was “prophetic” of the promises of God today. It was a land flowing with “milk and honey.” Jericho, the “stronghold” was representative of thoughts (imaginations) which exalt themselves against the knowledge of God. Everyone who receives Christ as their Lord and Savior must deal with strongholds which block them from receiving the fullness of God’s promises.
Jericho stood in the way of the promises of God after Israel crossed over the River of Jordan (Jordan means death). Israel had wandered in the Wilderness for forty years, and now they were prepared to receive the inheritance God had promised their forefathers. Although God had given them the land, it was their responsibility to rid the land of all its inhabitants. Those inhabitants represent our spiritual enemies, fear, sin, sickness, disease, and poverty. First, Israel had to eliminate the stronghold “Jericho” which represents thoughts that exalt themselves against the “knowledge of God.”
Before we can receive the promises of God, we must rid ourselves of carnal thoughts and imaginations which stand in our way. Casting down thoughts and imaginations which ruled our attitudes, will, and emotions as we “sojourned in the wilderness (world)” opens to us the opportunity to receive all the promises of God.
The Bible tells us to become “renewed in the “spirit of the mind.” (Ephesians 4:23). The New International Version translation tells us: to be made new in the “attitudes of the mind.” The Bible tells us we have been given the “mind (attitudes and motives) of Christ.” The mind which has not been renewed with the mind of Christ will not possess the motives and attitudes of Christ.
Thoughts (strongholds) which exalt themselves against the knowledge of God must be “cast down” before we can “put on the mind of Christ.” Carnal imaginations which are strongholds will continue to plague Christians who have not been “fully renewed” in the “spirit of the mind.” Our understanding will continue to remain unfruitful if we have not become “renewed” in the “spirit of our mind.”
Many Christians have “Jerichos” firmly established in their minds which hinder them from receiving ALL the promises of God. Carnal mind-sets exalt themselves against the knowledge of God. Many Christians continue to wander hopelessly in a spiritual wilderness because they fail to believe the “report of the Lord.” They continue to be beguiled and manipulated by the Serpent.
Jericho was destroyed as the Children of Israel shouted unto the Lord. The Children of Israel walked around the stronghold for seven days, and on the seventh day the ram’s horns were blown and they all shouted in unison. The scripture is not clear as to what words were said as Israel shouted, but it was through the act of obedience that Jericho, the stronghold which stood in their way, was demolished (cast down) by the hand of God.
Strongholds are “Jerichos” which pollute the mind and bring spiritual deterioration to attitudes and motives. Sin, doubt, fear, unbelief, and lust are all strongholds which control the flesh. These strongholds abound in the hearts and minds of people as they continue to wander in the “Wilderness of Sin.” These Jerichos (strongholds) must be cast down and destroyed if we as Christians are going to experience the “good of the land” which God has promised to those who believe.
The weapons of war which God has given to His children are more than capable of destroying the works of the flesh. The “works of the flesh” were established in the heart of believers before they crossed over the Jordan River into the Promise Land of God. Today the strongholds which Satan has established in the hearts and minds of men must be replaced with strongholds of God-- obedience, faith, love, joy, and peace.
God has given us the power to tread upon serpents, scorpions, and all the power of the enemy. The enemy establishes strongholds of doubt, fear, unbelief, and spiritual perversion in the hearts and minds of believers and unbelievers alike. However, dunamis power is more than enough to demolish the strongholds which the enemy establishes in the minds of believers and put them to flight.
Jesus, which is the Greek form of the Hebrew name “Joshua,” has lead us across Jordan, the River of Death and brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey. Now we dwell with Christ in heavenly places far above all principalities, power, might, and dominion. (Ephesians 1:20-21).
ANYTHING which exalts itself against the knowledge of God is an evil stronghold. False doctrines and doctrines of demons are some of the worst strongholds Satan has established in the Church. Unless these strongholds are dealt with and destroyed, the Church will not experience complete freedom and unity. Until we cast down the strongholds Satan has established within the Church, Christ will remain waiting at the threshold of Heaven for His Bride. When His Bride, the Church, is prepared and has made herself ready for her Groom, nothing can or will stop Him from coming to rapture her away.
CASTING DOWN IMAGINATIONS, AND EVERY HIGH THING THAT EXALTS ITSELF AGAINST THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD. Imaginations are “thoughts” or “reasonings.” The word “imaginations” comes from the Greek word “logismos” or in English, “logic.” In a scriptural context, imaginations are related to evil reasoning and logic.
Logic in itself is not evil, but any logic which exalts itself against the knowledge of God is evil. When human logic and reason are all that is relied upon, natural man will be void of faith. If men are going to defeat the enemy of their souls and overcome the darkness which prevails within their hearts, they must have faith. Faith defies and goes beyond human logic and reason. If we are going to believe God, we MUST set human logic and reason aside, and put our faith into practice.
Human reason is in conflict with and opposes supernatural faith. We must go beyond human reason and logic if we are going to trust in God and the promises of God. Casting down human reason and logic is essential before faith can arise in the heart of the believer.
Thoughts are like seeds. Evil thoughts or seeds are sown into the minds of men by the evil sower, Satan. Satan planted an evil seed (thought) in the mind of Eve. That thought, when accepted as truth, germinated and produced the fruit of unrightousness which remains in the hearts and minds of natural men till this day. Within the “seed of evil” was the fruit of doubt.
What Satan told Eve sounded “somewhat” like the truth. However, it was a lie. The fruit of wisdom on the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil looked pleasing to the eye, and after all, wisdom is a thing to be desired. Eve must have thought “what could be the harm?” She knew the fruit on the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil had some “good” in it. Eve “saw the forbidden fruit was able to make her wise.” After all wisdom is what prudent people desire. Eve listened to and obeyed the voice of the Serpent, and subsequently, creation eventually plunged into spiritual and soulful darkness.
Human logic and reason can get us in trouble if we use them in the context of spiritual truth, understanding, and wisdom. Imaginations or thoughts which align themselves with carnal desires, motives, and attitudes, are the enemies of God. Faith is rendered helpless where human logic and reason rule. Natural law and the laws of nature are contrary to the Law of Faith.
Every thought, reason, or logic which is in opposition to the knowledge of God must be destroyed in our life if we are going to win the battles against the enemies of our faith. These thoughts are strongholds which hinder, and nullifies our faith. Without faith, it is impossible for us to receive the promises of God or defeat our enemy and his attempts to steal, kill, and destroy.
Opportunity lies ahead for all who by faith enter into the promises (promised land) of God and cast down every thought, natural reason, and imagination which exalts itself against the knowledge of God. All the promises of God are available to every Christian, however the devil is not going to allow us to receive them without first testing and trying our faith.
Doubt is a powerful stronghold and motivator. Doubt is a type of fear which subtly controls the mind when people are distraught and discouraged. Doubt is a stronghold which must be dealt with ardently, authoritatively, and expeditiously.
Israel destroyed the stronghold of Jericho by “faith in the promises of God” and their shout of praise. Praise is one of the greatest weapons we have in our arsenal. Praise is akin to the sword of the spirit. The enemy must yield when we raise our voices with our “sword of praise.” Many times as Israel went into battle, the “praise and worship team” went before of the Israeli Army onto the battlefield.
Israel obediently circled the stronghold of Jericho seven times (seven represents completion, or in this instance fulfilling the command of God). They obeyed God’s command and shouted with the “voice of triumph and praise.” God gave Israel victory over the “stronghold” which stood in their way as they entered into the Promised Land (promises of God.)
Imaginations (strongholds) which exalt themselves against the knowledge of God are cast down by the “sword of the spirit.” We cast down imaginations when the Word of God is released in faith and power through the “spoken word.” The Blood and the Name of Jesus are more than a match for any demon spirit, demonically inspired stronghold, or thought. We possess “dunamis power” through the Blood of Jesus and faith in His name. All the promises and power of God are available to us to “cast down imaginations and every thought which exalts itself against the knowledge of God.”
Every thought which holds the mind captive has to obey the voice of faith. Every imagination which exalts itself against the knowledge of God can be disposed of by the “word of faith.” However, we cannot take revenge upon the “enemies of thought” which prevail in our minds until we submit ourselves to the laws and statutes which God has written upon our hearts. When our obedience is fulfilled, we will be able to exact revenge upon carnal thoughts and imaginations which exalt themselves against the knowledge of God. God will give us the faith and ability we need in order to destroy all the works of the enemy when and if we submit our will to Him.
Victory may or may not always be instant. Sometimes believers must attack the same strongholds daily, but we must remember God WILL help us defeat the enemies of our soul if we are patient, obedient, and sincere. We must patiently believe before we can receive. The Bible tells us “In our patience we possess our souls.” (Luke 21:19). We must trust in God--not in our own fears and inhibitions. We must realize God is always greater than our enemy, and Christ in us is greater than our enemy. Greater is He who is in us than he that is in the world. (1 John 4:4).
All disobedience must be removed from within our hearts minds if we are going to defeat our enemies. If we have not renounced the works of the flesh, the flesh will rise up and rebel against godly wisdom, knowledge, and understanding and our faith will then be weak. The strongholds of human reason, imaginations, evil desires, and fear must be cast down before we can become “partakers of God’s promises.” When we have destroyed the works of the flesh in our lives, we will then be able to help others do the same.
We cannot use the same human reason, tactics, and logic, the Children of Israel used for forty years in the Wilderness. They brought condemnation, judgment, and destruction upon themselves by their evil works and carnal reasoning. They lacked faith in God, even after seeing and experiencing all the miracles He performed in their midst.
We cannot use the weapons of human reason and logic we embraced while we wandered in the “Wilderness of Sin” to destroy the enemy within our “promised land.” We have met the enemy on the battlefield of our minds, and his thoughts will continue to remain within us if we fail to drive them out.
Human logic and imaginations are mind-sets which hinder Christians from believing and trusting in the power of God to set them free. As Christians we are no longer citizens of the Kingdom of Darkness. We have become citizens of the Kingdom of Light, and we need to think and act upon the laws and principles which govern that Kingdom.
As Christians we need and must have new mind-sets, or strongholds which exalt, agree with, and conform to the knowledge of God. The darkness in this present world which prevails in the hearts and minds of unbelievers should not be present in the Church. We MUST possess new mind-sets before we can faithfully go forward in the power and might of the Holy Spirit to preach the gospel, cast out demons, raise the dead, and heal the sick.
As Christians, we live in a Kingdom which is governed by different precepts and principles than the rest of the world. We cannot continue to walk in the vain imaginations which govern the rest of the world. New mind-sets must replace the old ones which exalt themselves against the knowledge of God. New mind-sets will establish godly knowledge, wisdom, understanding, and power in our lives. We must possess new mindsets if we are going to defeat the enemies which are continually trying to destroy us.
The DISCERNING OF SPIRITS deals with the ability to “see” into the realm of the spirit. To discern means to “see or determine.” Discerning of spirits is the gift of the Spirit which deals with seeing into the realm of the spirit or determining the nature of spiritual entities and/or gifts. The discerning of spirits includes the ability to see angels, as well as demons.
Many people get hung up on seeing devils all the time, but the discerning of spirits also includes seeing angels as well. One who possesses the gift of discerning of spirits will see into the spirit realm as the Lord opens his or her spiritual eyes.
There are many more angels than demons. One third of the angels who rebelled against God were cursed and cast out of Heaven. Like God, angels and demons are spirits. They reside in the spiritual dimension which is adjacent to our own dimension. Angels and demons have the ability to see into our dimension at all times. One could say they have “discerning of people.”
The gift of discerning of spirits opens our eyes to see into the realm of the spirit. God has opened my eyes on many occasions to see into the spirit realm. I have experienced seeing both angels and demons. This gift is very useful to those who are ministering deliverance, healing, miracles, and power to people who are bound by satanic entities.
Elisha, speaking of his servant, prayed: “Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes that he may see.” And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horsemen and chariots of fire round about Elisha. (2 Kings 6:17). This is one example of “discerning of spirits” which is recorded in the Bible.
When operating in the discerning of spirits, the Holy Spirit is allowing us to see into the realm of the spirit. When God opens our eyes to see into the spirit realm, He expects us to do something about what we are seeing. If we are seeing demonic activity, He expects us to deal with the demon spirits authoritatively and harshly. At times the Lord has opened my “spiritual eyes” to see demons in order to teach me how certain demons operate in the lives of people. Other times He opens my spiritual eyes to see into the “spirit realm” in order to deal with evil spirits expeditiously and authoritatively. Our spiritual eyes are connected to the “eyes of our understanding.” Spiritual discernment is akin to “spiritual understanding.”
When we are seeing angelic activity, God is trying to send us a message, give us direction, or perform something supernatural in our midst. Sometimes God sends us a message through angelic presence and activity in our lives. Many of us have entertained angels unknowingly. Angels have saved and delivered many God fearing people from destruction without their knowledge. “Angels encamp round about those who fear God and they deliver them.” (Psalm 34:7).
Discerning of spirits has been very helpful to me in waging war against the Forces of Darkness, ministering deliverance, and imparting wisdom and direction to others. Many people have been set free all over the world because men and women of God have been able to see demonic activity taking place within the “spirit realm.”
Without this supernatural gift, many lives would remain in spiritual darkness. Many people do not know what type of demon or demons they are dealing with or how to deal with the evil which may be present in their lives. Discerning of spirits is a must for every believer, not just for those in the pulpit or deliverance ministry. If we can see the evil spirits which we are dealing with in the spirit realm, we will have a greater understanding of how they practice their evil craft. We should all PRAY for God to open our eyes so we can discern when good or evil is present, and how we are to deal with evil when it in our presence.