2 Corinthians 4:4 (NIV)
The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the
light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
The second realm of warfare is still against the evil one. This battle, however, is
not against the principalities that are found in the heavenly realm. Instead, this is a
battle against the ground troops, the demonic forces that have the task of developing
heresies in the mind of humanity that will blind them to the reality of Christ and all that
He purchased for them personally.
2 Corinthians 4:4 confirms this line of thought
concerning this second battlefield. The apostle Paul writes to the church in Corinth
informing them that the god of this world, that is the devil, has blinded the minds of them
which believe not.
In
2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (NIV), which is the foundation scripture to the
warfare of the mind says:
3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the
world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary,
they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension
that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make
it obedient to Christ.
Notice that this type of warfare is not fought in the heavenlies. It is fought in
the mind of the believer. 'Pulling down strongholds' refers to casting down vain
imaginations that have been implanted into the realm of the mind through projected thoughts
by demonic forces. These demonic forces will reinforce their handiwork by confirming their
thought patterns through natural channels such as parents, friends, or even mentors, through
words of confirmation.
It is my personal belief, through many hours of study and prayer, that water baptism
is the key weapon given to the Church for the renewing of the mind. It is not the religious
ritual that some churches perceive it to be. Many church leaders teach water baptism to be
nothing but a point of identification to the resurrected life of Christ. This is not
correct. Water baptism is a powerful weapon against the carnal mind.
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