2nd Corinthians 10:5-6, “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth 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.”
Here
is a precious Scripture and a powerful Biblical doctrine to help Christians
live for the Lord. 2nd Corinthians 10:5 teaches for Christians to bring
every thought (subdue each thought) into obedience to Jesus Christ.
For example: If a lustful thought enters your mind, then you immediately subdue that thought and counter it with a Biblical truth. Perhaps you might say to yourself within your mind, “No, I will not think that way. Jesus paid for my sins and deserves better than that. Not today. Not on my watch. I'm going to live right for Jesus, Lord, please help me to have a pure mind.” And then think of some Scriptures; such as what Job said, Job 31:1, “I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?” The best way to fight sin in one's personal life is to memories Scriptures. Psalms 119:11, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”
But now we come to the truth I'm presenting to you in this article. What happens when a Christian fails to bring every thought into captivity? What happens when we allow a hateful thought and murder someone in our mind? What happens when we don't obey Christ in our thoughts and deeds? The Bible teaches in 2nd Corinthians 10:6 to “REVENGE ALL DISOBEDIENCE” when your obedience is fulfilled. In other words, you get mad at yourself that you let the Lord down. When you mess up, you determine not to let it happen again. That's the way to live for the Lord. Ephesians 4:23, “And be renewed in the spirit of your mind.” You get mad at yourself that you sinned and did what you didn't want to do. The Apostle Paul struggled with this thought process continually, which we read about in Romans 7:14-25. Romans 7:15, “For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.”
If you're struggling with sin, it's because you're trying to please the Lord and be an obedient Christian. Proverbs 24:16, “For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.” The two Hebrews words are different. The first word “falleth” means “to trip, or stumble”; but the second word “fall” means “to quit.” Hence, whereas the Christian tries to live right and fails, and tries and fails, and tries and fails, and tries and fails, and tries and fails; the wicked don't even try, they quit and wallow in sin like pigs in mud.
God is please by faith, and faith is obeying
the Words of God. The Bible commands us to revenge all disobedience. We
ought to get upset with ourselves when we fail. Notice that the Bible says
if we judge ourselves, then we will not be judged by God. 1st Corinthians
11:30-31, “For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many
sleep.
1Co:11:31: For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.”
And please notice the wonderful Scripture to follow. 1st Corinthians
11:32, “But when we are judged, we are CHASTENED of the Lord, that we
should not be condemned with the world.” The word chastened means to
discipline. Hebrews 12:6-8 teaches that God the Father scourges and chastens
His children. The word “scourge” in Hebrews 12:6 means “to beat with a
stick, to whip.” No Christian can ever be condemned (damned), but Christians
can be chastised and disciplined for their own good.
May we all purpose in our heart to bring every thought into captivity, unto obedience to Jesus Christ. But when we do mess up (and we will at times because we are human), let us revenge that disobedience by chastising ourselves. It is important that we pray daily for the Lord to “deliver us from evil” as Jesus taught in Luke 11:4. By abiding in the Scriptures and praying, God has promises in James 4:6 to give His grace unto the humble. God grace is the Lord's help in time of need (Hebrews 4:15-16). With the Lord's help we can live right in His strength.
