DAILY GUIDE DEVOTIONAL: STAND YOUR GROUND (Watch Video)

 Text: 2 Corinthians 10:1-11

Don't let anyone push you or label you by their own definition of what serving God should be. The standard for us is God's word and not man's. Man is  insatiable. Men have their own preconceived knowledge and fleshly manipulative wisdom which they use to qualify everything, including spiritual powers and strength. God's ways are not Man's ways.  The foolishness of God is wiser than the wisdom of men. 

Paul, having encouraged the Corinthians to give their best towards the saints in  Jerusalem, continues on the discourse about the defence of his ministry which some people have spitefully slandered against.  He says in verse 8,

"for though I should boast somewhat more of our authority which the lord hath given us for edification and not for destruction, I should not be ashamed". 

We have authority as believers. We walk according to a given mandate and outline. Jesus is the one who has authorised us. We should always bear this in mind if we are indeed working for Christ. 

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For scoffers will come to question our authority as they questioned that of Jesus. If Jesus wasn't sure where his authority came from the leaders of the Jews would have cut his ministry short. Paul was judged and castigated by men who compare themselves with themselves and are vaunted up in ignorance of their fleshly minds. They use manipulative words, trickery and all sorts of human wisdom to discredit Paul based on his physical  appearance. 

But thank God that Paul knew where his authority came from. He told them plainly;

"Do you look on things after the outward appearance? 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" (verses 7, 3 & 4). 

We tend to fall into the error of fighting the way the world fights. We begin to scheme and manipulate. This is devilish weapon. Our most important weapon is humility. 

Jesus is powerful and bold yet, humble. When Paul displayed this same personality as Jesus it becomes a contradiction in the eyes of the Corinthians because they cannot marry the two. So they say "he is contemptuous in person but bold in his letters". But this is what Jesus would have us be " wise as a serpent but gentle as a dove". They mistook Paul's humility for weakness. So also they mistake our meekness for weakness today. Are we going to employ their own selfish fleshly means in order to prove to them that we are not foolish? NO!

  "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 that does not obey Christ".

 As Jesus disciples, we must master these weapons as outlined in Ephesians 6:10-18. These are our own means of combat. We are not permitted to act outside its limits or borrow worldly weapons. Now, what are those peculiar strongholds and how do you pull them down?

Listen to  Marian Jordan Ellis on this 5 minutes Video