Pleasing God (Part Two - Knowing God)

Colossians 1:9-12

"For this reason we also, from the day we heard about you have not ceased praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may live worthily of the Lord and please him in all respects - bearing fruit in every good deed, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might for the display of all patience and steadfastness, joyfully giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share in the saints' inheritance in the light."

We looked at this scripture last week and determined that according to Paul in his letter to the church in Colossae, God is pleased when:
*We bear fruit
*We grow in knowledge
*We rely on His Strength, showing patience and steadfastness
*We joyfully give thanks to God

We discussed bearing fruit and now we can move on to "growing in the knowledge of God".....

Wow. Where do we start with this? Clearly, I am not a biblical scholar. My knowledge of God comes primarily through scripture and my relationship with him (and the Holy Spirit since the Bible states that the Holy Spirit teaches us wisdom). I do not claim to be wise, and I don't have time at this season of my life to research and write a novel on the idea of knowing God, or growing in the knowledge of God. Therefore, I will just expand on that which I was mulling over related to this scripture and the concept of Knowing God.

Paul writes in Philippians 3:8 "What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ". Since it appears to suggest that our lives do not have any meaning when we do not know Christ, it must be pretty important. The question is, what does Knowing God mean?

Knowing God Vs. Knowing Of God
Have you ever had a conversation with someone and they ask, "Do you know Sally? You know, her parents are Mark and Peggy. They live over on Maple Drive?" To which you may respond, "Oh, sure I know her." What are you really saying? Are you saying you know Sally in the sense that you know your spouse? Or are you saying you know of her? Clearly, you are saying you know about her, but you really don't know her at all. If someone said they knew you after only having met you 10 minutes ago, would you be slightly bothered by that statement? I would. How could anyone presume to really know me after just ten superficial minutes of conversation? I think I am much more complex than ten minutes of conversation might suggest. These examples bring us to a few main points:

The depth that you can really know someone is limited by the willingness of the other party to disclose information about themselves to you.
Ever tried to get to know someone who wouldn't reciprocate the sharing of information? It is very difficult to establish a connection if the other party will not open up to you. The depth that you get to know them would be very shallow. In essence, you would not be able to say that you knew them, because you really know nothing about them. Even though you may have spent time together, it was not times of sharing, but just one sided. If another party will not allow you to learn about them, you will never understand who they are. It is the same way with God. If God does not disclose himself to you, you cannot begin to know Him. J.I. Packer writes in his book, Knowing God "The width of our knowledge about him [God] is no gauge of the depth of our knowledge of him". In other words, we can know a lot about him - we can study and memorize scripture to no end, but it doesn't mean we know God, it just means we know about him.

It takes time to truly get to know someone
Ever met someone and assumed you knew them only to find out that who you thought they are is completely different from who they now appear to be? We share ourselves gradually, over time. We develop relationships gradually, gaining understanding of one another. In order to get to know each other, we must spend time getting to know each other. That is one of the things that is so important about prayer. We must spend time with the God of this Universe, talking to Him if we want to get to know him. The lack of conversation with Him or reading his word will have us draw false conclusions that are built on our presumed knowledge, not on true knowledge uncovered through spending time with God.

It takes a personal relationship
Getting to know someone requires both parties to be involved. Just as you are uncovering and understanding the other party, the other party is establishing a relationship with you. It is a relationship that must be built on trust and honesty if it is to develop true knowledge of each person involved. How can we trust someone we do not know? If someone read a biography about my life, they might know a lot about me, but they would not truly know me at all. In order for them to know me, we must have a personal relationship. If someone says something false about me, a friend with a personal relationship might be able to defend me by saying, "I know Karen, and that does not sound like something she would do." That friend can justify her point of view because she actually knows me well enough to assume certain behaviors from me.  In the same way, we need a personal relationship with God in order to discern his will in our lives - how he would have us respond to certain situations, what he would have us invest our time in, etc.

It involves more than just intelligence
You can't only intellectually get to know someone within a personal relationship. When someone really knows you, they are emotionally connected and have a general concern for their good will. Packer writes, "They [two parties in a relationship] have identified themselves with, and so are personally and emotionally involved in, each other's concerns. They feel for each other, as well as thinking of each other. This is an essential aspect of the knowledge which friends have of each other; and the same applies to the Christian's knowledge of God." If we don’t have emotion behind a relationship - if it is only intellectual, it is hard to argue that there is any relationship at all. Now before you start to get nervous that I am suggesting that we should know God based on our flighty emotions - that is not what I am saying at all. But it is true that when we are part of a real relationship, we tend to emotionally care about the other's welfare and those things that are important to the other person. We should be the same way if we have a relationship with God. "Believers rejoice when their God is honored and vindicated and feel the acutest distress when they see God flouted."

Knowing God involves Grace
In order for us to develop a deep, true relationship with God, we must come to terms with the truth of who we are.  It is not as important that we know God, but that we know that He knows us. Obviously, we intellectually know that the Bible states that God is omniscient or all-knowing. We know intellectually that God knows us, but we don't really know within our spirit that God knows everything about us and loves us anyway. We have to begin to acknowledge and disclose the truth about who we are to God, so that there is room for his grace to work in our lives. In the same way that we may know about God, and not really know him, God may know about us, but not really know us. Thus the mystery of Matthew 7:22-23 "Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me you evildoers!'" For God to know us, it means that there is an intimate relationship. It is not a factual based knowledge, but a sovereign-grace based knowledge, pointing to God's initiative in loving, choosing, redeeming, calling and preserving us. It is the meaning described in passages like the following "And the Lord said to Moses, 'I am pleased with you and I know you by name' (Ex 33:17). "Before I formed you [Jeremiah] in the womb, I knew you, before you were born, I set you apart" (Jer 1:5) "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me....and I lay down my life for my sheep....my sheep hear my voice; I know them....shall never perish (Jn 10:14-15, 27-28). Here we see that when God says he knows us, it is implying a saving grace, a redemption, personal affection, etc. God's love for the Christian whom he has chosen, is utterly realistic, based on fact, but supported with an emotional connection of true love and acceptance. What a blessing it is to be known by God!

Lord, as I go about my day today, help me to remember the importance of prayer, that continual communication within a relationship. Help me to be open and honest with myself before you. Thank you for the real, loving, personal relationship you offer to me. Let it be said on that day that you know me, and that I know you. ~Karen


Know Me
It was summers past in Sunday school, that I first heard your name.
You touched my heart and let me hear, the truth being proclaimed.
I knew the joy they talked about, just simply had to be.
I heard your gentle whisper say, “My child come, know me”

Through different towns and different schools, you protected me from pain
You gave me strength to live for you, in choices that I made.
When faced with friends who’d let me down, a comfort you would be,
And still I heard you softly whisper, “My daughter come, know me”

I went to college and there you put, desire down in my heart
To find out what this task of yours, to “know you” would impart
You used this time to train my mind, you made me ache for truth
I read so many books it seemed, that told me about you.
I sang about a rugged cross, and kneeled on bended knee,
And still I heard you softly whisper, “I want you to know me.”

These facts and figures I have learned, have taught me who I should be,
A Christian walk that’s filled with fruit, that other’s can plainly see.
But in this quest for intellectual truth, I seem to have made an error,
The command you give is still so firm, “Know Me” your voice says clearer.

So today you speak with strong resound, the knowledge that I seek
Cannot be found in wisdom of man, but by bowing at your feet.
A relationship built on opening my soul, to what you have to give
The grace that poured out on the cross, so that I may truly live.
To know you is to be your child, to walk with you on earth
To hear your voice instead of mine, and know my eternal worth.
I long to hear you say one day, when I arrive on high,
“I know that child, I’ve held her hand, as she walked by my side.”

Pleasing God (part one)

Have you ever tried to please someone who thought they were perfect?  It's a losing proposition.  No matter how hard you try, you feel like it is never good enough.  Frustration ensues.  For some people, complacency sets in.  They give up, they quit trying.  "Why bother if it never seems to matter?" they ask themselves.  Others may have thier frustration lead them to rebellion.  "If I can't please them, I might as well do what I want to do" they might say.  "At least I will live my life my way, and have fun doing it!" Thier rebellion usually leads them somewhere they don't want to go, and thier happiness is elusive, darting around the next corner, the next road, the next unfulfilling relationship.

We serve a perfect God.  At times, I think our response can be like the ones I described above.  We view God as oppressive, as expecting too much out of us.  We strive for perfection in our own strength, defining that perfection from what we think God wants, and then we give up - tired, defeated, and sometimes a little rebellious.....

Colossians 1:9-12
"For this reason we also, from the day we heard about you have not ceased praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may live worthily of the Lord and please him in all respects - bearing fruit in every good deed, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might for the display of all patience and steadfastness, joyfully giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share in the saints' inheritance in the light."

So what does this mean?  How does this scripture help us to serve a perfect God? According to this passage, we can quit defining our own ways to please God!  It directly addresses this issue. 

According to Paul in his letter to the church in Colossae, God is pleased when:
*We bear fruit
*We Grow in knowledge
*We rely on His Strength, showing patience and steadfastness
*we joyfully give thanks to God

Bearing Fruit - Developing Your Branches
Have you ever thought about planting a fruit tree.  I have.  I always run into the same problem.  It takes so long for it to bear fruit!  I would plant one, but I am not sure I want to put the time and energy into a tree that I amy never enjoy the fruit on.  We might move before then, and then it would all be a waste!  Sometimes I think the same way spiritually.  I know that I have the seed of life planted within me.  It needs to grow, to be nourished.  It takes time.  The payoff might be elusive, and at times, it seems like more work than what I think I might get out of it.  The result is stunted growth.  In areas of my life that should have larger, strong branches ready to bear fruit, I have puny stems with a few leaves on them.  Other branches, I have developed well, but the weight of these branches in proportion to the ones I am lacking in, makes me struggle to maintain my balance.  A proper tree spreads its branches evenly, and grows cohesively.  This allows it withstand wind storms, heavy rain, drought and hail.  When I choose to develop one area, and don't address others, I am weaking my ability to withstand adversity from the devil.  I will spend more time trying to keep upright, trying not be unrooted, trying to bend without breaking, that I lose sight of the fruit I was intended to bear, and I switch to survival mode.  The devil likes this.  I am an easy target for being a dissuaded, complacent, frustrated, tired Christian.  I am not threat.  A single storm might take me a year to recover from.  When instead, I allow each branch to be developed by God, in His time and focus on the areas he wants me to grow in, and the way in which he intends to make them grow, I am firm.  I am unshakeable.  I am mighty.  I bear a lot of fruit!  When the devil tries to attack, I don't fight with my own strength.  I allow God to easily bend and move my branches through the storm.  I maintain my balance, I maintain my peace, and most importantly I remain firmly rooted in Christ.

Bearing Fruit - Different Fruit Types
When you think about a tree that will give fruit, I usually think of an apple or pear tree.  The problem I have, is that sometimes I see a pear tree and I want it to produce apples, and sometimes I may see an apple tree that I want to produce oranges.  Of course, I am speaking spiritually.  God has created me as a special kind of tree.  I bear the most fruit when I join him in trying to bear the fruit he made me to bear.  If I was an apple tree and focused on bearing pears, I would bear very few fruit (apples) because I was so focused on trying to bear fruit that I was not created to bear.  If I accept that I am an apple tree, and focus on bearing superior apples, I may be so prolific that my branches would bend under the weight.  In additon, the number of apples would be so great, that the one harvesting may not be able to keep up!  A few apples may just drop and rot on the ground, and help to produce a new apple tree (spreading the gospel)!  If I am to bear a large quantity and great quality fruit, I need to join in God's purpose for my life, and accept who it is that He made me to be.  I also need to accept that he made others to bear other types of fruit.  Sometimes we look at others and expect them to bear fruit they were not created to bear.  We ask them to assist in projects they don't like, or don't feel especially skilled for.  We want them to act a certain way, to dress a certain way, to share the gospel a certain way, to raise thier kids a certain way, and we deny the fact that they may be created to display different fruit than we do.  In fact, their fruit is unique to them!  Just like ours, thier fruit is priceless to thier Heavenly Father, as long as they too, have recognized how God made them and have joined Him to bear the fruit He asks them to bear.

Bearing Fruit - Different Fruit Purposes
Some fruit is not intended to eat.  Or at least, not intended for fresh consumption.  Take the coffee tree.  It produces a red berry.  Inside that berry, is a seed that breaks into two halves.  These halves are roasted to create the coffee bean.  If you decided to eat a coffee berry in it's raw state, without proper preparation, you would be in for a bitter, deceptive surprise.  Don't be fooled though!  The fruit is intentional. The fruit is created well.  Don't assume it is a burden, or a waste.  From face-value, from the raw state, it may not seem useful, helpful, or a blessing, but sometimes God wants our fruit to be prepared.  He gives us fruit that takes time and energy to develop into a rich aroma!  Our fruit may be intended for a special task, that no other fruit can accomplish.  It may take special preparation.  It may take additional time.  It is worth it.  Allowing the grower (God) to harvest this fruit, to peel away the extra layers (you know - the ones that make it look nice, the layers that protect what he is really after - the treasured core, the heart of us) this pleases God! Let your fruit be useful!  Allow God to prepare it for His service, for His glory!

Lord, help me to develop slowly, and intentionally - the way you created me to be, bearing fruit that you intended for me to bear, and allowing you to develop that fruit to be used for you purpose.  Let my firm foundation be rooted in You, and let your Holy Spirit flow through me so that others may see the security of my branches and the blessings of the fruit you create, and give prasie to the glory of God!  Amen.

Colossians 1:21-23

"And you were at one time strangers and enemies in your minds as expressed through your evil deeds, but now he has reconciled you by his physical body through death to present you holy, without blemish, and blameless before him - if indeed you remain in the faith, established and firm, without shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard."

I don't know why I do the things I do.  I don't mean to, but I do them.  OK, sometimes I mean them.  But sometimes I don't.  Sometimes I want to do what is good, but keep doing what is not.  I like the first part of this scripture, which reminds up that our evil actions stem from our THOUGHTS.  That is precisely why the bible instructs us to be transformed through the renewing of our MINDS (Romans 12:2).  And how do we renew our minds? By taking captive every THOUGHT and making it obedient to Christ (1 Corinthians 10:5).  See a pattern here?  In order to accomplish God's will in our lives and to live at peace with everyone  (Romans 12:18) we must know His Word in the depths of our minds.  We must believe at the very core of our being, that this is real, that God cares for us, that Jesus pardoned us, and that the Holy Spirit works within us.  A great book on this concept is Dallas Willard's "Renovation of The Heart".  He talks about how our emotions stem from our thoughts.  Don't want to be frustrated?  THINK about something that doesn't frustrate you (perhaps the love of God even when we frustrate Him).  Have you ever had conversations with your spouses that they have never participated in?  You know the ones - you roll a situation over and over in your head, speaking for the other party.  You get more and more hurt and angry.  One day I decided to put Dallas' teaching into action.  When the situation above started to happen, I decided to think of something else.  Not only did my emotions follow my thoughts to something else, but I was shocked by the immediacy at which they followed.  The only part of me that lingered was the sin part - the part that wanted to choose to think about the situation and get angry about it.  I was shocked - you mean there is a part of me that likes to be unhappy?  What a strange realization!  Especially when I know it makes me so unhappy!  When I decided to deny that sin and change my thinking, my whole being rejoiced!  I not only spared frustration and anger for myself, but I added joy and peace to my life.  How amazing it is when the Bible proves right!  When we deny our sinful nature, the result is peace and fulfillment to our lives.  But Satan tries to convince us otherwise.  He tries to convince us that we are somehow vindicated and justified in our frustration and unhappiness, but we know the result is usually lack of fulfillment and sadness.  Oh Lord, help me to carefully choose my thoughts today.  When I am faced with difficult circumstances, let me direct those thoughts to you and your Word.  Change me from the inside, so my emotions and actions flow out of a changed mind.

The second part of this scripture deals with not only our salvation (a one-time occurance) but also our transformation (continual change).  It speaks about how Christ's death on the cross presents us:
1. Holy 
2. Without Blemish
3. Blameless before Him
But here is the amazing part - THIS IS NOT A ONE-TIME THING!  He doesn't just clean us up on the day of our salvation like a child scrubbed up for Sunday School who later plays in the mud.  He continually cleanses those who believe, those who remain in Him.  We do not have to worry about rejection over the sins we still commit.  God's love is not limited for those who believe.  BELIEVE my friend!  This is real!  This is true!

Boldly move forward today, choosing to direct your thoughts by setting your mind on things above (Colossians 3:2), and enjoy the sweet assurance of the continual cleansing you receive through your faith in Jesus Christ. ~Karen

Colossians 3:12-13

"Therefore (because of Christ we are), as the elect of God (chosen, called), holy (perfectly, honorably, spiritually pure) and dearly (precious, cherished, a high price, prized, scarce, worthy, honorable) loved (tender, passionate affection, warm personal attachment, taking great pleasure in ), clothe yourself (this is not passive - it suggests that I am actively engaged and choosing to dress myself in these things!) with a heart (the center of the personality, or emotion) of mercy (compassion, or kindly forbearance shown toward an offender, and enemy, or other person in one's power, to pardon someone, an act of kindness, - I like this one - evidence of divine favor) kindness, humility (modest opinion of one's rank, lowly, meekness, submissiveness), gentleness (amiable, mild, gradual, to millify, sooth, calm, pacify) and patience (bearing annoyance, misfortune or pain without complaint or irritation; quiet, steady perserverance), bearing with one another (supporting someone as if they depended on you - crutches come to mind) and forgiving one another (granting a pardon, cancel an indebtedness), if someone happens to have a complaint against anyone else (whether we agree with that complaint or not).  Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also forgive others."

Wow!  Here it is again with no comments:
"Therefore as the elect of God, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourself with a heart of mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if someone happens to have a complaint against anyone else. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also forgive others."

The first thing that struck me is I AM HOLY AND DEARLY LOVED! To use some of the synonymns, I am perfectly prized and someone takes great pleasure in me.  What an awesome truth!  Even when i feel most unloveable, God loves me completely. 

The second thing that struck me was the idea that we daily choose to clothe ourselves in these things.  It is not something the Holy Spirit just grants us.  It is not like I can pray, Lord, please make me patient, and boom, I am patient.  No, I think the Lord provides opportunities to learn patience or exhibit patience.  He may also through the Holy Spirit give us a heightened ability during certain situations to display character traits we may not normally be able to acurately express, but the more common form of transformation involves our action too.  We need to step forward, courageously and dress ourselves in these things in the morning, right along with our underwear. 

The third thing that struck me is the tone of our interaction that is described by this scripture.  It is not a "go in with gusto" tone.  It is a focus on others needs and emotions.  It is compassion flowing out of true love, not duty.  It is not someone being trampled on or passively interacting with the world, but someone courageously supporting someone.  The supporters' heart wants to be unnoticed, unseen, to everyone other than who they are trying to encourage.  But thier actions shout loudly because they are so unusual in the world, so foreign to the me mentality, that it can't help but draw the other person in.  It is a picture of God at work.

Lord, today help me to remember that I am holy and dearly loved by you.  Since I embrace and believe this truth, that my true value lies in that statement, I no longer have to pacify my insecurities by looking for reassurance from others.  I can stop focusing on myself and my needs, and focus on those of others.  I can demonstrate mercy, humility, gentleness, and patience - those same taits you demonstrate to me.  Lord, help me to allow you be my teacher.  As the pupil, help me study what this looks like by reading your word, and seeing how you have demonstrated it to other Christians in the past.  As the student, help me to put into practice what I learn.

May the Holy SPirit encourage you today and everyday as we go on to fight the battle being waged around us.  Remember we are not of this world.  The weapons we fight with are not of this world.  They have the Divine power to demolish strongholds.  I feel strong knowing that God will supply my weapons, and train me how to use them.  I only need to be willing.  ~Karen

Captivity

In 2 Chronicles chapter 6, King Solomon offers up a prayer of dedication for the temple he has built for the Lord. Below is a section of verses selected from that prayer:

2 Chronicles 6:36-39 "When they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin—and you become angry with them and give them over to the enemy, who takes them captive to a land far away or near; and if they have a change of heart in the land where they are held captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their captivity and say, 'We have sinned, we have done wrong and acted wickedly'; and if they turn back to you with all their heart and soul in the land of their captivity where they were taken, and pray toward the land you gave their fathers, toward the city you have chosen and toward the temple I have built for your Name; then from heaven, your dwelling place, hear their prayer and their pleas, and uphold their cause. And forgive your people, who have sinned against you."

Solomon definitely had a heart for his people, and an understanding of them. He notes that there is no one who does not sin, and asks the Lord to forgive them. These verses struck me today as I thought about people today. Re-read the passage above, and think of it applying to someone today, even to a believer. Do you know anyone that had an understanding of the Lord and yet the enemy has taken them captive? I know I do. In this prayer, the enemy was most likely other nations that would eventually conquer the future Israel and Judah territory. However, today we still face enemies. You might specifically identify this enemy as satan, who plots to draw people out of Christ, and into the world. It may be that the enemy that takes us captive is actually greed, fame, notoriety, or any distraction of this world. Colossians 2:8 reads "See to it, that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophies that depend on human traditions and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ." Have we been taken captive by hollow and deceptive philosophies? Evolution, materialism, self-sufficiency, the "it's all about me" mindset that is prevalent throughout our culture right now, - have any of these taken you captive? What about financial burdens? I can think of so many things that are part of this world that might take someone - including Christians - captive. We should ask ourselves, am I in captivity to anything or anyone?

In the section of Solomons prayer that I have identified above, he prays for people taken captive. One interesting thing to note, is that he first addresses who this captive might be. He uses the word "when" we sin against God. Not "if", not "those who sin", but "when" we sin. He goes on to say that this clearly applies to all humans, as there are none who do not sin. Solomon mentions that the Lord becomes angry when we sin (it appears he is addressing sin without remorse, even possibly habitual sin). The result of this anger is that God lets the enemy draw them in. Now, first we must address that the Lord is not the enemy. He is not making them be taken captive, he instead allows it to happen. Personally, I know I can do a pretty good job of getting myself into trouble, and praise the Lord that he protects me from some of my own undoing. When we choose to sin against God, he may remove the blessings he has given us, and allow us to be taken captive by those things we pursue. Remember that Solomon is talking about the captivity of EVERY believer and unbeliever. While the fact that we all might be captives at some point might be a tough pill to swallow, Solomon's prayer also offers some hope.

His prayer asks for the Lord to show mercy to those who are taken captive, and to forgive them, but it also outlines major steps on the part of the captive. So what are these conditions? Solomon outlines them as follows:
- have a change of heart
- repent and plead with the Lord
- Say, 'I have sinned, I have done wrong and acted wickedly'
- Turn back to the Lord with all your heart and soul
- pray to the Lord

And the promise which comes as a result of the above? Verse 39 states (paraphrased), "Then from heaven, his dwelling place, the Lord will hear your prayer and your pleas, and uphold your cause. And forgive His people, who have sinned against Him."

What a blessing that is! My friend, know that in the depths of captivity, the Lord is there! We must only turn to him, and away from our captors! But how do we do this? First of all, it is crucial that we recognize what and who it is that has taken us captive. We need to wage war against this enemy. However, this is a spiritual battle, not a physical one. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 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." Isn't it refreshing to know that our spiritual weapons through Christ and the Hold Spirit have divine power? THEY can demolish those strongholds, THEY can battle through the cultural lies we have bought into that are affecting our success in the Lord. However, that doesn't mean that we ask the Holy SPirit to get to work, and then run away from those sins. In greade school, we learn that running away only leads to a chase. No, leaving beihind those sins will not free you from them, for you may find yourself back as a captive to them down the road. Instead, Paul goes on to urge us by stating, that WE take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. See, we must turn around and face our captors. Face the lies that we have bought into, face the deception from the Devil, and bind them up! We must overcome our enemy by leaning on our strength from the Holy Spirit, who offers a defense for us. You see, our freedom in Christ includes not only freedom from the captivity and the sin we struggle with, but protection from the captor!

Lord, help me to identify any areas of my life that have been taken captive. Awaken me to the lies I have bought from our culture and from Satan, and give me the power to overcome them through your Holy Spirit. Father, I ask for your blessings on other believers, those who may have heard the gospel, but have fallen away. I pray that you may reach them in the depths of despair and struggle, in their dungeon of captivity, and call them home to you. May their hearts repent and pray to you, knowing that true freedom can only be found in Christ. Amen.