“An ideology born of sense knowledge is dominating our nation, and unless the Word of God gains the ascendancy again, all the ideals of our Republic will go, and a new type of despotism that will be destructive to Christianity will take its place”. This interesting quote was written in 1948 by E.W. Kenyon before he died. I wanted to start this letter with this information in the hope that you will understand why and how even Christians are being held captive by our enemy the devil, and most of us don’t even know it.
Mr. Kenyon saw this happening in 1948 and tried to warn the leaders of the Church before it was too late. Now here we are 73 years later and the Church is even more worldly than it was back then. The gospel has been adulterated and watered down by smooth talking people who preach another gospel than the apostles of old. This has resulted in what we see today. Millionaire preachers who preach and teach the gospel of prosperity and other nonsense, and this has been the ruin of many. Everyone is drawn to the siren song of riches, which Jesus never preached and this is the most common sense knowledge I know of.
In Romans chapter 8 we find Paul being held captive by his mind before he got it renewed by the Word of God and was set free of the captivity of sin which had bound his mind and body. The Church today is full of sense knowledge and carnality. This is one of the main reasons the Church has lost its power to change lives. Paul knew what bondage was and in chapter 12 he shows us how to remove it by the renewing of our minds and casting down those imaginations that were contrary to Gods purpose and will. All the battles we all go through are always in the mind of the believer.
In 2 Timothy chapter 2 we see how believers can avoid and also extract themselves out of the snares or traps which the enemy has laid out for them. It is always better to avoid, then try to get free of a trap that holds you. Every sin we find ourselves in has to be disliked or hated by us before we will ever want to be free of it.
Paul also reminds us in Ephesians 4:23 that we are to be renewed in the spirit of our mind. This process, and it is a process of a continuing nature, and not just a quick fix that we all like so well. It takes effort on our part. Our minds are very pliable and what you feed on causes it to expand or grow in that area. This is why the Word of God is so important to us and our mental well being. You are causing your mind to grow wholly and not just in part. The reading and study of Gods Word will create life and remove death, cause faith to grow and remove doubt, change the facts of the natural by the truth of His word.
We will exchange our carnal way of thinking for Gods supernatural way of thinking. The renewing of your mind is something that will be continued forever. But, we are the ones responsible for the doing part by reading and study and then applying what we have learned if we really want to go forward in the race of life. Remember if you are standing still you are backsliding. We are commanded to press forward to the mark of His high calling in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14).
In Philippians 2:5 Paul writes that we are to let this mind be in us as it was also in Christ Jesus. What kind of mind did Jesus have?
1. Obedient mind, is one of a conscious act of will.
2. Humble mind, is one that always puts others before yourself.
3. Servants mind, is one that always looks to where you are needed most.
4. Spiritual mind, is one that always is in contact with God as your life source.
5. Kingly mind, is one that has a regal attitude that you are special as you are Gods child.
These are just some of the examples of what kind of mind Jesus had and we are to have it also. Instead of concentrating on yourself as most people do, each believer should always be concerned with the well being of those around us who are in the household of faith. In other words your family of believers you come into contact with on a daily basis. I don’t mean denominations, I means people who name Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
Everyday as we grow in our relationship with God by fellowshipping with Him by reading His word, only then will we be able to take our lives back one thought at a time and come into the freedom that is rightly ours and escape the captivity we were once in. Preparing our minds this way is an act of discipline which we must practice daily by a conscious act of our will.
As we free ourselves from every form of mental torment by this process we are able to remove the outside circumstances and be only moved by what God has said in His word. You will not be moved by what you see and you will not be moved by what you feel, you will only be moved by what you believe (2 Corinthians 5:7). Every believer should be directed or controlled from within us by our spirit which is made in Gods image and can not fail.
My final thought comes from 2 Timothy 3 as we see the results of those who listen to the gospel but fail to put it into action or practice, and the result is they are taken captive by their own lust and desires. This is not how I want to live my life that God has given me. So the choice as I have said is always ours to make. What choice will you make? Will you just give in to the easy way and become a captive of our enemy or will you choose to be set free by Jesus?
I have this final word of caution to all my family who believe in Jesus that when you are dealing with someone who is a captive of our enemy , your goal should be remedial and never to punish them. Our purpose must always be to lift them up and edify Christ body, never to tear it down! When our brethren fall into false teachings they must be treated with gentleness and Christian love in the hope that they will come to their senses and escape the trap of the devil who has taken them captive to do his will and not the will of God.
Remember you will make it, just don’t give up. See you soon and I hope this letter helps you in your race of life.
In His Service as Kilted Priest
The Kilted Priest 