Paul goes on to say that we must tear down “every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God.”

These “high things” represent internal strongholds that claim to rival God’s authority within us. This includes:

• Uncontrolled emotions, such as resentment or anger.
• Desires that go against God’s will.
• Attitudes of distrust, withdrawal, etc.

In my case, these strongholds tried to establish themselves in the form of distrust: “Don’t trust anymore, don’t give anymore, don’t be generous anymore.” But these thoughts were incompatible with the truth of the Gospel. Jesus had already warned in Matthew 26:41: “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

These strongholds cannot be tolerated because they directly oppose the knowledge of God. And the knowledge of God, as Jesus said in John 17:3, is eternal life. Everything that rises against this life must be destroyed.

Bringing Every Thought Captive to Christ: An Active Obedience

To bring every thought captive to the obedience of Christ means to submit every reasoning, every emotion, and every desire to His authority. This requires:

• Constant vigilance. The flesh tries to influence our thoughts to lead us away from God.
• Sound judgment. Every thought must be confronted with the truth of the Gospel. Is it aligned with the nature of Christ? What would Christ have done in our place? Does it match our identity as children of God?
• An act of submission. Once identified, every rebellious thought must be willingly submitted to the obedience of Christ…

This text is an excerpt from the book “YOU SHALL NOT LET THE WITCH LIVE” written by Rachel MAHOUTI.

We invite you to read the next article: “OBEDIENCE: THE PURPOSE OF DIVINE ELECTION.”