Tis the season of blackout sales and deals you can’t miss! Is anyone else tired of the flood of emails and the constant advisements about the “fantastic” deals you can get around this time of year? Not to mention, if you look closely enough, you realize that these deals look exactly like sales from the Fourth of July Extravaganza and the Easter Bundle!
My soul is weary from the constant harassment of deals and someone trying to convince me I’m saving money by buying their stuff! At the same time, I also feel the ‘Costco syndrome’ infecting me! I mean, how many people walk into Costco for some groceries and leave with an inflatable hot tub? Or, at the very least, you give it some serious thought.
I’m pulled back and forth between “I know your sales tactic; you won’t get me!” and “I want that.”
If no one has said it to you this year, I’m glad you are reading this article because reminders are important. Here is the reminder: You don’t need more stuff; you need a peaceful mind.
A scripture in 2 Corinthians, chapter 10 says, “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.” (v4-5)
If you’ve been in the church long enough, you’ve probably heard this passage. We usually shorten it by saying, “Take every thought captive,” but it is definitely in our Christian day-to-day language.
Contextually, this letter is written to the New Testament church in the city of Corinth because false teachers were trying to cause disunity in the church by spreading lies about the Apostle Paul. Ultimately, these false teachers were trying to get the church to dismiss Paul’s influence in the life of the church so they could “sell” whatever teaching they wanted.
Paul writes this letter to remind the church that he loves them and wants the best for them. He also dismisses any false accusation about his character. This was important because Paul was in a father-like position in the church (Apostle), and a father’s voice is crucial in developing the children’s identity. When you cut out the Father’s voice, the family becomes vulnerable to the wolves.
Paul gives the church some really good advice. He reminds them that we don’t think as the world thinks and that our thought life works best when we line it up with the truth of Christ.
You may not know it, but there is an ongoing attack against your mind. That’s a war strategy from Satan himself. Just like the false teachers in Corinth, the enemy knows that if you confuse the mind and appeal to it with worldly logic, you can cause the believer to second-guess the character of the Father. And once you question the character of the Father, you dismiss His instruction.
Guard your mind during this season. Don’t respond to the world’s voice telling you to buy more, focus on what you don’t have, or get caught up in materialism. These things will burden your mind and cause you to question God’s love.
God loves you. He loves you so much that He sent Emmanuel (God with us, Jesus) to this earth to restore you and bring you close. This season should remind us of His love. So, guard your mind and take every thought captive that doesn’t align with that.
Also, get to church this Christmas Eve with your family so you can receive another reminder. The attack on the mind won’t stop until you set up boundary lines, and the church will help you do that. If you don’t have a church home, join us at Koinonia. We would love to remind you!
Blessings,
Pastor Chad Fagundes
Chad Fagundes is Men’s and Outreach Pastor at Koinonia Church in Hanford, CA. He can be reached at chad@kchanford.com or 559-582-1528