Every negative thought is a lost opportunity to have a memorable moment.

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2 Corinthians 10:4-6

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Today’s Tiny Words. Big Life. post is going to be a little different than normal.

Why?

Because I said so. 🙂

It’s not that I’m trying to be obstinate or difficult to deal with, it’s just that I’m feeling moved to “practice what I’m preaching”… to battle a stronghold with a spiritual weapon rather than relying on weapons of this carnal world.

So how is it going to be different?

I’m glad you asked.

Well, if you follow this blog, you’ll notice there’s no catchy opening line designed to pique your interest in hopes that you’ll read the entire post. By the way, catchy openings also provide the punch for a catchy ending.

But this post will have neither of those… well maybe not… we’ll have to wait and see about that.

Instead, this post is designed to knock me on my head and in the process, I’m hoping and praying that it will knock you on your head as well.

If you read the background of 2 Corinthians, you’ll find that the Apostle Paul was not thought of very highly by all members of the Corinthian church. He was seen as two-faced, acting one way in his letters and another when he was face-to-face. He was accused as being bold in his letters and too gentle in person.

It’s hard for me to imagine Paul being gentle… Loving? Yes. Authoritative? Yes. Dedicated? Yes. But gentle? Not in a million years…

But, in Corinth, there was a vocal minority that accused him of that very thing. Apparently, they wanted Paul to come in with guns-a-blazin’ and do battle using methods that they agreed with.

One of my favorite websites is David Guzak’s Enduring Word. In his commentary about 2 Corinthians 10, he makes the analogy that some of the Corinthian Christians thought that Paul was like a dog that barked loudly from afar but cowered away from confrontation in person. It’s like they were saying that Paul was like a dog in a pen, barking constantly, but when you get close to the gate, he runs and hides behind the dog house.

Whether or not that’s true, I obviously don’t know… In today’s Tiny Words. Big Life. Bible verse, Paul defends himself against those accusations, which is the point of today’s post.

By the way, the fact that Paul defended himself is not the point – it’s how he defended himself that’s important.

In Ephesians 6, Paul writes about putting on the armor of God to battle the carnal world. He says that we should use the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit.

David Guzak puts it this way: The Corinthian Christians tended to rely on and admire carnal weapons for the Christian battle:

• Instead of the belt of truth, they fought with manipulation.
• Instead of the breastplate of righteousness, they fought with the image of success.
• Instead of the shoes of the gospel, they fought with smooth words.
• Instead of the shield of faith, they fought with the perception of power.
• Instead of the helmet of salvation, they fought with lording over authority.
• Instead of the sword of the Spirit, they fought with human schemes and programs.

Sound familiar?

Every second of every day, we’re in a spiritual battle between the nature of God versus the Prince of Darkness – the ruler of the age – the driving force behind the carnal world we live in.

When I use the term “nature of God”, I’m referring to the ways and commandments of God – not God himself. We know that He is good and always pure.

The battle is in our heart and mind… the choices that we make.

So, let’s tie in today’s Tiny Words. Big Life. quote with the spiritual battle that was going on in Corinth at the time of Paul’s ministry.

So, what is a negative moment?

Basically, it’s anytime we fall short of living our life in a way that glorifies God.

It’s yelling in traffic at the imbecile 🙁 who won’t get out of the left lane… it’s letting your own selfish needs get in the way of forgiving someone for some little something they did… it’s letting negative things control your attitude toward yourself or others… it’s the abandonment of prayer and the reliance on our own efforts to make life good.

The Tiny Words. Big Life. takeaway is this: Pray to use the spiritual weapons that God gives us through His Son, Jesus Christ to wage war against the constant barrage of carnal moments that we encounter. Pray for the peace of God to filter our emotions that tend to overtake our spirit which render us ineffective in spreading the Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ. Finally, pray for the love of God to cast out every negative thought, regardless of it’s origin, so they will manifest as joy and service to others.

And the next time you’re feeling like the carnal world has you trapped inside the pen – that you’re bark has no bite, open the gate and let the Big Dog out!

P.S. Gotcha… 🙂

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2 Corinthians 10:4-6

⁴ The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. ⁵ 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. ⁶ And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.