Greetings friend, and welcome back to Setting Captives Free!
Please pray as we start our study today, asking God to give you insight into His Word.
In the previous lesson, we spent time at the foot of the wondrous cross fixing our eyes on and worshipping the bearer of all our pain, sadness, burdens and sins - Jesus. In the following days, we will discuss practical ways that we can apply the gospel to our lives, learning how to find powerful healing for our struggles and distress. Today and in the next lesson, we will focus on a struggle that is common to us all: how to deal with the troublesome thoughts with which we can be plagued.
God knows all things, including each and every one of our thoughts, and He understands us, even if in our thoughts we are distant from Him :
You know when I rest and when I am active. You understand what I am thinking when I am distant from you. (3) You scrutinize my life and my rest; you are familiar with all of my ways. (4) Even before I have formed a word with my tongue, you, LORD, know it completely! Psalms 139:2-4 ISV
During my time of dealing with depression and talking with others who have had a similar struggle, I found that certain thoughts and feelings were common in varying degrees. We were distressed by fearful, angry, confused, and sad thoughts, burdened by worries, with feelings of loneliness, regret, and despair. Our hearts were crying out: “Why is this happening to us? How can we get out of this dark valley we are walking through?”
Question 1. What are some thoughts that have troubled you? How have you tried to get rid of them? Please share.
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David writes, "Mostly financial. Ever since the crash of 2008 I am almost frozen when it comes to any kind of down turn of work. (I am Self Employed) The fear losing everything, letting my family down, my selfish fear of what will everybody think? I then spiral into a deep depression and anxiety. I don't trust in He who knows me and has always taken care of me. I often turn to booze to hide and comfort myself selfishly and foolishly. But as I look back He has always come through with new work or new contacts to connect with. Always. I'm pretty shallow when it comes to trusting my Lord who loved me so much He died for me. Working on that!!"
Carnell writes, "I have struggled with impure and unnatural thoughts which caused me to do selfish things. As much as I tried to get rid of them on my own I realize that I was not totally trusting God for deliverance and healing."
Tori writes, "Some thoughts have been feeling troubled with life, like it is pointless, feeling like I am not good enough, that no one cares about me and that nothing will get better. I tried to get rid of them through the world's way of finding momentary happiness in things that don't fulfill, or through pride, or vanity, but it is still there. Those ways seem so temporary and does not really get to the root of the problem."
Let’s read our passage for today and find the help for these troublesome thoughts that God has for us:
2 Corinthians 10:3-5 KJV For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (4) (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds;) (5) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
Question 2. According to 2 Corinthians 10:5, what is a stronghold?
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