Prepare for Battle: 2 Corinthians 10:1-18 (Self Control)

Read Galatians 5:22-23:

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."

Are you ready to make your investment in the Fruit of Self Control?

Go to 'VIDEO' and watch a message from Eric Ludy on what it means to prepare for battle as a warrior in the Army of the Kingdom of God.

Select 'Successful' when you are finished.

What are your thoughts about this video?

Read 2 Corinthians 10:3-6:

"For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete."

Allow this word of God to penetrate, then select the 'Successful' response when you are ready to prepare for battle.

Go to 'DOCUMENTS' to read Oswald Chambers comments on taking thoughts captive.

Select 'Successful' when you are finished.

Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you how he sees your identity in The Army of God's Kingdom. (Note: in addition, if you have an identity statement, take time now to review it.)

Write down any revelation you receive.

Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any proud obstacles (beliefs, thoughts or imaginations) that are contrary to the word of God and leads you to experience any of the following:

a) fear
b) doubt
c) confusion
d) dread
e) distraction
f) anxiety
g) lack
h) passivity
i) uncertainty
j) diminishment
k) humiliation
l) condemnation

Write down your answer in the space provided.

If the Holy Spirit reveled something to you, would you like to take a moment to confess and repent?

If 'Yes', if you wish, use the space provided to do so now. If 'No', proceed to the next step.

Now ask the Holy Spirit to take you to the Bible verses that will "wage war" and "destroy", through the word of God, what is coming at you.

For example: if you are experiencing fear, you could choose 2 Timothy 1.7: "For God has not given us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control."

Write out the entire the verse(s) in the space provided.

Take time now to meditate on the word of God you selected in Step 9.

Select 'Successful' when you are finished.

How much do you feel the word of God equipping you for battle and, ultimately, victory?

If your answer was 'Fair Amount' or 'Great Deal', proceed to Step 13. Otherwise, stay with Step 10 until you can answer at least 'Fair Amount'.

Your mission today is to apply the Bible verses you chose in Step 9 and, as Oswald describes, drawing on God's power, not by fleshly endeavor or compromise, determinedly demolish 'every theory or conception which erects itself as a rampart against the knowledge of God.'

Do you agree to remain focused and committed to the successful completion of your mission?

Ask the Holy Spirit if he has specific instructions for you to carry out your mission.

Write your answer in the space provided.

Oswald reminds us:

"The warfare is not against sin; we can never fight against sin: Jesus Christ deals with sin in Redemption. The conflict is along the line of turning our natural life into a spiritual life, and this is never done easily, nor does God intend it to be done easily. It is done only by a series of choices. God does not make us holy in the sense of character; He makes us holy in the sense of innocence, and we have to turn that innocence into holy character by a series of moral choices. These choices are continually in antagonism to the entrenchments of our natural life, the things which erect themselves as ramparts against the knowledge of God. We can either go back and make ourselves of no account in the Kingdom of God, or we can determinedly demolish these things and let Jesus bring another son to glory."

How important to you is it to rise up today and make the difficult moral choices to come against any thought, habit, mood etc. which are erecting themselves as ramparts against your knowledge of God?

Finally, be strong and of good courage! May the Lord of Heaven's Armies give you the faith and strength to secure His victory in Christ, Jesus.

Rak Chazak men and women of God!

How much has this Trail increased the Fruit of Self Control in your current dispostion?