The power of obedient thinking . . .

Tozer’s devotional for today begins with, “Anyone who wishes to check on his true spiritual condition may do so by noting what his voluntary thoughts have been over the last hours or days.”

This lines up with yesterday, when God reminded me that my general thoughts indicate what I worship. What do I think about when free to think of what I please? Where does my heart turn when free to turn where it would?

For me at this time in my life, the answer is generally a question: “God, what do You want me to do right now?” or “What do you want me to do next?”

The devotional refers to a passage that I’ve always connected to prayer for others. That is, I know people whose attitude toward God is negative, filled with resistance and disobedience. I’ve prayed that God would tear down the strongholds in their lives so that they are ready and willing to trust and obey Him. I can see this morning that my understanding was based mostly on the second person pronoun in the final phrase. It says “your” and yet Tozer is using these verses as if it says, “our” or “my” — making a difference in how to apply these verses.

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. (2 Corinthians 10:3–6)

If I apply this passage to my own life, the focus becomes centered on my attitude toward God and on those things in my heart that cause disobedience. In other words, if I want to have victory in all spiritual battles, I must deal with my own strongholds, taking every thought captive to obey Jesus and dealing strongly with my own disobedience.

This makes sense, regardless of that second person pronoun at the end. How can I pray that God would change the hearts of other people if my own heart is resisting Him? Such resistance smacks of spiritual pride, arrogance, and hypocrisy. It also explains why my spiritual enemy is continually trying to sidetrack me into sinful attitudes, arguments, and lofty opinions about my own spirituality. He does not want me to have the weapon of a consecrated mind for he knows its power.

Tozer ends his devotional with this incredible challenge:

It is possible to have our whole life so possessed by the Holy Spirit that our very thoughts and intuitions will come to us in quietness and simplicity, with the consciousness that they have been touched by His thoughts and illumined by His light, that we are walking continually with our Father, and receiving constantly the testimony that we please God.

^^^^^^^^^^

Jesus, this is desirable, not simply because it means greater power in prayer, but because it means a deeper relationship with You. Continue to work in my life, tearing down any remaining strongholds by Your divine power. Grant me the ability to realize and destroy any negativity in my heart toward You and toward doing Your will. I know that such a request could result in upheaval and spiritual battles, but the result is far more desirable than whatever I might gain by thinking my own thoughts and trying to run my own life.