“The Enemy Is Already Defeated”

II Corinthians 10:1-6

1) Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence am base among you, but being absent am bold toward you:

2) But I beseech you, that I may not be bold when I am present with that confidence, wherewith I think to be bold against some, which think of us as if we walked according to the flesh.

3) 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 strong holds;)

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;

6) And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.

Preface

The key to being able to operate in the Spirit is knowing how to receive what has “…already (been) done in the Spirit.” However, even concerning things that have been granted to us, on our part, there must be a “seed” planted. Sometimes, that “seed” is as simple as faith. As with all else that is “harvested,” there will be no harvested,” there will be no harvest apart from the planting of the seed.

You see, when it comes to the Lord, His life and His “business,” there are no “shortcuts.” While we know that this world, today, is the embodiment of “convenience,” the Lord is unconcerned with convenience. His concern is righteousness, sinlessness, faithfulness—all of the things that comprise spirituality.

Main Thought

For whatever reason, Man likes to take unto himself “imaginary” enemies. In much the same way, children have been known to make up “imaginary friends.” Now, when it comes to enemies, not only are they to be avoided, but particularly, if they are “imaginary.”

As the redeemed of the Lord, we are sitting in a “place” where we are free from the threat of any who would harm us, for we have the assurance from the Lord that “it’s already done in the Spirit.” If this is the case, then intuitively we also know that “the enemy is already defeated.” Since God is always true to his word. We now know that it is our mind that must be defeated. Only that which is “defective” would perceive what is not there.

Too often, we persist in believing that we are correct even though what we believe leads us to the wrong outcome. It only makes sense that if an outcome (brought about by a thought) is wrong, then the original thought is wrong, as well.

All of the wars that the world has undergone are the result of one “group” perceiving another as an enemy. Of course, through this belief, war is justified, for if you are a threat to me, my only recourse is to destroy you. But what if the “enemy” is internal, that is, within one’s self? What then, does one do? The law of “self-preservation” dictates that a “threat” must be eliminated, so when that threat is generated from within, one must find a way to eliminate the threat without destroying oneself.

In Man, it is the mind that powers and motivates and therefore, it is the mind that dictates. Therefore, if one finds oneself “floundering,” he needs to check his “way of thinking.” The mind motivates the flesh and the flesh causes Man his problems with sin.

Why do we ever attempt to solve our own problems? We know that only through the Holy Spirit are we able to gain solutions to problems, however, if we believed in His solutions, we would not continue attempting to solve them ourselves. One of our biggest problems is being unable to accept that the Lord has anticipated our needs, wants, desires and problems and provided a solution before they even occur. Of course, this is true of the fleshly man, only, because it is only the fleshly man who insists upon operating according to his five senses.

When it comes to appropriating any of God’s blessings to ourselves, as opposed to being a “snatch and grab” proposition, we are required to “put forth.” The reason that we are required to make our own “investment” is because Jesus has already invested all that He has and is, in us!

Though “the enemy is already defeated,” he manages to continue to insinuate himself into our lives by presenting situations to use and “slanting” them just enough to “hide” their true meaning from us. He, almost better than anyone, knows that once we convince ourselves of what is not true, it is almost impossible to un-convince us.

We can exist for years calling ourselves trying to be saved or trying to trust God or trying to “do the right thing.” Most often, we persist in these things because we make conscious choices as to what we are going to “accept.” The truth is that either we accept that “the enemy is already defeated” or we do not. Though we may be able to play the “church game” amongst ourselves, not only is the Lord not impressed with us, but we also find ourselves useless. If we are ever going to make a change and do and be more than what we were before we spoke in tongues, we are going to have to submit ourselves to the Lord. As difficult as it may be to believe, what we believe need have no effect on us—if we will only accept that “enemy (of ourselves) is already defeated.”