Tear It Down

Read: 2 Corinthians 10:1-6

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.                                                                                                 2 Corinthians 10:5 

     Present-day teenagers were not alive to see President Ronald Reagan as he stood at the Brandenburg Gate on June 12, 1987. The Cold War had been raging for some time as the Communists in Russia, under the leadership of Mikhail Gorbachev, threatened to overthrow democracy and freedom. President Reagan left them no maneuvering room, and as he stood at the Berlin wall, he made the remarks that essentially brought the Cold War, and the threat to freedom, to an abrupt end. He said, “Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”

     In essence, what God is saying in 2 Corinthians 10 is “Young man, open your heart! Young man, tear down those idols!” There are many things that we will set above God in our hearts if we allow them to gain a foothold. Throughout the Old Testament in particular, God told the Israelites over and over to break down the high places. The high places were used to worship and sacrifice to false gods. God condemned many of the “good” kings of Judah for failing to tear down the high places. God deserves the highest honor and the number one position in our lives. When we allow things like music, friends, television, or internet to take the place of time that we should be spending with God, then it is essentially a high place in our hearts, and it needs to be torn down.

     Think about the amount of time you spent playing video games this week versus the amount of time you spent reading your Bible. How long did you spend surfing the internet compared to the time you spent on your knees before God in prayer? How long did you sit in front of the television as opposed to how long you spent telling others about Christ? Did you even read your Bible, pray, or witness at all this week? If your answer is “no” or “very little,” then you need to seriously consider whether or not those things have become idols or “high things” in your life that need to be cast down.

     There is a spiritual war raging in our lives. The devil is trying to wrestle control away from God. It is time we, like President Reagan at the Berlin wall many years ago, stand up firmly to the devil and demand of ourselves a tearing down of the high places that have exalted themselves above God.

Quote of the day: “Live ever aware of the presence of God.”