“Look at the obvious facts. Those who say they belong to Christ must recognize that we belong to Christ as much as they do. I may seem to be boasting too much about the authority given to us by the Lord. But our authority builds you up, it doesn’t tear you down. So I will not be ashamed of using my authority.” (2 Corinthians 10:7-8 NLT)
Trust is a very sacred and, at times, fragile thing. To take years to earn someone’s trust, only to throw it away in a single, thoughtless act, isn’t only sad, it’s an agonizing event. In the above verses Paul is reasoning with the Corinthians to stop simply following their heart, their feelings, but to also engage their mind.
“Look at the obvious facts” is a plea that appeals to our mind. Too often we want to deal with life’s issues with our emotions, but by so doing we dismiss a most critical piece of our spiritual process – our mind. Remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 22:37 when He said: “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.”
Why is that so important? Our mind is the control center of our being. It’s like the cockpit of an airplane. What happens in the mind controls the destiny of the body and soul. Our mind is the seedbed of our understanding, which is the basis upon which decisions are made and out of which the flow of our life depends.
When we allow our emotions to override our mind, our intellect, our reasoning, we make critical mistakes in our judgment. We place too much emphasis on things that don’t matter and tend to overlook things that should carry much more weight. There were those who wanted to influence the Corinthian church to follow their leadership, not because they loved them or wanted to serve them, but for what they could get out of them. For selfish gain.
That’s what Satan does in our lives. He plays on our emotions in order to get a foot hold in our life, not because he cares about us, but in order to draw our attention away from following the Lord Jesus. He knows the Lord only has our good in mind, but Satan tries to frame it in such a way that we doubt and question the Lord’s motives.
“Why does the Lord want to rule my life? It’s MY life, what right does He have to take it over?” And the irony is, that’s the devil’s strategy, not God’s. The Lord never makes any attempt to control anything in our lives without our express permission and invitation. God will never force us against our will to respond to Him in any way.
That’s why He stands at the door and knocks (Revelation 3:20), He doesn’t try to force His way into our life, but patiently waits for us to recognize our need and invite Him to heal and help us by assuming command of our life. If I’m learning to fly and I see a major storm coming, am I going to demand control of the plane, or seek assistance from a more seasoned pilot?
Paul was pointing the Corinthians to the facts that he had a legitimate record of service with and to the Corinthian people and with no ulterior motives. That’s what the Holy Spirit is asking of us today. Trust Him to do what only He can do in, through, and on our behalf. And if we doubt, simply look at His spotless track record. He’s NEVER failed, and He NEVER will.
We can trust Him without reservation!
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 