Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 10:4-5, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but
mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high
thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into
captivity to the obedience of Christ.”
We understand that we are to pull down any stronghold in our life that is against what
we know and understand about God’s commands, plans and character. By renewing
our minds according to Romans 12:2 we take down every bulwark that keeps us from
our relationship with the Lord.
On the other hand, we also need to build up walls of protection around our hearts and
minds. These walls are built up with bricks of faith, love, hope, and patience.
Think about the walls that surrounded the cities of old. The walls were made of stones
or bricks and were over 13 feet high. Many were wide enough to have chariot races on
top. They built houses and shops in the walls, such as Rahab’s house in the wall of
Jericho. The walls had watchtowers at different intervals around the city so the guards
could see what was coming from every angle. The walls were built to be impenetrable.
So as we renew our minds, we build up strong walls to protect us from the assaults of
the enemy. The problem comes when we think we have a strong wall and then go
about our business while the enemy on the outside keeps bombarding the wall with his
projectiles. For instance, we renew our minds to have the attitude of gratitude. We
break the habits of complaining and being negative and we surround ourselves with
gratitude and thanksgiving. Then, just as the people of the town could go about their
business without ever knowing that arrows were being shot at their walls, we get busy
with other issues or things and don’t pay attention to the enemy slowly breaking down
our carefully made walls. We start by agreeing with someone complaining about how
cold the winter is or how hot the summer is. Then we begin speaking about how
uncomfortable something is. Slowly but slowly, one projectile at a time, our wall is
eroding until one day we realize we have become that negative complaining person
again. Our walls have been worn away one fragment at a time.
Building our walls of defense is good. But we also need to maintain them. We need to
check them regularly. Nehemiah went out night after night and checked the walls. He
knew where the disrepair was and he also knew who was in charge of each portion.
We need to take responsibility in maintaining our walls and watching our gates always
being stewards of what enters. We spend a lot of time and effort into tearing down the
old mindsets and building the strong renewed Christ-centered thoughts and attitudes.
Let us keep them strong and in good repair at all times.