Wrestle Not

I was tired. The battle felt like an eternity. My enemy had me pinned down. I was in a chokehold. I could not move. I could feel the life being drained from me.

My opponent had gotten the best of me ….because I opened the door. I was weak. I did not resist their tactics -- the way I was trained to do. I did not arrest them as soon as they violated me. I spent too much time wrestling with them.

Yes, I’m talking about my thoughts aka "the flesh."

One of my favorite songs growing up and the first I praised danced to as a child was “Order My Steps in Your Word.”

The part I loved to sing and act out were the lyrics “take charge of my thoughts both day and night.” I knew it was important but at that age, I didn’t fully understand but now I do. We can not think on our own. We can’t let our thoughts rule us. We must lean not unto our own understanding but instead lean on Jesus. When left to ourselves, we allow our thoughts to encompass us, to go down rabbit holes and dark places, and to wrestle us down to the ground.

Our thoughts are born of the flesh and God’s are of the spirit. That’s why we must exchange our thoughts for his and our ways for his.

And that’s why the Bible says: Let this mind be in you that was also in Christ Jesus and tells us that as a man (or woman) thinks so he (or she) is.

Your thoughts control how you respond, how you handle life. One commentator called them the enemy of God. Because they can turn you away from him, his will, and his way in an instant. They will hijack your life and run away dragging you along.

This is why our Pastor Chief Apostle H.C. Gunn always teaches us to arrest our thoughts and not to give them any room. He taught us to pray the scripture “vain thoughts do I hate, but the law of the Lord do I love.” Because our natural thoughts are vain. They will always side with the flesh, and they magnify the flesh…. if we don’t turn them over to Jesus.

Romans 8

5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh, but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

The last few weeks, I was in a wrestling match with my thoughts. A match that should have never happened in the first place if I would have arrested my thoughts and turned them over to the High Sheriff Jesus to be put away.

I was worried and unduly concerned about a situation and my what if’s and shoulda coulda woulda’s had me bound and trapped in a wrestling match. I kept rehearsing my concerns over and over in my head until the point that it paralyzed me with worry, which we know is a sin, and with being over critical….and my thoughts just took over and had me in a place where I could not move in the spirit like I needed to.

My pastor had warned me days before about not overthinking or holding on to a situation too tight, it can become an inordinate affection, but I wasn’t strong enough - I was weaker than I thought. Somehow, I didn’t let his warning soak in deep enough nor work hard enough to pray and study to strengthen my mind by exchanging it for the mind of Christ.

The good news is I finally made the arrest! I put those thoughts in their place. I sent them to the prison of hell. I thank God my pastor called me throughout the process and gave me instruction and correction on how I was acting and once I applied the teaching and the word, the thoughts began to flee and I was able to stop laying there in the spirit ....paralyzed and pinned down ....and could move out God’s way so he could step in and handle the situation.

Our worry and thoughts have no power. They can’t fix or change anything. Like the Bible says, you can’t add one thing to your life with worry. Even science tells us that that worry subtracts from your life. It causes you to lose hair, weight, your right mind, and your health overall, it can also damage your relationships (especially with God) ... I am a witness.

In fact, the Bible says that it is the pagans who are filled with worry and are carried to and fro with their thoughts.

Matthew 6:31–33

31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

And what is a pagan? Someone ungodly and faithless.

And that is exactly how I felt after the battle with my thoughts. I felt like I had misplaced my faith. I felt further away from God. I was grieved. I was disappointed ... but I repented and I have determined to stay on my watch!

Our thoughts can be like the voices of the people who tried to get Nehemiah to stop building God’s work and to come down from the wall. I choose to stay building. I choose to no longer let my thoughts distract my work and cause me to come down. My pastor told me the Lord showed me steady building and using my tools in a vision and nothing would stop me, and I receive that and choose that to be my reality. I am so grateful for having Chief Apostle Gunn in my life to advise, encourage and pray for me. And most of all, I am grateful to the Lord for his grace and his word.

This whole process made me see the scripture “we wrestle not against flesh and blood" differently.

I felt like it was saying to me don’t even give time to wrestle with your thoughts and flesh. Don't wrestle at all .... resist, conquer, and overcome them. Don’t be concerned with people and happenings. Instead, stay in the spirit. Turn it over to God. Let his spirit move and handle it. God is the potter and everything else is clay, so only God can fix the situation.

We have a bigger war to win. We are supposed to have our minds soaked in the spirit so we can keep putting that devil and his demons in his place. When we allow our thoughts to overtake us we are doing the devil’s job for him. And we are distracted from the task at hand, so we are giving place to the devil. Like my pastor said, when we live in our thoughts we are allowing darkness to come into our minds and as a result our whole life. Lord forgive me!

Ephesians 6

12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.

King David understood this. He personally experienced how his thoughts carried him away from God. But thankfully he repented and saw the error of his ways. I am here today to be a witness and warn and encourage you all to WRESTLE NOT with your thoughts! Don’t give them that space in your head. Don’t give them your energy and your power in the spirit. Don’t allow them to tire your spirit. Don’t allow them to block out God’s voice and the teaching we have.

David wrote in Psalm 13:2: How long shall I take counsel in my soul (interpreted by scholars as thoughts), having sorrow in my heart daily? how long shall mine enemy be exalted over me?

Wrestle not and take no counsel/advice from your own thoughts!!!!

Please take a moment to listen to a FORREAL Radio broadcast episode by Chief Apostle Gunn from a few years ago "Sanctify Your Feelings": https://www.thebodyofchristinc.com/listen-in?wix-music-track-id=4644217939820544&wix-music-comp-id=comp-jyc7a8to