Strongholds of the mind

In one week last month I encountered three people whose views were so set, whose
mindsets were so entrenched that I was left flabbergasted and frustrated. I used words
like “Have you considered that there might be a better way?” and “Have you studied the
opposing views to that?” They wouldn’t look me in the eyes and their faces were tense
and combatant. “I don’t care what anybody says”, retorted one, and “It’s just not
negotiable” stated another.

Of course, I have to acknowledge that the reason I was challenged by these ‘strongholds
of the mind’ was because they were opposite to my own entrenched views. We view
other people’s mental fortifications from the lofty heights of our own castles. So perhaps
the best we can do when confronted by ‘dug in’ mindsets is to honestly examine our own.
You see, entrenched positions usually lead to conflict in families, churches, and
enterprises and we inevitably lose something precious when stubborn views collide.

We develop our views by adding to what we learn at an early age. We read, discuss,
research, and then we decide on a view. From then on we tend to fortify it by selecting
only the data, opinions and circumstances that support our view. When challenged, we go
to the trenches and dig in around the fortress of our mindset in order to defend it. Each
such battle only serves to strengthen the mind-castle and deepen the trenches.

In 2 Corinthians 10 the Apostle Paul defends his ministry, but within this context he sets
out some important principles that have a bearing on the subject of mental strongholds.
He writes, ’For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The
weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have
divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that
sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it
obedient to Christ’. 2 Cor 10:3-5

The words ‘demolish strongholds’ evokes images of Roman siege engines. The
Trebuchet hurls huge boulders at the walls. The Battering Ram strikes at the gates. The
Tower allows attackers to scale the walls and enter the fortress. So that’s how we are
inclined to tackle strongholds of the mind – batter them down with debate, bash them in
with arguments, or force an entry with manipulation or coercion. Yet, as Paul says, the
weapons we should be using are not ‘of the world’ and if we are going to demolish
mental and spiritual strongholds we had better find another way. It seems that divine
siege weapons operate very differently to those of the world. They demolish by taking the
stronghold captive and making it obedient to Christ.

The mythical Pied Piper of Hamelin didn’t attack the rats with cats, bats, or traps but
drew them out with the charm of his music. We defeat the defenders of the strongholds of
the mind not by argument, manipulation, or coercion, but by drawing them away with the
sweet music of the truth – and Jesus is the truth. An entrenched position becomes just an
empty trench when the defenders have walked off to follow Jesus.
What I mean by all this is that to draw away the defence of a stronghold we need to open
ourselves, and others, to the ways, words, and wonders of the Lord Jesus Christ. We can
demolish arguments and pretentions by simply considering what the light of the person of
Jesus casts on the issue at hand. What did Jesus model concerning this? What did He say
about this sort of thing?

As usual, the ways of the Kingdom of God are opposite to the ways of the world. If you
find yourself suffering from the effects of an entrenched view, I sincerely recommend
that you open yourself to the divine siege engine – the truth embodied in Jesus Christ. I
am trying to do this and already a few of my cherished castles are standing empty and
decrepit on the horizon of my world view.