CAPTIVE OR CAPTIVATED?

I was just thinking about battles, and how the opposing side in a battle is always willing to take prisoners, or take soldiers captive.  The soldiers are kept within certain bounds and held under the control of the other.  The captives are controlled and used for the opposition's needs.  Free choice and departure from the captivity is difficult.  Interesting…Have you ever seen an opposing side in a war battle take a dead soldier captive?  Soldiers are always taken alive.

We are in a continuous battle, as soldiers in the body of Christ, it is a spiritual battle. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities against powers against the rulers of darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.  The truth is the enemy is always trying to trip us up, and twist and turn the Word of God in such a way that we believe him instead of our PERFECT and HOLY God.  It can be possible for us to be found in captivity, held by the bonds of sin, snares that have entrapped us.  The enemy only takes prisoners that are alive, alive to sin.  Why would he want a captive that was dead to his purposes? 

For he who has died has been freed from sin. Departure from captivity comes from a change of mind and the acknowledgement of the precise and correct knowledge of the truth.  We need God to give this change of mind to us, that we may recover ourselves out of the enemy’s snare when we are taken captive by him.

How important is it for us to live such that our love for God sets the standard in our heart that we love Him with all of our heart mind soul and strength and that we love our neighbor as we love ourselves. When we allow our flesh to rule we are easily tempted and drawn away.  Our sin not only costs us, but it costs others. 

How thankful I am that God has not set us in this battle alone.  We are not sent out as a one man army.  He sends us out, and places many members of the body of Christ, the Church around us.  He has equipped each member of this army with amazing gifts.  It is so beautiful how He has placed the exact people in our paths to grow us, mature us, encourage us, love us, and fight for us.  We do not know all things, but He does, and He has given us an amazing inheritance in our brothers and sisters in Christ.  May we all be captivated by Him and all that He is, for His glory.