Captor or Captive

7/31/2019 Captor or Captive

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Captor or

Captive?


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Many well-meaning, serious Christians, myself included, sin regularly

without any awareness of it.

This morning I "just happened" to open the Scriptures to Ecclesiastes 10

and 11.

"Do not revile the king even in your thoughts, or curse the rich in your

bedroom, because a bird of the air may carry your words, and a bird on the

wing may report what you say."

Well, there for a start is something that almost everyone I know has done.

Unhappiness with our government and its leaders has led to an increasing

flood of reviling, of cursing, of despairing. We have found it hard to bless

and not curse, to be obedient to pray for and not against those in

leadership over the nation. Yet, we are directed to do that very thing. The

natural question is, "How in the world can I bless someone whom I perceive

as evil?"

Acts 10 recounts Peter's vision and his direction to go visit the Gentile,

Cornelius. When he first arrives at Cornelius' home, he makes thestatement "God has shown me that I am not to call any man impure or

unclean." This is not a statement applicable to Peter alone, but is clearly

intended for all people. All men (women, too) are from God, created by

God, and redeemed by Him at the cross of Christ. All men (women, too)

are valued and loved by Him. Therefore, no matter how awful they may be

in our eyes, we are not to label them or judge them, keeping ourselves

separate from them as we would some filthy refuse.

I repented, on reading that, but also raised the question: "But God, you are

clear in the Scripture that you will destroy all wicked evildoers. How does

this work?"


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Reading on, following Cornelius' welcoming speech, Peter then adds, "Now

I know that God does not show favoritism, but accepts men from every

nation who fear Him and do what is right." In this statement the focus is not

on the man Peter, but on God. It confirms the idea of selectivity based on

meeting some conditions --"who fear Him and do what is right."

The conclusion is that if we steadfastly extend acceptance to everyone, and

fail to label them as unclean or beneath us, there will be a greater witness

to God and His love which may turn the evildoer toward the Lord to receive

His forgiveness. Our penchant for rejection and cursing rather than

acceptance and loving is truly the stumbling block to salvation for many of

those we have despised.

In the Ecclesiastes reference above, the statement clearly warns against

even having negative thoughts because they will somehow be spread

abroad, to our harm. This is a Scriptural example of the power of words and

the thoughts which precede them. In ways we do not understand, thoughts

create. Negative thoughts create negative entities, or vibrations - call it

what you will - on earth and in the heavenlies. We may think that what wethink privately doesn't matter or won't hurt us, but this passage declares

otherwise. A curse conceived in the mind sets up a force in the spirit which

can be felt at some level by the "recipient." Many people have reported

that they could "feel" the prayers of others when they have been in a

serious situation. In the same way, people can "feel" the rejection, criticism,

and hatred lodged in other's hearts and minds whether they are near or at a

distance. We can be bound in the spirit by the negative thoughts directedour way. Nevertheless, Jesus calls us to "bind up" our negativity toward

others. He continually draws us to " have the mind of Christ."

The Scripture presents each of us with a challenge, which is to make a

difference in the world, and take dominion upon the earth, reflecting God's


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glory in the process. There is an obvious shortfall here between the

challenge and its execution. If our goal is to be world-changers, It would

seem some changes need to be made in the way we live, the way we think,

the way we relate to others. To walk in righteousness, then, is to repent of

and avoid all thoughts of judgment of others. Taking control of your thought

life is the beginning of spiritual warfare. It is truly bringing every thought into

the captivity of Christ. Bringing all your thoughts under the Lordship of

Jesus takes discipline, but when you do, you are moving away from

agreement with the enemy. To label someone as impure or unclean is to

curse them. Choosing to live in the opposite spirit then, we become more

Christ like, revealing the glory of God.

Captor or Captive

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