day no. 14.461: a cold shoulder or a shoulder tackle?

2 Corinthians 10:5

We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ

Some things are best destroyed by ignoring them while others are best destroyed by violence. This basic sentiment was introduced to me by Oswald Chambers in My Utmost for His Highest (September 8).

The best way to destroy a bully is to ignore him. The thing he wants is to get to you. The more you get irritated or fire back or defend yourself, the more power you concede to him. But the moment you refuse to bounce his bullying back at him, you defuse him. His power shrinks and the more resilient you show yourself to be, the more frustrated he finds himself. He eventually pouts and puffs and leaves you alone since he can't get the one thing from you he desires: a rise. You turn your back on the monster and he loses his power.

But that's how you destroy a bully. Some things require you to about face and attack. Those are destroyed best by driving a stake through their heart. You must meet them at the point of battle and overpower and unravel them. They will stab you in the back if you turn on them, so you must face them and fight back. You must chase them down when they turn to run. If you settle for watching them flee, they will come back later and attempt a coup again. They will not go without a fight… which means you will have to fight them… eventually. Or you will you be overcome by them… eventually. They must be put down and extinguished. They are relentless and require violent opposition.

We must be aware of both types of opposition and not treat one as you should be treating the other. If you fight a bully, he will never go away. You only feed the problem. If you turn your back on a brawler, he will punch you in the kidney. Argument and lofty ideas against the Lordship of Jesus alone come in both fashions and we must know how to fight and when to fight with a goal of destroying them. Our heart should be to defuse their explosive ability and to disenfranchise their goals. If they accomplish the desires of their hearts, Jesus' Name and reputation will be defamed, reviled and trampled underfoot. We must set our hearts to seek and destroy and we must discern whether to ignore or to ignite our enemy.

This verse (2 Corinthians 10:5) by the by largely influenced my joy in naming my son, Rocco Henry Warfield Van Voorst. B.B. Warfield is the namesake and destroying arguments in spiritual warfare is the inspiration.