Hello,
This might be a better FULL rendering for you:
2Co 10:3 For though we may be living in the flesh, we are not fighting after the way of the flesh
2Co 10:4 For the arms with which we are fighting are not those of the flesh, but are strong before God for the destruction of high places;
2Co 10:5 Putting an end to reasonings, and every high thing which is lifted up against the knowledge of God, and causing every thought to come under the authority of Christ;
2Co 10:6 Being ready to give punishment to whatever is against his authority, after you have made it clear that you are completely under his control. (BBE).
Repentance Is The Key as explained above, but remember: "It is the Goodness of God that brings you to Repentance"
If you are finding it hard to understand the 'Scriptures', Believing in a few Fundamental Truths will help you see things in a different Light and thus begin to understand more fully.
Here is an excerpt from Ray that might help you:
1. Almost everything in the entire Bible is SPIRITUALLY discerned.
2. Jesus taught in parables so that his listeners in public would NOT understand a thing He was saying. He had to teach the meaning of these parables to His disciples in private.
3. Once you understand thoroughly a half dozen spiritual TRUTHS, the rest is kinda easy.
4. One will never ever understand the Scriptures with the mind set and carnal mindedness of the Christian tradition. You must understand a few spiritual Truths that are totally rejected in all religions of the world and atheists as well. Here are a few:
• God is totally Sovereign. That is, He is in control of EVERYTHING and ALL THE TIME. Many people actually claim to believe this, but they really really don't.
• The words "everlasting" "evermore," "forever," "for ever AND EVER[?]," and "eternal" are nowhere found even once in any Hebrew or Greek manuscript from which our modern language bibles are translated.
• Man does NOT have a "free" will that can make decisions independent of his Sovereign God.
• Man is mortal, not immortal as Christendom teaches. Therefore, when people die, they are DEAD, not alive in a different geographical location.
• The ONLY hope for believers is that there will be a RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD.
There are unscriptural Biblical doctrines that are of no value to Christendom. They teach that dead people go to a place called hell and a place called heaven WHEN THEY ARE DEAD!
• Hell is not the translation of any word in either the Hebrew or Greek Manuscripts.
• Heaven and hades (often translated hell) are not geographical locations.
• God will save all mankind, seeing that He IS THE SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD.
• God is a family and not a trinity.
• We are under a New Covenant, and the old is passing away.
• God is LOVE (no really, He really is, He would never torture most of His creation in fire for all eternity).
Well, there you have it. Understand those few principles and the Bible is a whole new book.
Here is another excerpt from Ray that might help also:
I will give you some of the reasons "why we are here."
1. A great and wise creator GOD PUT US HERE. He started the human family.
2. God is not stupid, He had a grand and eternal purpose in mind for making mankind.
3. God has many attributes, powers, knowledge, etc., that obviously mankind DOES NOT. But, God DOES WANT us to have those same attributes, especially LOVE!
4. Qualities of character such as Love are not instantaneously created, they must be developed. That development takes a creation, circumstances, and time. And so, God creates all these things necessary for their development.
5. Although God is GOOD, He nonetheless has a knowledge and understanding of both good AND EVIL. And so we TOO must come to an understanding of both good and evil. Why? Because ALL KNOWLEDGE hinges on their proper understanding.
People say things without ever realizing how stupid or impossible their thoughts or statements are. Most Christians suppose that if Adam and Eve had not sinned, then we all would STILL, right now, be enjoying the beautiful life of happiness and bliss in a fabulous garden of Eden. NOT SO!!! Adam and Eve did NOT appreciate what they had with God in the garden before they sinned. They had NO CONTRAST to compare it with.
Now here is a key piece of understanding and wisdom. God wants CHILDREN. God is building a FAMILY. Children are to grow up and have the attributes of their parents. But these things must be LEARNED BY EXPERIENCE! Not only didn't Adam and Eve appreciate what they had, they ABSOLUTELY COULD NOT have appreciated what they had, because they experienced ONLY GOOD.
Try to come up with even ONE VIRTUE, such as love, patience, honesty, goodness, faithfulness, loyalty, obedience, bravery, etc., etc., etc., ANYTHING of a virtuous nature, that does not involve the overcoming of SOME FORM OF EVIL! There is you answer! There IS NO VIRTUE, NO CHARACTER, NO STABILITY of any kind in any one, except he overcomes some form of EVIL.
Now can you see why we are here? Now can you see why there is not only good, but so much evil in the world? It is necessary! God did not put it here simply to make us miserable! God is NOT in a battle for supremacy with Satan. God CREATED Satan. God USES Satan. And Satan too, will be saved after he has done all of his dirty work. God will make him repent.
6. God is enlarging His family into BILLIONS of sons and daughters. This life is part of the training ground to be the very SONS OF GOD.
All evil including DEATH itself will be abolished when God has used them to bring His family to a level of love and righteousness that He desires. We will then inherit all that God has and all that God is. God is truly OUR FATHER.
I hope that helps your understanding a little better. Life will not always be miserable and painful as it may seem to you now. This too shall pass.
Geoff.