Col 2:1  For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh; 

Col 2:2  That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; 

Col 2:3  In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 

Col 2:4  And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words. 

Col 2:5  For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ. 

What might be “enticing” to one, might not be enticing to another, and those things that are said to ‘entice’ the individual are always what is well pleasing to ‘the eye of the beholder.’ And it is not common to find someone who will be enticed by something that they have no desire for, or by something that they themselves have never experienced. But it is common to find someone who has never personally been exposed to something, to desire something because their minds have desired to do those things. For example, ‘bucket lists,’ lifetime goals,’ and other things that we ‘set our future sights’ on.

Col 2:6  As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: 

Col 2:7  Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. 

Col 2:8  Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. 

However, when the Apostle Paul warns the Colossian about his “great conflict” that he has for them, this was based upon their hearts being “comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ;” and that they would not be enticed by they words, and wisdom of men, but by the Words, and wisdom of our Father’s doctrine.

1Co 2:4  And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: 

1Co 2:5  That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. 

Moreover, Paul’s “conflict” for them was because Paul also understood the danger that there was to the sanctified lives of the saints that allowed their hearts to be enticed by men’s words. Paul says that their giving heed unto this ‘beguiling’ will “spoil” the edifying of the saint, and cause functional  ‘death’ in the lives of the believers. Paul’s remedy for this ailment is that they “continue” the same way they begun, and that is in the Spirit; which is in the Living Word of the Living God.

1Co 2:12  Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 

1Co 2:13  Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 

1Co 2:14  But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 

Furthermore, one has to look at the current issues of our lives today, and all that we see either around us, or on the news; these things are designed to entice our flesh, and this is because we desire to be educated in the knowledge of these things, and everyone has a viewpoint about what they hear, and have been affected by. This is where our hearts has become enticed by these things, the enticing aspect of what we hear is, we cannot wait to also ‘spread the news’ unto others as well. And even if we know that they have already heard about the ‘current events,’ we ‘desire’ to let them know ‘our hearts,’ on the matter. And we find ourselves becoming one of the “disputers of this world,” who love to engage with others about the affairs of this life, and its current affairs that the men of this world has fallen in love with.

1Co 2:15  But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. 

1Co 2:16  For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. 

But our Father has taught us in His word that regardless what we hear and see, we are to continue to “walk ye in Him,” we are taught to “look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen.” But oftentimes, we think with the “carnal mind” of this world, and we “mind the things” of this world, we ‘entangle” ourselves with these things, we actually become ‘addicted’ unto these things by what we hear, and by our being viewed as a ‘teacher’ of these things. In the Lord’s earthly ministry, and in Paul’s day, the Lord, and the disciples ‘looked right through’ the ‘current affairs’ of their day, they did not write about, or rebel against the government in their day. Their opposition was the ones who were the Lord’s enemy, and who killed the Lord, and the disciples, and that were the men who said that they were the men of God, but were actually of their father, the devil.

Rom 8:5  For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 

Rom 8:6  For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 

Rom 8:7  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 

Rom 8:8  So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. 

Finally, we too ought to ‘look right through’ the current events of today, and the affairs of this life that entice our flesh to become passionate about it, because our becoming enticed by this world causes the Saints to fall victim to Satan’s plan to have us desire the “lusts of the flesh, lusts of the eyes, the pride of life.” And those things are set before us daily, whether on the news, or directly among us, but just as the Lord and the disciples operated upon the Will, and Word of God, we too are instructed to operate upon the Spiritual mind, and to “look not at the things which are seen,” but the things which are not seen.” We must not allow ourselves to be “spoiled,” and ‘beguiled’ by the enticing words of man’s wisdom, but we are to “stand perfect, and complete in all the will of God,” and be led by His Word alone.

Col 4:12  Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. 

Rod Jones