"For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every though captive to obey Christ."
In context, the deception involved erroneous ways of thinking about Paul's gospel ministry. Paul was a true servant of Christ, he spoke and wrote under divine influence, but in Corinth as elsewhere he was opposed by other so-called ministers of Christ who considered themselves superior to Paul and sought to discredit Paul by elevating their own "credentials" and making Paul appear weak and ineffectual.
The real battle was not with these men, not with flesh and blood, but with the deceptive schemes of Satan working through human means. And so in 2 Corinthians 10-13 Paul wages war with weapons of divine power. One after another, he calls out the false arguments and self-important opinions and demolishes them with words of truth. He does this, not to secure for himself a better following, but to secure the minds of God's people under the Lordship of Jesus Christ (10:5).
Dr. Ed Murphy helpfully observes that, while the attack on Paul's apostolic legitimacy is specifically in view here, strongholds include "any form of reasoning, any attitude, and any way of thinking that 'exalts itself against the knowledge of God', or 'misbeliefs.'" Misbeliefs, writes Murphy, are "beliefs that are untrue about oneself, others, or circumstances. They can become demonic strongholds against one's life, family, church, etc. It is important to note that these ways of thinking can become strongholds within a church through carnal leadership (whether clergy or laity); but of course, the ultimate source of all such deceptions is Satan" (11:14-15). (The Handbook of Spiritual Warfare)
Those who are not yet Christians but sense the Spirit of God drawing them to himself may be held back by misbeliefs such as "God cannot love me. I am too sinful to be saved. I need to improve myself before I can become a Christian." All totally false! A Christian may be robbed of joy and peace by misbeliefs such as "I am worthless. I'm a terrible person. I will never change."
The deceiver loves especially to work the saved and unsaved to accept false ideas about the Heavenly Father's character, motives and attitudes.
The Lie: The Heavenly Father is cold, distant, passive, uncaring, too busy, impatient, rejecting, mean, cruel, manipulative, ticked off, and unforgiving.
The Truth: The Heavenly Father is warm, intimate, kind, compassionate, accepting, forgiving, filled with joy and love, always near, patient, slow to anger, gentle, protective, full of grace and mercy, and committed to my growth as His beloved child in Christ (N. Anderson). "The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness" (Exodus 34:6-7).
False ideas of God and ourselves, mortared together and stacked high, can become strongholds which only supernatural weapons will destroy. These are principally the Spirit Himself and the Word of God. "Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord" (Zechariah 4:6). "And take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God" (Ephesians 6:17).
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