What does it mean to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ? We each have things that pass through our thoughts all day long. Some thoughts are based in deep rooted beliefs we aren’t necessarily aware of. Some are truths, and some are strongholds. Some of these do not originate in our hearts at all, but are thrown at us by the enemy to throw us off our focus, to distract, or to lead us astray. Check your thoughts quickly. How?
First, ask yourself, Does the thought line up with scripture or the character of God? If it’s an obvious one just cast it down and replace it with the truth.
Some thoughts need to be examined. Is it a weapon of fear? If it causes dread or panic, it is not from the Lord. Simply declare, “God has not given [ME] a spirit of fear, but of power and love and of a sound mind,” 2 Timothy 1:7NKJV. Remind yourself who God is and who you are to Him; you are a child of the King, a son or daughter of the Most High God! “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right [authority] to become children of God, to those who believe in His name,” John 1:12 NKJV. Do you see yourself from God’s perspective? Do you declare that you are just a grasshopper? or do you declare, “I am a daughter or a son of the Most High God!”
Does the thought demonstrate a focus on circumstances and cause doubt and uncertainty? Remind yourself, “Nothing will be impossible with God,” Luke 1:37 CSB, or “O Lord God! You have made the heavens and earth by your great power; nothing is too hard for you,” Jeremiah 32:17 TLB.
Does the thought carry accusation and condemnation toward self or toward another? “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus,” Romans 8:1 CSB. We are instructed to forgive others just as we have been forgiven by the Lord. “And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ,” Ephesians 4:32 CSB. (We are commanded to forgive the person, not necessarily the action. Sometimes this is a process.)
What about wrong decisions in finances or any previous decisions that have brought about unwanted results. Are you crippled in making the next decision, uncertain in your own abilities? Years ago, the Lord told me, “Bebe, I’m bigger than your mistakes.” He promises to help us, to deliver us, to prosper us, and to be our provider. “Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God—who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly—and it will be given to him.” James 1:5 CSB
There’s a big gap between throwing caution to the wind and being paralyzed in your decision-making process because of the unknown. So, when our own thoughts remind us of our inadequacy or failure, we simply take them to the Lord. We ask Him to lead us; we seek out His instruction and those we trust and then wait on the Holy Spirit to guide us. “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.” 2 Corinthians 9:8 NKJV
Then, we trust. We trust Him. We walk in obedience and faith and trust our ways to the Father. “We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:5 NASB
Be careful what your eyes see and what your ears hear. What we see and hear becomes what we believe. Unless we carefully check these things against the truth of His Word, our beliefs may not be well grounded. “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!” Isaiah 26:3 NLT
Be careful when You speak. Speak truth. Listen carefully and slowly, allowing Holy Spirit to direct your hearing. In James 1:19 the Word tells us to speak little and listen much or be slow to speak and quick to hear or understand.
I heard an interesting observation recently. “You don’t become what you want. You become what you rehearse.” To rehearse means to practice by repeating; to train or make proficient by rehearsal. What are you rehearsing in your mind? Are you dwelling on your fears and doubts? Are you worrying about your circumstances more than declaring faith in what God can do!?
The earlier statement was, “What we see and hear becomes what we believe.” What are your eyes seeing in your future? What are your ears hearing you say? Declare what the Lord says about your today and your tomorrow in Him! “I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 NIV
The mind’s literal response to thoughts we repeatedly think is to make connections or highways. Those highways become our default or automatic response. Proverbs 23:7 admonishes us, “As a man thinks in his heart so is he.” Our true nature is shaped by our private thoughts.
The mind can be rewired or renewed (re-routing those connections or highways) by consistently replacing our wrong thoughts with what God’s word says is true. We think with words. I read recently, “Words are architects,” designing and building our today and tomorrow.
Here is the filter for choosing what to think on and capturing your thoughts: “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Philippians 4:8 NIV
Lastly, we are commanded, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Romans 12:2 NKJV.
In conclusion, the NLT version says it this way, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.”
In His care, Bebe
Photo courtesy of unsplash, thanks to rebe-pascual
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