Think Again: Taking Every Thought Captive to Christ

We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God and take every thought captive to obey Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5

Learning to be in control of our thoughts is hard. It takes practice, and it takes us being proactive. Every action that we take, every motive that we have, and every feeling that we embrace first comes from our thoughts. Changing the way we think changes the way we see ourselves and how we interact with others. While sometimes our thoughts are from the enemy, others may stem from our sinful flesh, and others are influenced by the world. But once we decided to lay down our lives and become new in Christ, He calls us to be transformed. That transformation begins with renewing our minds.

If we don’t take the time to renew our minds and align our thinking with the Word of God, we open the door for not only lies that destroy us, but it can also disrupt what God is trying to do through us.

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2

If our thoughts are out of place, then the same will be true for our lives. If we think negatively about ourselves, we will operate negatively towards ourselves and others. For example, if I feel unqualified or defeated, then I will begin to talk myself out of doing things simply because I don’t feel good enough. I can also begin to project that feeling on others. That is when being confident in your identity in Christ will help turn your thoughts around. Instead of negative self-talk, we can focus on what God says is true about us. We know that we are qualified by God according to Colossians 1:12 and sufficient according to 2 Corinthians 3:5-6.

The enemy knows that are minds are always changing. In this culture, all it takes is one inconvenience and one bad comment to make us reconsider our whole outlook on life and begin to question everything, including our purpose, our worth, and God’s plan. But we must learn to be steady in our thinking. God's Word must be the foundation for how we think, respond, and believe. We must always be guarded in truth. Anything that goes against God’s Word must be recognized and destroyed quickly. Sometimes we make it so easy for the enemy to gain ground in our lives simply because we can’t sort out the thoughts that mean us no good. We filter our thoughts through the Word to see if they align, but also to guard our hearts.

Keep your heart with all vigilance, or from it flow the springs of life. Proverbs 4:23

Ephesians 6 tells us to always be equipped with the armor of God. This armor is how we proactively prepare for attack. The enemy will use the smallest and most subtle things to try and plant unpleasant thoughts into our minds. We find security within the belt of truth and have our shield of faith when we begin to second-guess. His goal is to plant doubt, fear, shame, and anything else that will cause us to retreat into our old selves. Ephesians 6:13-17

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Philippians 4:8

When we keep our eyes on God, we gain the confidence to keep going. This doesn’t mean we won’t experience some ill feelings or negative self-talk; it just means we will recognize them quickly and make them align with God’s truth. God has given us the following tools to manage our thoughts: The Holy Spirit for discernment, His Word to find truths, and prayer for both peace and clarity. When we have a good community around us, we can also depend on them for support and accountability.

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Isaiah 26:3

One way to help when we find ourselves with the wrong thoughts floating around in our heads is to create some scripture cards. These cards can help us memorize scriptures through the daily practice of renewing our minds. We can’t just reject the negative thoughts; we must replace them. Here are a few to start with:

Negative Thoughts:	God’s Truths
1.        I am not enough.	“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”  2 Corin 12:9
2.        No one values me.	Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life. Isaiah 43:4
3.        You’ll never get over this sin or be free from your past. (shame)	For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1
4.        You’re not as good as_______.	For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb… I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” Psalm 139:13-14
5.        God is not with you.	Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10

What negative thoughts have you’ve been entertaining that don’t reflect what God says?