Taking Captives
How do you change your thinking?
Verse of the Day
“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
Today’s Devotional
Today is our last day studying our thoughts. And today’s verse is one of my favorites, but also one of the hardest for me to obey.
I read recently that our thoughts can be like a fly. Think about being outside on a beautiful day and you are having a wonderful picnic. As you are enjoying your picnic, there is a fly buzzing around your face. The first few times you notice it, you wave it off and go on about your picnic. But sometimes, these flies can be really annoying and determined. And eventually, the fly can make you irritated and start to act erratic. Wayward or unhealthy thinking can have the same effect. That is why we are told to capture these thoughts and make them obedient to Christ.
The kinds of thoughts that need to be demolished are the ones that are lies or that lead us away from God. If your brain continues to tell you that you are unworthy. That’s a lie. You capture that thought by recognizing it and confronting its untruthfulness. You make that thought obedient to Christ by speaking God’s truth over yourself. The same process is required of any and all thoughts that don’t lead us closer to God.
As I’ve been studying this topic, the lie that has continued to buzz around my head is one of feeling too busy, that I’ll never get it all done, that I’m not capable. At first I couldn’t even recognize that this was what I was thinking. I just felt burdened, and overwhelmed. But I’ve spent some time asking God to show me where this “burden” was coming from. As I became aware of the thoughts, which happened slowly (in my opinion), I started to combat these thoughts with truth. “With God’s help, I will accomplish everything He wants me to get done today.” “God loves me no matter how productive I am.” “The Lord is my Shepherd, I have all that I need.” (Psalm 23:1) “I trust God more than I trust how I feel.”
As I continue to make my thoughts and emotions obedient to Christ, there is a lifting of the burden that I feel. This process is much slower than I would prefer, but again I have to decide to trust God and what He has instructed in His Word more than I rely on how things feel in the moment.
If you can’t identify the thoughts that need to be taken captive, then look for continuous areas of struggle. Talk to a friend who is godly and ask for honest insight. Ask God to show you what needs to be demolished in your thinking. All of this requires time and intention.
I find it interesting that several people, who were “successful” by the world’s standards, have this same message about the power of our thoughts. Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.” Marcus Aurelius, the Roman emperor, said, “The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts.” Teddy Roosevelt said, “Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” And finally, Dale Carnegie said, “Our thoughts make us what we are.” And while I don’t subscribe to self-promotion or the “I think I can” mental game, the words of these men reinforce what God is telling us. Our thoughts matter. God’s Word tells us that we must participate in redirecting our thoughts back to Him and what He says is true.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
What thoughts do you need to capture?
What Scriptural truth do you need to use to make your thoughts obedient to Christ?
How has your thinking been challenged over the last few weeks? Do you notice anything different?
How can you behave as though you believe what God’s Word says about our thoughts?