Taking Your Thoughts Captive
“The Lord has given me a strong warning not to think like everyone else does….”
Isaiah 8:11 (NLT)
One of the greatest battlegrounds we face today is within our own minds. Many people today are troubled by their thought life. Negative thoughts seem to control their minds leaving them captive to the enemies’ lies. The Bible says we can break free from the controlling nature of wrong thoughts. How? In 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (NIV), the Bible says, “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 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.”
So, if you don’t want to be held captive by your thoughts, then take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ. Run that thought through the grid of God’s Word. If the thought is contrary to the truth of God’s Word, you know where it’s coming from. It’s a lie from the enemy who is trying to defeat you. This is the nature of spiritual warfare.
When God set Isaiah apart as His servant, a prophet, to speak on His behalf, He told him to think differently than everyone else. Why? Because our thoughts govern a great deal of our behavior. The Bible says, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he…” Proverbs 23:7 (NKJV)
Someone else said: “Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny.” It all begins with how we think! That’s the power of a thought! How do you think? Do you think like everyone else? The Christ follower is motivated by deeper thoughts - the mind of Christ. The Bible tells us, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus….” Philippians 2:5 (NKJV)
How do we get the mind of Christ? First, by receiving His life! When we open our hearts to Christ and turn from our sin to Him, He comes by His Spirit to take up residence in us. As we release control of our lives to Him, He teaches our minds to think differently. We begin to think His thoughts as we learn His will from His Word. In Philippians 4:8 (NLT), the Bible says, “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”
If you want to fix your thoughts so that you don’t think like everyone else, begin today to think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Think about what is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, and admirable. Ask yourself if your thoughts are true and consistent with the truth of God’s Word. Is it honorable? Is it right? Is it pure? Is it lovely? Is it admirable? Is it worthy of praise? If not, take that thought captive and make it obedient to Christ. When you do, you’ll find yourself breaking free from negative controlling thoughts that once defeated you!
Another important part of your daily devotional is spending time with God in prayer. The Woodlands Church Prayer Board lists prayer requests submitted by our members and provides a way to send them some encouragement by using a button on the page to let them know that you prayed for them. Whether you use the Prayer Board, or pray from your heart, the goal is to build the habit of incorporating prayer into your quiet time.
Need prayer yourself? Let us know by submitting a prayer request on the Woodlands Church Prayer Board.