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. 2 Corinthians 10:5
The mind is the place where the majority of our battles are either won or lost. It is vital that we become aware of our thoughts, and control them before they control us. Thoughts create emotions, which then influence actions. One negative thought, if not brought into subjection, can ruin an entire mood and day. I think we've all been there, and it's not a fun place to be. Thoughts can even influence our health!
It's important we understand that not every thought originates with us. We have an enemy of our souls who loves nothing more than to deceive. He loves to tell us lies about who we are, and about who God is. For every truth in the Bible, the enemy has devised a lie. This is why it is critical that we meditate on God's Word. If we don't know what Scripture says, we will easily fall for what satan says, especially because he knows our particular weaknesses and which lies we will most easily believe.
Taking thoughts captive is, I believe, one of the most important aspects of spiritual warfare. If the enemy can get us into a place of defeat in our thoughts, we become ineffective for the kingdom and less of a threat to him. Also, he just loves to make us miserable. Unfortunately, this is a life-long battle, one we will have to continue to fight until Jesus returns.
The Bible doesn't say, take some of our thoughts captive. It says EVERY thought. This takes work, friends. It takes intentionality. We must take an aggressive stance with this, we must take it seriously. When we refuse to take our thoughts captive, we give the enemy a foothold in our lives. We grant evil spirits legal access to our minds and bodies. We have to be persistent in this area and refuse to come into alignment with the enemy.
So what does this look like, practically speaking?
Let's say I begin to have thoughts that are causing me to become fearful. Taking every thought captive means I immediately recognize that fear comes from the enemy. I put a stop to this train of thought by saying something like this {Out loud and with authority!}:
"Fear, I see you. I refuse to partner with you and I command you to leave right now in the name of Jesus". I then counteract the lie with God's truth: "God has not given me a spirit of fear, but of power and love and a sound mind." {2 Timothy 1:7}
If these are patterns of unhealthy thoughts that you have nurtured in the past, I would also include in the declaration that you repent of the times you have come into alignment with these lies and you sever all ties to them.
Here are some more examples:
Anger: "Anger, I see you and I refuse to partner with you. I command you to leave right now in the name of Jesus. I repent of any time I have allowed you to reign in my thoughts and actions. I break all agreement with you now. Anger does not produce the righteousness of God. (James 1:20) I will be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. (James 1:20) God gives me everything I need to live a righteous life by the power of the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:3)
Anxiety: "Anxiety, I see you and I refuse to come into alignment with you. I command you to leave right now in the name of Jesus. I will be anxious for nothing. God cares for the sparrows and the grasses of the field and I am so much more valuable to Him than they are. I do not have to worry. I trust Him to care for me. I will seek God's kingdom and all other things will be added to me. (Matthew 6:25-34) I have my eyes fixed on Jesus and He keeps me in perfect peace. (Isaiah 26:3)
Hopelessness: "Hopelessness, I see you and I refuse to partner with you. I command you to leave right now in the name of Jesus. I break all ties with you. Christ lives in me, and He is the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27) God has called me to a place of hope, this is my glorious inheritance in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 1:18) He is working all things out for my good. (Romans 8:28)
When we start getting serious about taking our thoughts captive, two very amazing things happen. First, we renew our minds to God's truth. Mind renewal is so important, because it is a catalyst for victory. We cannot live the victorious lives Christ died for us to have if defeated thoughts are ruling our minds. Second, we put the enemy on notice. We rise up in authority over our minds, bodies, and souls, and we let him know that his lies are not going to work on us anymore.
On a physical level, when we choose to replace old negative thoughts with new biblical thoughts, we create new neural networks in our brains that strengthen each time we are intentional to think differently. Over time, this new way of thinking becomes the default thinking and are minds are renewed not only spiritually, but physically as well!
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
We are children of the Most High God, sons and daughters of the King of Kings! We are seated in heavenly places with Christ Jesus and blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms! We have been given the authority to kick the devil out of the places he has taken up residence in our lives. Let's use it!
Stay Healthy Friends!
Amy
(For more on taking thoughts captive, check out Switch on Your Brain by Dr. Caroline Leaf)
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