BRINGING EVERY THOUGHT CAPTIVE TO CHRIST
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‘Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct Him?’ But we have the mind of Christ. – 1 Corinthians 2:16 (Isaiah 40:13) –
The apostle Paul shares that Christians have the mind of Christ. We are called to bring every thought captive unto the Lord Jesus. Our thoughts are to be His thoughts. Our minds are to be captured by Him. Every thought is to spring from Him.
Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 2:5
The cares and concerns of this life often cause us to dwell on less than peaceful thoughts. How often we find our minds drifting down paths that twist and turn without direction. We may run along these “rabbit trails” of thinking… wandering here, there, everywhere–and, in effect, nowhere. Our emotions soon follow… until we find ourselves feeling sad, angry, anxious, fearful, or despairing. We lose the joy and hope that our Lord so lovingly bestows upon us. We wonder where these thoughts originate.
The battlefield of the mind is where life’s most precious victories are won or lost. – Kenneth Copeland
Our minds can seem like a battlefield. If we’re not hearing from God, we’re hearing from the world. We are constantly bombarded by worldly influences and concerns that occupy, and often take over, our minds. If our minds are not filled with God’s truth, they are filled with untruths.
Thoughts from within can capture our minds. We find ourselves dwelling on lies we have believed to be truths. The enemy, the father of all lies, also plays a part. He will try to whisper lying thoughts into our minds. Often, we are quite unaware of this enemy intrusion. We may mistake these thoughts as our own.
Whatever the source, thoughts enter our minds that cause us to feel anxious, stealing away our peace. They erode away our confidence, our faith, our hope. These untruths can target our self-worth, question our abilities and doubt our life purpose. They act as obstacles along our spiritual walk.
Lying thoughts can take aim at us personally. Worries about the present can consume us. Or dwelling on the past… reliving our mistakes, our regrets, our defeats. Untruths can target our belief in God… causing us to doubt His character, His presence, His promises, and His divine plan for our lives. Our minds run with these lies… and uncomfortable emotions soon well up within us.
We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. – 2 Corinthians 10:5
When our minds are captured by negative thoughts, we cannot have a positive life. If our thoughts are leading us away from God’s presence, then they are not from Him. The key is to corral these runaway thoughts before they send us down trails of disquieting emotions.
Would the Holy Spirit plant thoughts in our minds that lead us down dead-end paths of worry, insecurity, bitterness, discouragement? These thoughts run counter to the mind of Christ. They are everything that He is not.
Since we have the Spirit of Christ, we have the mind of Christ. His Spirit resides in us… His Spirit of counsel and guidance and revelation. The Holy Spirit will bring to remembrance the words of God for us… words that cause us to feel loved, secure, worthy, brave and joyful. His words bring positivity, peace, hope.
You’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. – Philippians 4:8 (MSG)
How do we live this out in our daily walk? Paul explains that we are to keep our minds focused on all that is good, casting aside untruths. Instead of dwelling on the negatives… the worst that could happen, the complaints of life, the ugliness of evil, we allow the Holy Spirit to capture our thoughts. He will lead our minds toward the positive… to what is true… to what is heaven-sent.
We can take control of our minds through the power of God’s Word. When we meditate on Scripture, our thoughts are captured and transformed by the washing of the Word. Our minds become refreshed and renewed. God’s saving truths and wisdom permeate our lives.
When you find your thoughts wandering down dead-end trails of untruths, remember Paul’s words. Take every thought captive unto the Lord Jesus Christ. Let the Holy Spirit guide your thoughts down paths marked “Best”, “Beautiful”, “Praiseworthy”. Your life will be blessed.
† Eternal Takeaway – A captive mind focuses on Christ… His goodness, His peace, His hope †
