Taking Every Thought Captive

“Taking every thought captive to obey Christ” 2 Cor.10:5

Have you ever been in an emotional funk and didn’t know why? You sit there and negative thoughts just seem to run away with you. Clinical research has linked several physiological factors that affect the way one thinks, such as 1) the sleep you had the night before, 2) the food you’re consuming, and 3) the amount of exercise you’re regularly getting. These are all important. After all, you were created body and soul. However, the greatest tool in battling negative thoughts and feelings is the truth of God’s Word. In this verse, Paul addresses the nature of a person’s thoughts and what to do with each one.

First, Paul teaches that not every thought and emotion is right and healthy. Therefore every thought must be “taken captive.” This means that not every thought should be entertained or dwelt on and allowed to “run free.” In other words, a Christian is someone who has a higher standard that judges even his or her own thoughts and feelings. This is why Paul could say elsewhere, "It is RIGHT for me to feel this way..." (Phil.1:7). This is very foreign to the cultural tendency to elevate personal thoughts and feelings to the highest standard. The culture would say, "It is right BECAUSE I feel this way." This is the underlying belief system under the popular expression, "At the end of the day you need to follow your own heart." Simply put, when all is said and done, you are the highest authority. This was not the way Paul could understand his difficult circumstances as divine opportunities or sing hymns while chained in prison. No, Paul realized the secret to right behavior was right thinking and the secret to right thinking was putting his thoughts and feelings under God’s authority not his own. Most people let their thoughts and feelings rule them; Christians let the Word of Christ rule their thoughts and feelings. This is a discipline that even Paul said, must be “learned and practiced” (see Phil.4:9), which means it doesn’t come natural.  

Second, understanding the nature of your thoughts is not enough; you must "take every thought captive." Thoughts are not like someone who unexpectedly knocks on the door of your house waiting for you to answer. No, your thoughts barge in and therefore each one must be quickly identified as either friends or foes. Your foes or enemies are the lies that you’re prone to believe about God, yourself, others, your past, or even how to interpret the world around you and the circumstances you’re in. Much like a murderer breaking in, these destructive thoughts must be cut off from their ability to cause you or your loved ones any harm by being taken captive. But what does this practically mean?

God’s truth is the rope that binds the lies and leaves them ineffective. This means when you start thinking, “I can’t change or this situation is hopeless,” instead of allowing that thinking to run free, you strangle the lies with the truth that “I am a new creation in Christ and my potential is now based on the God who lives in me and my situation is now seen through the lens of the cross and the God with whom all things are possible.”  Furthermore, through prayer you bring these enemies to the King and say something like, “Oh King, these are the intruders that have come into the space that is only rightfully owned by you. Help me to remove them and replace them with your kingdom rule and authority.” So, how are you protecting the castle of your mind? Get some sleep, eat healthy, workout, but most importantly take every thought captive through the power of God’s Word and prayer.