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
A few weeks ago while I was waiting in the doctor’s office, I was reading an article in one of the health magazines from the magazine rack. And in this article, the author (a clinical psychologist from Harvard) stated that the average human mind processes somewhere between 6000-7000 thoughts every single day. Maybe this helps explain why I have so much difficulty remembering where I put my car keys! What these researchers cannot definitively determine however what humans are thinking about. And for some of us, that’s probably a good thing – that other people have no clue what we’re thinking about. Otherwise they might call the police.
Thinking about what we think about is particularly important for Christ followers. Having several thousand thoughts throughout each day, naturally our minds can travel some pretty narrow roads if we’re not careful. And sometimes the further we allow our minds to go down a few of those roads, the more scenic the drive becomes to us. But as we’re enjoying the scenery, we fail to recognize the road signs warning us of a cliff just ahead.
Taking every thought captive and making it obedient to Christ is a monumental task! And one that I struggle with every day. Without prayer and the help of the Holy Spirit, I am utterly defenseless against fleshly thoughts and desires. I become vulnerable to lust, pride, selfishness, gossip, and judgmental thoughts toward others. My mind becomes a battlefield between the flesh and the Spirit. But Paul gives us a solution:
Submission to the Holy Spirit.
Our greatest weapon in winning this war and taking our thoughts captive is through the continuous reading and meditating upon God’s holy word. Paul tells us that God’s word is alive and active, sharper than a two-edged sword, piercing to the divide of the soul and spirit, the joint and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Hebrews 4:12 ESV). The more we read God’s word, the more we learn what it means to trust God and live in a manner that is pleasing to Him. This is the sanctifying process of the Holy Spirit, conforming us to God’s Kingdom as we reject the pattern of this world.
Philippians 4:8 tells us, “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.”
This is our filter. Anything that isn’t true, isn’t noble, isn’t right, isn’t pure, isn’t lovely, isn’t admirable, isn’t excellent, and isn’t praiseworthy, discard those thoughts immediately and set our minds on things above.
J. I. Packer says, “God made us thinking beings, and he guides our minds as we think things out in His presence.”
In His presence. This is where the battle is won, and His word is our weapon.
Something Worth Considering:
At some point today, jot down some things that you thought about. Then, using the filter Paul gives us in Philippians 4:8, go through each of those thoughts and compare them to the qualities that Paul listed.
If we fail to take control of our thoughts, our thoughts will take control of us.
Former Blackout Artist 