Take Captive

We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.

2 Corinthians 10:5

One of my greatest spiritual battles is in my thoughts particularly in made-up conversations. Time and time again, I dwell on a bad situation and make up how the next conversation will go – not only what I will say but also what I imagine the other person will say, how they will respond or fight back. Before I know it, ten, fifteen, twenty minutes have gone by and on what? Something that isn’t even real. Statistics report that 85% of what we worry about NEVER happens, so I am wasting time on conversations and situations that will likely never come to pass. But it goes beyond this.

We just finished Winter Retreat with our youth group kids. We studied what things push our buttons or present the most tempting situations to respond in a sinful way. We started by seeing that our heart is wicked and deceitful (Jeremiah 17:9). We can’t rely on it to guide us. We also discussed that out of the abundance of our hearts, the mouth speaks (Luke 6:45). So even when we think we are safe because our sinful reaction is onlyin our thoughts, we are not. Eventually that will come out.

Some of the questions they had to consider were whether their response hurt others and themselves. We may think our thoughts aren’t hurting anyone including ourselves, but that is false. For me, the longer I dwell on those imaginary conversations and circumstances, the angrier or more bitter I become. Why? Maybe there was an actual situation that happened, but in my unchecked thoughts, I am heaping on more and more wrongs that don’t even exist. This isn’t creating a godly response in me. It’s creating a very ungodly response. Maybe for you it is worry or something else, but the principle is the same. You are feeding a negative response that is founded on 85% non-existent circumstances.

We may think it is ok as far as hurting others, but that is false too. When we let our thoughts run amok, as Luke 6:45 indicates, they will have an outward impact. If nothing else and no small thing, they will color how we view that other person or situation. We will look through the lens of our out-of-control thoughts and not what is true. Likely our out-of-control thoughts will result in more than just coloring our perception.

The more I talk to others, the more I find I am not alone in thoughts running amok. It may look a little different for someone else, but the results are similar and the solution the same.

2 Corinthians 10:5 is a verse that I repeatedly go back to when my thinking is running amok. We could just focus on the second half of the verse, but I think the first part is important too. Paul was contrasting the wisdom of the world with the knowledge of God. There was a plethora of false teaching in his time just as there is today. As I think of my own amok thoughts, they fit in the categories of arguments and lofty opinions because I am dwelling on my own fleshly, sinful response and essentially even taking pride in how “good” I am making myself look in the imaginary conversation or situation. My thoughts are perpetuating false teaching because they are opposed to God’s truth. My thoughts are lofty because I am elevating myself. My thoughts are all about me, me, me – the sinned-against me, the witty-comeback me, the self-righteous me. Me.

Paul says the arguments and lofty opinions are raised against the knowledge of God. Ouch! My thoughts are not in line with the gospel. They are not bringing glory to God. In fact, they are against the knowledge of God. However we may want to explain away any outward impact on others, Paul makes it clear that wrong thinking is against God. My amok thoughts are the opposite of God’s command to love others, be patient and kind, bear all things, believe all things, hope all things, endure all things, rejoice with the truth, not be envious, boastful, arrogant, rude, insist on my own way, be irritable or resentful. And that is just a start.

This is looking pretty grim. How do we deal with our amok thoughts? Paul tells we take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. This encompasses every idea, every motive, every inclination, every wish and every decision. For me, this means confessing to God that I have sinned against Him in my thoughts including wasting time by them. I ask for help putting those thoughts away, taking them captive. Then I replace them with godly thoughts starting with what is true because little to any of what is going on in my thoughts will have been true. Depending on what your amok thoughts are about, you might focus on different truth (Scripture), but one good place to start is Philippians 4:4-8 – rejoicing, being thankful, thinking on what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent and worthy of praise. 1 Corinthians 13 is another place with godly responses or focusing on who God is, His attributes.

I haven’t perfected this by any means. Some days I repeat, repeat and repeat again. Most often my amok thoughts are in the morning, so I’ve been trying to be purposeful in praying and praising God before I even get out of bed. I want to take thoughts captive from the onset. If you have a certain time when you are more prone to amok thoughts, be purposeful in guarding against by praying beforehand or extra time in the Word.

And when I fail yet again, I remind myself that Jesus never had one amok, out-of-control, sinful thought EVER. He perfectly obeyed in His thinking in my place. I am thankful that God has graciously given me Jesus’ perfect thought record. It is yours in Christ too.