Tips For Triumphant Living -- Captive Thoughts

Wisdom can come from unexpected places. Sometimes I think believers shut out insights from all sources except that of other believers. I know that what I’m about to say may frighten some of you, but I feel compelled to speak out.

I’m like most you. The words of knowledge and good sense I trust most come from God’s people. That’s not a bad thing. However, there’s a lot of wisdom in this world that does not come from the mouths of Christians.

I was reminded of this recently while speaking to my acupuncturist. I don’t know her religious background, but she possesses wisdom and shares insightful thoughts. At each session we talk first (before the needles) and she helps me sort out some of the “stuff” going on in my life. She believes that mind, spirit, and body are all interconnected. I agree.

At my last visit we talked about our thoughts and taking them captive. I was reminded of 2nd Corinthians 10:4-5, which says, "The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 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.”

When I walked out of the acupuncturist’s office this scripture rolled through my mind. She hadn’t quoted it, but that’s what I got out of our gab session. Our mind must be brought under Christ’s control. We too often allow our thoughts to wander into unhealthy places that tell us life is too bleak, too difficult or just too painful. Or they settle and then dwell on some negative aspect in our lives. If we remain in those dark places we’ll likely be defeated. Paul, the author of 2nd Corinthians, knew well the power of the mind and he understood that our battle is not against this world but against principalities and powers. We must hold tightly to the shield of faith and take up the sword of the spirit if we are to win.

I encourage you, if you haven’t already, to begin taking charge over your thoughts. The verse says WE take captive EVERY thought. Sometimes negatives creep in unknown, but usually we’re well aware of what mental corruption we entertain. So, the next time instead of allowing an unhealthy thought to reside, get hold of it, wrangle it to the ground and take it to Christ. Ask the Lord what He wants you to be thinking about. Philippians 4:8 – 9 is a great place to start. It has some very good ideas.

Grace and peace to you from God.

Bonnie