BRINGING EVERY THOUGHT INTO CAPTIVITY

“Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:5). 

 

“For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct Him?  But we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2:16).

 

The mind is truly the command central of every human being.  It is the seat of all our thoughts, feelings, and emotions.  It is where our creativity, calculation, passion, reasoning, imagination, judging, surmising, emotion, perception, logic, expression, discernment, and so much more originate.  The mind is also the gateway of our bodies and our souls.  This is where the real spiritual warfare takes place in our lives.  Our enemy, Satan, will lie to us, using reason, deception, and even the truth in a twisted form to weaken our resistance and get us to agree with him.  Once our guard is down, we are open to sin and spiritual death.

 

In reading the following verses, it becomes apparent that the human mind is the crucial battleground in the war for our soul.  Consider the following:

 

·         “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.” (1 Peter 5:8, 9).

 

·         “Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:13). 

 

·         “But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.” (Romans 7:23). 

 

·         “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.  For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the LORD.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:7-9). 

 

·         “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Romans 12:2). 

 

·          “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee.” (Isaiah 26:3). 

 

In light of all these scriptures (and there are many more besides), we can understand the Apostle Paul’s plea for us to bring captive “every thought to the obedience of Christ.”  This may seem like an impossible undertaking at first glance; but if it were not possible, and, in fact, essential for us, then God wouldn’t require it of us.  Moreover, if we, as Christians, wish to control our actions and our behaviors, we must first learn to control our thought life. 

 

Our love for God is the motivation for us to bring our minds into subjection to His will.  Jesus said, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.  This is the first and great commandment.” (Matthew 22:37, 38).  If we are not willing to love the Lord our God with all our minds, as well as our hearts and souls, then we are not fulfilling the one greatest commandment that the Lord has given us. 

 

There are lusts and desires of the flesh that we know that we must overcome in order to serve our God faithfully, but there are lusts and desires of the mind that we must also learn to overcome (Ephesians 2:3).  “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies; these are the things which defile a man.” (Matthew 15:19).  Paul tells us that the carnal (un-regenerated) mind is the enemy of God because it is not subject to Him and never will be (Romans 8:7).  The human mind cannot be reformed, but it can and should be renewed.  Paul says that they who walk after the flesh cannot please God and implores the believers to “walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them.” Instead, Paul admonishes us to “be renewed in the spirit of your mind.” (Ephesians 4:17-24).

 

According to the Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, the word “renewed” in the original Greek suggests being “changed into a new kind of life as opposed to the former corrupt state.”  This is precisely what God is doing in you and me.  There is a transformation taking place in us that is being affected by the renewing of our minds by the Word of God (Romans 12:2).  We entered into a new covenant with God when we were born again, and the result is that God has put His laws into our minds and written them in our hearts (Hebrews 8:10).  This is not an act of the will, but a work of faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and in His finished work on the cross.  The Holy Spirit reminds us of the things that God has said.  As we meditate on those things and apply them to ourselves by faith, God empowers us to live holy, righteous lives; and He helps us to remain vigilant against the devil’s lies.

 

God’s Word provides us with everything we need to be successful spiritually.  It is like a two edged sword, or a surgeon’s sharp scalpel, capable of dividing what is of the soulish, carnal man and the spiritual new man.  By it we can also discern between the self-ish and the self-less thoughts and intents of our own hearts (Hebrews 4:12).  Much of what we try to pass off as charitable acts can actually have selfish motives or intents once they pass under the scrutiny of the Word of God.  It is always good for us to remember David’s prayer in Psalm 39 and to employ it in our own devotions:  “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalms 139:23, 24).  We must spend time in the Word every day if we want to be victorious Christians.  Believers in the city of Berea were said to be “more noble than those in Thessalonica,” because “they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily.” (Acts 17:11). 

 

Fear and anxiety are two of the weapons that Satan uses against us to weaken our defenses.  The dangers and consequences of stress on the mind and the body have been well documented so that we are not ignorant of Satan’s devices.  If we add the outside pressures of family, job, finances, and relationships on top of the management of our spiritual walk, the load can become quite heavy.  Fear also can be paralyzing to our faith.  It can come seemingly out of nowhere and keep us from advancing with the Lord.  We must always remind ourselves, however, that it is never God Who gives us a spirit of fear, it is the enemy.  Neither does anxiety come from God.  God has given us power, love, a sound mind, and peace (2 Timothy 1:7).  I am reminded often of a quote by Ed Cole.  Speaking of the definition of faith and fear as being identical he said, “Faith and fear is believing that what you cannot see will come to pass, faith attracts the positive while fear attracts the negative.”  If the definition of faith and fear is exactly the same, therefore, why does it seem so much easier for us to fear than to believe?

 

“Be careful [anxious] for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.  Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” (Philippians 4:6-8).  One of the most effective weapons that we can use against Satan’s assaults is prayer.  Prayer coupled with supplication and thanksgiving is the first place we should resort to when we are feeling anxious over the issues of life.  When we do, the wonderful peace of God can wash over us and remind us that everything is working together for our good according to God’s plan and purpose.  God can then keep our hearts and minds through the Lord Jesus.  The word “keep” used in the phrase “keep your hearts and minds” is translated from the Greek word “phroureo”, and it means “to guard, protect by a military guard, either to prevent hostile invasion, or to keep the inhabitants of a besieged city from flight.”  Finally, we are admonished to fill our minds with good thoughts and not bad.  Things that are pure, lovely, true, and honest fill us with rejoicing and not with dread.  As we make a practice of doing these things, then our thoughts turn naturally into prayers; and we find ourselves fulfilling the exhortation in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 to “Pray without ceasing.”

 

It must not be forgotten that God has also given us spiritual armor to help protect us in our fight against spiritual wickedness in high places.  Ephesians chapter six catalogs each piece of armor for us.  The Helmet of Salvation is the one that is designated to protect our head and, spiritually speaking, our mind.  Our salvation in Christ Jesus is our defense against all that the accuser of our souls would charge us with.  We stand, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but by the grace of the Lord and by His righteousness.  The Lord Himself is our salvation, and if the enemy can convince us otherwise, then he has defeated us.  “The LORD is my strength and song, and is become my salvation.” (Psalms 118:14).  “I will praise Thee: for Thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation.” (Psalms 118:21).  Allowing Satan to bring guilt and condemnation upon us for things that are under the Blood of Christ is a sure way to calamity.  Don’t let him steal the assurance of your salvation from you! 

 

In the end, there is only one way for us to effectively bring every thought into captivity to Christ: we must “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 2:5).  This is not as hard as it sounds.  In fact, it is quite easy.  You see we have already been given all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of our dear Savior (2 Peter 1:3).  Paul states it very simply when he says, “But we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2:16).  It then becomes an act of faith for us to believe those things which have already been freely given to us by God.  The Chinese teacher Watchman Nee breaks faith into three steps.  He said, “Lay hold on these three steps: God can, God will, God has.”  When our faith embraces the third step then we have the thing that God has promised us.  May we all be victorious in this great fight of faith!