Take Every Thought Captive: Winning the Battle for Your Mind

 “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of this flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. . .” (NASB)

2 Corinthians 10:3–5

Dear Friends,

We are in the middle of a war! I don’t mean a war where we have to call up our military forces to fight for our country’s freedom. The war we fight every day has spiritual consequences. It is the war for our minds.

The Groundhog Invasion

I thought about this spiritual battle the other day when I peeked around the side of our barn. Dad and I have been having groundhog trouble. A whole passel of the little critters have dug holes in the dirt around the back of the barn and developed a network of tunnels under the stalls. Little by little, these uninvited varmints have created a mess that, if left alone, could damage the integrity of the barn’s floor. We didn’t want that to happen, so we had to go to war!

Dad took out our live trap, put bait in the cage, and set it by the biggest hole. The next day, when I peeked around the corner, I found a large groundhog scuffling around in the trap. When Dad got home with the truck, he took the critter away and deposited him somewhere out in a country field, far away from us and our barn.

Over the next few days, we caught more of groundhog #1’s buddies, and they suffered the same fate—captured and sent away in disgrace.

If only it were this easy to fight the war of the mind!

The Spiritual Battle for Our Minds

Our minds are so easily infiltrated with wrong thinking that clouds what is true. Our upbringing, wrong beliefs, unfortunate events, and other people’s opinions can all burrow holes in our understanding of the truth about God, ourselves, and others. When our understanding is wrong, it can mess up everything.

But we can’t fight this battle of the mind the way the world does. Paul says, “Though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.”

Often, people try to solve their problems through worldly means. Some convince themselves that everything is okay because truth is relative. Others turn to alcohol, drugs, sex, money, power, or numerous other things to quiet their troubled minds. But none of these can win the spiritual battle. In fact, they often create more problems.

Paul reminds the Corinthian believers that the weapons God provides for spiritual warfare are divinely powerful. They can tear down strongholds, destroy arguments and speculations, and demolish everything that sets itself up against the knowledge of God.

Although Paul was addressing opposition to the truth of God, his words also remind us of the importance of guarding our own minds.

Why We Must Take Every Thought Captive

When wrong thoughts become entrenched in our minds, we can’t ignore them. If we had let the groundhog problem go, the animals could have eventually undermined the foundation of our barn. In the same way, allowing wrong thinking to take root can gradually undermine our spiritual health. It affects how we love God, understand ourselves, and treat others with compassion.

So we must take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.

It wouldn’t have done any good for us to open the live trap and let the groundhog free near the barn. He would have come right back and brought all his friends with him. We needed to put him in the truck, take him far down the road, and let him go where he couldn’t do any more harm.

Likewise, when wrong thoughts persist, we must capture them and compare them with God’s Word. If they contradict His truth, we need to reject them and replace them with what God says.

Replacing Wrong Thinking with God’s Truth

When it comes to winning a war, we must be determined to go all out. That may mean deleting social media from our phones, turning off the TV or internet, reconsidering unhealthy friendships, or developing new habits. Whatever allows wrong thinking to take root needs to be addressed. Do whatever it takes!

Paul tells us in Philippians 4:8 to think on things that are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, excellent, of good repute, and worthy of praise. These are the things we should dwell on—thoughts shaped by God and His Word.

We are in the middle of a war – one far more dangerous than a groundhog invasion! And just as we couldn’t allow those pesky critters to keep burrowing under our barn, we can’t allow wrong thinking to make itself at home in our minds.

What thoughts have you allowed to settle in your mind? Are they consistent with God’s truth, or is it time to capture them and send them packing?

Use the divine weapons God provides. Through His Word and the power of the Holy Spirit, you can take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.

Love,

Mama

Are there thoughts you need to take captive and replace with God’s truth? I’d love to hear how God is helping you win the battle for your mind. Share your thoughts in the comments, and pass this devotional along to someone who could use the encouragement!