Every Thought Captive

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds… bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ…
2 Corinthians 10:4-5

Too often we hear stories in the news about violent criminals who have been released multiple times until finally they end up killing someone. I can see giving people a second chance, but a twelfth chance? No. It is the government’s responsibility to punish evildoers and protect the innocent. See Romans 13:1-4. We all know that dangerous people need to be locked up.

And so do dangerous thoughts. That’s why we must bring “every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,” (2 Corinthians 10:5).

If our thoughts are not captive to the obedience of Christ, it means they are running around free. Have your thoughts ever gotten you into trouble? Mine have. Dwell on something unwise or just plain wrong for long enough, and we often end up doing it even against our better judgment. Our thoughts can’t always be trusted to lead us in a good direction. Some of them are like criminals who have proved themselves dangerous. If we keep letting them run around without restraint, they’re going to cause more and more trouble.

The heart is deceitful above all things,
And desperately wicked;
Who can know it? Jeremiah 17:9

I’ve been reading a little bit about what are called “intrusive thoughts.” We all have them. Like when you’re driving down the road and your mind starts imagining what would happen if you just drove straight into a wall or off a bridge. Then you shake your head and wonder if you’re crazy and you try to put it out of your mind. You’re not crazy, by the way. We all have intrusive thoughts. But we mustn’t allow them to run rampant. They have to be kept under control. Some thoughts need to be locked up like a repeat offender.

We cannot let our thoughts run the show. They must submit to God’s law. I might be thinking about skipping church to sleep in on Sunday morning. But that thought should not control me. I must put that thought away and think rather about what God’s word says on the subject. A man may notice a woman and begin having intrusive lustful thoughts about her. Those thoughts cannot be allowed to run free. We already know the evil they are capable of. They must be brought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. The man must force his thoughts somewhere better.

Turning in one’s thought life to God is not easy. We don’t want to give up that kind of freedom. We want to control our own lives, including our thoughts. The problem is, our thoughts begin to control us.

James 1:14-15 says that the process of sin starts with being held captive by our thoughts, then by our desires, and this leads to sin. Then we become captives of the consequences of the sin.

Remember how Israel was taken into captivity by the Babylonians? But when God empowered the Medes to conquer Babylon, they turned out to be kinder masters to Israel, even allowing them to go back to Jerusalem and rebuild.

I wonder if this parallels what Paul meant when he said of Christ in Ephesians 4:8, “He led captivity captive.” Sin makes us captives of Satan. When we turn to Christ, he becomes our Master instead. We’re still captives, so to speak, but now we’re under a good master instead of an evil one.

Whether we are slaves to Satan or to God, each allows a degree of freedom. We might think we prefer the master who gives us freedom to dwell on whatever thoughts we want, but unrestrained thoughts will lead us to evil. When we bring our thoughts into captivity to the obedience of Christ, we find we are set free to do what is right, to live according to God’s purposes, and to pursue that which truly satisfies.

Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. John 8:36

Dear God, please help me to be disciplined in my thought life. Help me to recognize harmful thought patterns quickly, and by the help of Your Holy Spirit may I re-direct my mind to what is good and pure and holy. Help me always to submit to Christ’s authority, in thought, word, and deed. In Jesus’s name, Amen.

by Christie Cole Atkins

Related Reading:

Re-wiring Our Self-Talk

He Said, She Said