Your Mind is a Battlefield Part 3: Take Captive Your Thoughts

Hey there! Here we are in Part 3 of this series. I must say, this is my favorite part.

Once I grasped this concept, my life was forever changed.

For as long as I can remember, ever since I was a little girl, I had constant depressive and anxious thoughts.

I could be having a joyful moment, and all of a sudden I would have a fleeting depressive or anxious thought. After ruminating on that one thought for about an hour, I would end up in a dark place. Just like that.

It all starts with ONE thought.

If we allow ourselves to ruminate on that one negative thought, it becomes a mountainous monster.

It will become much larger than we would have ever wanted or expected it to be.

That one negative thought can become so large that we become paralyzed…too fearful to do anything, too stressed out to move to the left or to the right.

And that’s what the enemy wants. The devil wants those thoughts to be magnified to the point that they seem so much larger than the God that we serve.

For some reason, I felt like I had no control over my thought life.

I believed that every lie that was whispered, every memory of negative words spoken to me, I had no choice but to ruminate over them and accept the inner chaos, lack of peace, depression, and anxiety as something that I could do nothing about and just had to live with.

There is no greater lie ever told or ever believed.

2 Corinthians 10:5 states, “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.”

God has given us the ability to take that one thought, that one lie, and make it obedient to Christ and the word of God.

I had to learn that as soon as I had that thought, to combat it with truths from the word of God and with truths about who I am in Christ.

Snatch those thoughts back!

Take them captive and make them obedient to Christ and what He says is true!

Replace them with good thoughts. Replace them with God’s promises.

We don’t have to accept the lies of the enemy as our truth.

We don’t have to think about that fleeting thought until it becomes such a giant that we feel like it can’t be defeated.

Philippians 4:8 says “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.”

Here, the bible is telling us to be intentional with your thoughts.

Be intentional with what you allow yourself to dwell upon.

Be intentional about your mindset.

According to this scripture, we can control what we allow ourselves to ponder.

Just like anything else, it takes effort. But if you make this a habit by putting this into practice, it will change your life.

You will find yourself with less anxious and depressive thoughts.

You will find yourself with less angry and other fleshly or sinful thoughts.

You will find yourself being more patient and tolerant of others because you are looking at them through a clean lens. You will find yourself not being so critical and easily offended, because you are choosing to see others the way God sees them, and you will be quicker to give them the benefit of the doubt.

We don’t have to be prisoners of our minds and our thoughts! God gave us the ability to take our thoughts captive and walk in freedom and victory from depression and anxiety.

The bible tells us in Romans 12:2 “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-his good, pleasing, and perfect will.”

We renew our minds by reading the word of God.

Reading the word of God has to be a non-negotiable part of your day. Just like eating, drinking, and sleeping, spending time with God should be on our “have-to” list. It is the best self-care there is.

Be encouraged today, my friend.

You don’t have to accept depression, fear, anxiety, and worry as your portion!

We are overcomers by the blood of Jesus Christ! We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

Snatch those thoughts back. Take those thoughts captive.

Replace them with God’s truth. Walk in freedom and liberty in Christ Jesus.

God is ALWAYS good, and the devil is ALWAYS a liar.