As human beings, our thoughts are constantly bombarded by events around us or our circumstances. We must be intentional about what we think about to ensure our thoughts don't stray. Ever heard the saying, think about what you’re thinking about? The Bible tells us in II Cor. 10:5 (NIV) “ 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”.
But why should we take our thoughts
captive? Each day we experience: fear, anxiety, worry, and sinful thoughts. If we leave
these thoughts to run, they begin to transform us into those things.
That’s why Rom. 12:2 (NIV) warns us by saying:
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.
Consider the story of Saul and how fear caused him to sin by carrying out the
burnt offering (I Sam. 13:8-14). Vs. 11-12:
“What
have you done?” asked Samuel.
Saul
replied, “When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at
the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Mikmash,
“I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come
down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the Lord’s favour.’
So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.”
Another example is Peter, the only man apart from Jesus to walk on water.
The moment he took his eyes off Jesus, he became afraid (Matt. 14:30-31).
There’s also the story of David (I Sam. 30:1-6). A million thoughts would have been going through his mind but he chose
to fix his thoughts and the result was different (I Sam. 30:18-19)
You have to keep your thoughts on God regardless of what’s going on around you. But to do so, you must be intentional and think about what you’re thinking about. You must take your thoughts captive, and audit them by asking yourself if they align with God’s word about you.
- Do they align with Phil. 4:8 (NLT)?
- Are they true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy?
If you find yourself struggling, ask God for help (Heb. 4:16, AMPC). Over time,
it will become easier and you’ll find yourself being transformed to become more
like God, and less influenced by the world around you. I charge you to ask
yourself: What thoughts do you need to take captive today?
P.S.: while preaching this message, I
wondered aloud, why has no one else walked on water since Peter and Jesus did.
After all, Jesus said we will do not just the works He did but greater (John 14:12, NLT).
P.P.S: Check out a similar post to this from our archives: Check Your Thoughts
Photo cred: Etsy
