Taking Every Though Captive
By George Stroh, Senior Pastor
September 14, 2009
"... and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ."
(1 Corinthians 10:1)
Christians are actively engaged everyday of their lives in spiritual warfare. Our enemies are Satan and his demons; a godless world with its false doctrines; and our own corrupt and sinful flesh in which nothing good dwells. The battles of this war are primarily fought over control of our thoughts.
There are many Christians around the world who are suffering physically in this spiritual warfare because of their love for the Lord Jesus Christ. I have read that as many as 150 Christians are martyred on average each day and many more are in prison because of their faith in Christ. There are places in the world where openly proclaiming the Gospel is sufficient cause for imprisonment and even the death penalty.
While there are real physical battles and casualties in this spiritual war, much of the damage to Christians and their testimonies results from psychological warfare, the capturing and controlling of thoughts. Satan's strategy from the beginning has been to try to captivate and distort the thoughts of those who are trusting and obeying God;"...And he said to the woman, 'Indeed, has God said, you shall not eat from any tree of the garden?'...'You surely will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil'...When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave to her husband with her, and he ate." (Genesis 3).
All sin begins in the mind which in turn controls the body. But unlike those who "walk in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding" (Ephesians 4), Christians have powerful resources available to bring to the spiritual battles that begin in the mind. We have the mind of Christ, the Holy Spirit indwells us, and we have "... the word of God that is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12)
Since there is a battle for our mind, we must first "take captive every thought to the obedience of Christ". As thoughts enter our mind, we can either surrender to the will of our enemies- Satan, worldly philosophies and doctrines of demons and our sinful flesh or we can capture those thoughts "to the obedience of Christ".
As a Christian, holiness and your path to victory over sin starts by the renewing of your mind- consistently studying and meditating on God's Word. You are strengthened with His truth, His will and His power to take control over your thoughts. Then you are able to "...present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship." (Romans 12:1) Maranatha!
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