Tie ‘Em Up

For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (ESV)

Tie ‘Em Up

As much as your boss (or husband or kids or that nasty woman at the grocery store) may annoy you, that person is not your enemy. As Christians, we are not waging war against the people in our lives, but against evil in the spiritual realm. Against temptation. Against sin. Against the devil’s attempts to derail our faith and life in God. We need a transformed mind.

How do we do this?

We wage war on the arguments in our minds. We battle our selfish and prideful opinions. We punish our own disobedience. And…we take prisoners of war. We take captive the thoughts that stroll through our minds.

Your thoughts are not your own

You see, most of us think that our thoughts are our own. In that, I mean that they originate with us. However, many of our thoughts are planted in our minds through temptation from Satan himself or patterns that he has established through the world view we have formed subconsciously over decades. His goal is to derail us from the following what God wants us to do. The easiest way to do that is to get us caught in a thought trap.

Toxic thoughts destroy our effectiveness

For instance, how effective are we as evangelists and disciplers – as fishers of men, if we are caught in a cycle of self-pity, bitterness, or anger?

So, a thought enters our minds like a whisper.
“You don’t deserve to be treated this way.”
“They shouldn’t have done that.”
“Why won’t she listen to me?”
“The deck is stacked against me.”
“Nothing I do turns out right.”

Take some Prisoners of War

Think of these seemingly random thoughts as soldiers. Soldiers sent to attack us by sending us off into a cycle of thoughts not at all in line with the Word of God. It is time to tie them up as prisoners of war.

We have to take these thoughts captive and replace them with loyal soldiers. With thoughts that promote abundant, Christ-centered living rather than a self-centered, disgruntled life. With the Word of God itself.

First Step – Recognize Enemies and Allies

The first step to a transformed mind is to recognize the thoughts that race through our minds. We have to step back mentally, and see those thoughts for what they are. Either the influence of the Holy Spirit in our lives or something at war with Spirit of God.

The ones from the Holy Spirit, we embrace and invite them in for a meal and conversation. And we allow them to become a part of who we are. They transform us, making us more and more Christ-like.

The ones that are in opposition to the Word of God, we tie up and toss out. As fast as humanly possible. It will take a fight. They don’t want to leave. We have to force them out of our heads.

Don’t Give Up

They don’t give up either. They will try to sneak back in over and over. Fighting harder and harder. So, we have to persevere and keep fighting over and over, harder and harder for a transformed mind. But it is worth the fight to align our minds and our lives with God’s Word.

Transforming our minds will transform every area of our lives.

Action Step:

Pay attention to your thoughts today. Start to recognize the types of thoughts that enter your mind. Are those negative thoughts about other people in line with what their Creator thinks of them? Are those negative thoughts about yourself aligned with what the One who made you and sacrificed His Son for you thinks?

Maybe you have always said that you are just a realist. That what you are thinking is just the hard truth. Our sinful nature is the hard truth about us, but Christ shows us mercy. As we become more Christ-centered, we become more merciful toward ourselves and others.

Prayer:

Dear God, help us to recognize our thoughts for what they are. Reveal to us how our thought patterns have been sabotaging our walk with You and the abundant life You desire for us. Help us to tie up and toss out the thoughts that are not in line with Your will today and everyday. In Jesus’ name, amen.