The Captive Mind

“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.” 2 Corinthians 10:5

In human anatomy, the brain is command central for the entire body. Every action, response, and impulse originates from the brain. The brain is not just a mental organ; it is a spiritual organ because our thoughts have spiritual components as well. You cannot separate the spiritual from the mental, the emotional, and the physical, because they are all woven together. So we have got to get control of our minds if we are going to have control and victory over sin.

This is not primarily a physical battle as much as it is a spiritual battle. It is not even just a moral battle, but also a mental battle. The first thing that God changes in you, once you become a follower of Jesus, is not just your heart, but also your mind. Before you come to Jesus, your mind is actually enemy-held territory. Colossians 1:21 says, “Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.” If you do not know Jesus, God is on one side of a line and your mind is on the other side. The first and the greatest commandment is to, “Love the Lord your God with all your mind.”

When you become a follower of Jesus, God moves in and takes control over your soul, your heart, your body, and your mind. He wants to guide your mind and thoughts. He wants to not only direct you in how you live but also in how you think. Either your mind is going to guide you in where you go, how you live, and how you think, or you are going to guide your mind in how it thinks, and therefore how you live.

That is why every day you need to have a plan in place to make sure that you are going to guide your mind in all things. In other words, you’ve got to make up your mind about your mind, and make your mind, well, mind. You have to guide your mind in where it can go and where it can’t, where it can stay and where it can’t, where it can live, and where it can’t. When you wake up until you're lying down, you must guide your mind in all things.

God, thank You that I can guide my mind and have control of my thoughts because of Your Spirit living in me. Help me to “take my thoughts captive” and to direct my thoughts daily toward You. Enable me through Your Spirit to think on the things which enrich my relationship with You. In Jesus’ name, amen.