HOW TO TAKE THOUGHTS CAPTIVE

Bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 2 Corinthians 10:5 (NKJV)

Do you ever feel condemned? Inadequate? Unworthy? Do you struggle with negative thoughts?

Many people try to overcome negative thinking by saying things like, “I’m going to stop being so hard on myself,” or “I’m not going to focus on my failures.” The problem is that these statements are in the negative. The more you repeat them, the more you actually focus on what you don’t want to do. Instead, you need to bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. But how?

Well, what does the “obedience of Christ” mean? Christ was obedient to the point of death. When He died, He took your punishment, guilt and shame. He died on the cross in your place so you could be free, and this needs to be your focus if you want to take your thoughts captive.

When you find yourself focusing on your lack or on something you’ve done wrong, don’t just try to avoid thinking negatively. Instead, bring every thought captive by turning your focus to Jesus. Specifically, draw your attention to the abundant life you’ve been promised. As a believer, every promise in the Bible is yours. Jesus has made these promises yours through His obedience to what He was called to do—take mankind’s place in judgment.

In Him, you’re treasured, loved and accepted as you are. You’re capable and empowered by the very power that raised Christ from the dead. You are more than a conqueror. You have Jesus’ peace of mind and His close relationship with God. You have His joy and His forgiveness. Focus on these and you’ll take those negative thoughts captive!

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