Take
Every Thought Captive
| GOD's Thoughts | DEVIL's Thoughts | |
| Truth | Lies, Negative, dishonesty, lying, deception | |
| Honest | Dishonest, secretive, controller, manipulative, gossip | |
| Pure | Unclean, sinful, filthy | |
| Just | Victimized, distrusting, comparison, self-righteousness, questioning God | |
| Lovely | Ugly, Self-hatred, hardness, unloving | |
| Good Report | Gossip, slander, judgment, criticism, filthy communicaton, blasphemy, wrath, malice, anger | |
| Virtuous | Cowardly, proudful | |
| Praise | Unthankful, unbelieving |
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Our
thoughts come from three sources - God, ourself and the devil.
I have found in most cases that our thoughts and the devil's
thoughts are almost one, because when anyone seeks ministry, it's because
their thoughts are not representing God's thoughts.
How
do we recognize when we are thinking God's thoughts or the devil's thoughts?
Matthew
18:12 Jesus asked, "What think ye?"
So,
what are you thinking? Phil 4:8 breaks the thought process down for
us (as shown in the chart above.) So anything that we think that does not line up with this passage,
are the devil's thoughts (or ours). Anything
that is not of faith, is sin (Romans 14:23).
I
Cor. 13:5 says to not think any evil.
(This chapter, the love chapter, really goes into detail what
we are to think on.)
Why
is thinking so important? Because
what we "think" comes out of our mouth.
And when it comes out of our mouth, that's when sin has conceived. The Bible says that what we think in our heart,
so are we. (Proverbs 23:7) James 1:13 -15 says that temptation comes first,
and it's when we act upon it that it becomes sin.
Our
thinking has been the culprit! Our
stinkin' thinkin'!
Simply
put: Positive thoughts are of God, Negative thoughts
are of the devil. Even if the
thought you are thinking may be true in nature, perhaps someone did
do you wrong, but we are to still "think" good thoughts all
the time. Like the saying goes, "If you can't say
anything good, don't say anything at all."
It
has been apparent in ministry that everyone (100%) has thought problems.
If
we had the "mind of Christ" we wouldn't be thinking any of
the negative thoughts. (I Cor. 2:16). This passage says we "have" the mind of Christ. So we as believers, have what we need to "have
the mind of Christ" real in our lives.
Let's
look at the scripture in the same passage, Phil 4:4-7:
"Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice,
Let your moderation be known unto all men, The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in everything by
prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made
known unto God. And the peace
of God, which passes all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds
through Christ Jesus."
The
whole process of our sanctification is to have the mind of Christ.
Having this one-mind (Phil 4:2) results in peace. If there were no turmoil, worry, confusion,
jealousy going on in our thinking, wouldn't we be at peace? Of course we would.
So
how do we get our minds cleaned out of the filth?
#1
- We need to have the mind of Christ activated in our lives, it's already
there, just needs to become forefront in our mind.
We need to know God's thoughts.
And His thoughts come from the Word of God.
You need this in order to "weigh the spirits" as the
Bible tells us to do; to know if they are of God or not.
Do a Bible study on the words "think" and "thoughts"
and "mind", etc. to see what God says about all of this. When you understand what He is saying, you
will then be able to recognize the thoughts in your own mind, whether
they be of good or evil. This is called discernment.
Knowing the difference between good and evil. (Heb. 5:14)
#2
- Cast the thoughts out that are not of God, and keep those thoughts
that are. II Corinthians 10:5 say, "Casting down
imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the
knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience
of Christ." We are
to take EVERY THOUGHT CAPTIVE! At
this point, decide if the thought is a God thought or not.
Yes! Every thought. Did you know that if someone did something
wrong to you and you began thinking bad thoughts about them, you have
just taken the bait of the enemy? No
matter what happens in our lives, to us or around us, we are to "think
good" at all times. Think
positive. Make lemon aid when life gives you lemons.
Think good of all men - as the Bible teaches.
This whole thought issue has to do with relationship with people.
If there were no people, half of our evil thoughts would be gone
because the people are gone. However,
there is still ourselves, so we can think evil of ourselves the rest
of the time. We are not to even think evil of ourselves!!
And remember, all things work for good.
(Romans 8:28)
#3
- Understand that these thoughts don't just pop in our heads, these
thoughts come from what is in our heart!
Mark 7:20-23, "And Jesus said, "that which cometh
out of the man, that defileth the man, for from within , out of the
heart of men proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
thefts, coveteousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye,
blasphemy, pride, foolishness."
We need to come face to face with what is truly in our hearts. And if these thoughts start to surface and
we begin responding to them, it's time to begin casting out those thoughts,
as II Corn. 10:5 says to do. But
I find we don't do that. We
think about it, and think about it, then we feel "bad" because
of what we are thinking. Many
people think that if they think a thought, it's sin!
It is not. It's sin to
dwell on it and then act upon it (James 1:13-15).
#4
- know your enemy's thoughts. In
order to be set free completely, we need to know BOTH good and evil.
God's thoughts and the devil's thoughts, just in case our thoughts
are in there someplace too, we need to discern ourselves. What I believe is this: When
we think a thought, it's because it's something in us. Because the enemy can only cause us to think
wrong if we have something in us he can draw on. For example, I cannot be tempted to rob a bank. It's not in me. I can't even be tempted to drink a drink, because I no longer have
that addiction. But I can be
tempted to each chocolate. I
am tempted to judge. I am tempted
to fear. Because these things are still "in"
me. The process of everyone's
life is to be sanctified in body, soul and spirit. This is a process! A process means there is time involved. So even though God has already purged me and cleansed me from a
lot of things that were "IN" my heart already, there are still
many more things to be cleansed from, and evidenced by what I still
"think." If I have
a dream that startled me, and I wake up and wonder why I dreamt that,
first of all, I cast that "evil" thought out.
But then I begin asking God what is in me that the enemy used
to cause me to "think" (dream) that dream?
And sure enough, there was something God was wanting to get at
in me. Sometimes He has to use
the enemy in a dream to show us what is in us!
Remember, God uses anything to get to us - even the jawbone of
a donkey!
#5
- Separate the thoughts now. Remember,
our thoughts come one of three places: God, ourselves or the devil.
I believe that behind every thought is a "thinking"
being! So for me, I saw every
thought as a creature. (Hebrews
4:13). It's either of the Holy Spirit, myself or the
devil. Once I categorized them
in my mind, I was able to capture the devil thoughts, bind them up and
cast them out! At first I had
to do this a hundred times a day. Then
it got less and less as time went on.
Because I believe by taking responsibility for our thoughts,
taking charge of what is in there, recognizing if it's a wrong thought,
and telling it to leave, is cleansing my heart at the same time.
I found that many people stay in bondage because they aren't
willing to see what is in their own heart or they are afraid to see
what is there. We can't be afraid to see it, we need to so
that it can be purged. Once
we "see" it, half the battle is won!
We take it captive, cast it out, and God does the restoring,
purging, and healing in line with our own words!
#6
- Recognize that those things within you that the enemy uses are NOT
you! They are the sin in you that God is wanting
out. Romans 7:20 "Now if
I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth
in me." In other words, there are things I don't want
to do because I "know" not to, but then I do them anyway. We need to understand that it's the SIN in
us using our bodies to live out their characteristic. We have simply allowed them to because we didn't know any better.
In order to get them out they have to manifest so you can see
what is in you! God can only purge something when you know what it is. You just can't pray, "Father, purge me
from everything that is not of you."
Of course that is a good initial prayer, but then we need to
get specific. Father, if there
is any evil in me, tell me what it is - as David prayed. We have to
see what is there before He can begin the cleansing process.
This is the same with forgiveness, we just can' t pray a blanket
prayer of forgiveness, we have to identify each person we need to forgive. This is an every day battle a believer is to
do. Our minds are to be renewed
every day - His mercies are new every morning.
Our minds are to be conformed, and continue being conformed,
to the mind of Christ. (Romans
8:29). When we know that it is the sin in us, and
not us, we can stop being so angry and unhappy with ourselves. Now I can love myself better because I've separated
me from the sin in me. I still
hate the sin, but I don't hate me!
So many have made themselves ONE with the sin! You bought the lie if you think you are an angry person! The anger is the sin in you, because truthfully,
you don't want to be an angry person, you may have even tried not being
an angry person, yet it just comes out!
It's time to go to work and ask God to help purge your heart
of the anger that is within, and identify it in detail.
Simply
put:
Pay
attention to your thoughts and cast down (out) any that are not God's
thoughts. Even if the thought is true - if it's not a
good thought, you are not to think it at all!!!! You will stay in peace. And
since those thoughts came from someplace within us, we need to go to
God and ask Him what is in us. There
was a reason that thought came up in the first place, perhaps God is
wanting to bring your attention to something within that He wants out! It's not time to go into condemnation and fear.
It's time to get excited because God is doing a work.
Remember, things have to manifest in you before they can be removed
from you. Reminds me of a story I use in ministry called
"The shrapnel." My
husband was in vietnam and bombs blew up all around him sending pieces
of metal his way. Many of those
pieces penetrated his body, so when he returned back to the U.S. he
still had that shrapnel in him. One by one they all began protruding out of
his skin. They would begin festering,
hurting, reminding him of how it got there in the first place, tec. It wasn't a pretty sight. However, when the metal finally worked it's
way out, and sometimes had to be surgically removed, the sore was healed. That's how God purges our sins - the way it
went in is the same way it will come out!
But once it's out, it's OUT!
A
prayer for you:
Father,
I come before you with my brother/sister in the Lord.
I know from experience that our thoughts need to be renewed and
conformed to your thoughts. Help
my brother/sister to identify every thought to decide if they are your
thoughts or not. Help them to get more of your thoughts in them
through Bible reading and fellowship with You. Help them to recognize when the enemy is thinking a thought through
them so they can tell it to "GO." Help them to know they have this authority to cast things out!
I pray courage and fearlessness over their lives.
I pray they take back their thoughts, and get rid of anything
that is not of you. It may be a bit overwhelming for some at this
point because of all the negative thoughts they have. But let them know that it won't be long the
thoughts will become less and less destructive, and only your thoughts
will remain. Let them find comfort
knowing that every person reading this is in the same boat, otherwise
they wouldn't be reading this. They
are not alone, and even the most polished preacher has to take every
thought captive, if they know to do so.
And as thoughts come up that are not of you, help them to investigate
further by asking you to help let them see what is in them that allowed
that thought to come in the first place. Sometimes it could be things as jealousy, fear
of evil, doubt, confusion, bitterness and unforgiveness, comparison,
feelings of incompetence, etc. And
help them not to think badly of themselves for having these things. Help them remember it's sin in them that has
to manifest so that you can purge.
Don't let them fear what they will see, but be happy they see
it. Help them to cast out every imagination and
high and lofty thing out of their thinking, and only dwell on whatsoever
things are good! Let their heart
and mind be stayed on your so that whatever comes from within, out of
their mouth, will be what would come out of yours.
I know this is a process, but help them to remember when they
mess up, to receive forgiveness immediately (as taught in previous teaching),
and to go on. We only stay in SIN because we haven't received
forgiveness. Bless my friend
now Lord, and let them experience peace within their heart and mind. In Jesus name, Amen."
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