Holding Our Thoughts Captive

2 Corinthians 10:5b

“We capture every thought and make it give up and obey Christ.”



Have you ever thought about what it means to capture your thoughts? Do you put them in glass jars like lightening bugs, poke holes in the top and let them shine until their light goes out? If you capture a thought does it die or fester? Does it become a prisoner longing for freedom or die in the cage you put it in? What makes you capture a thought? Is it because it could destroy you or someone else or is it because it’s too lofty or silly or ambitious for you to think on? What makes a thought bad or good? What does it mean to capture you thoughts?

2 Corinthians was written by Paul as an admonishment to the Christians in Corinth. He wrote to remind them of who they now belonged to as followers of Christ and to always examine themselves as the new creations they now were. The Corinthians had become full of themselves and their “religious fellowship” and they argued over who the best leader was and who had the greatest gifts. When Paul wrote this second letter to them he sought to reign them back in by “taking their thoughts captive” and remembering who they served and the gift of eternal life that could only come from Christ. But Paul wasn’t writing to just the Corinthians of that time, he was writing to all of the “Corinthians” in future generations. The today Corinthians who hold lofty thoughts and puff themselves up with importance and the tomorrow Corinthians, who seek to serve self rather than their fellow man. He was writing to those of us who forget who we belong to and our purposes here on earth because we can’t seem to “take our thoughts and hold them captive in obedience to Christ.”

The word thought or past tense of think has it’s origins in Old English or Saxon language. It literally means the act or process of thinking. When you have a thought you are taking the concept or idea and basically mauling it over. It means you’ve been inspired, have a concept, idea or impression you are now considering. There is a science behind your thoughts. Scientists have long studied brain patterns and gone to great lengths to explain why we think as we do. One of the most interesting things I found in researching the word thought was in Wikipedia under pitfalls; it said that thoughts can lead to self-delusions or the inability to confront relevant issues. I think that’s what Paul was talking about when he said “we must hold every thought captive”. Our thoughts can become destructive. They have the ability to disable us if we let them. David Guzik’s commentary puts this into perspective; he says “Paul's principle has a much broader application. We are not helpless victims or recipients of our thoughts. We can choose to stop our thoughts, and bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.”

The application is clear. How we think today, how we process our thoughts is a reflection of whose we are. Paul is saying, if you have a thought and it is contradictory to the way a new creation in Christ must think you need to take that thought, hold it prisoner and banish it. Like the bugs in the jar the light must go out and once you have reined the thought in, it must not be allowed to come back. It is not just a matter of capturing the thought; it is a matter of banishing it and filling you mind with good. Paul goes on to tell us that we have the weapons to fight the thought war and to take the thoughts that destroy us captive. Those weapons are found in Ephesians chapter 6. We put on the “full armor of God” 6:14-18 tells us we have a belt of truth, a shield of faith and shoes that carry the good news. Our salvation is our helmet and our sword is the word of God. God equips us with the tools to take every thought captive. He gives us the armor, and says “use it to defeat the enemies, the thoughts that take you captive and pull you away from me”. I love how the Message translates this part of scripture “So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the devil throws your way….Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s word is an indispensible weapon.” (vs. 11-14).

Capture your thoughts today, put them in glass jars and if they are destructive use the weapons God provides to destroy them, and then let only the light from the truth shown to you in God’s word shine through. You’ll see a beacon where once there was only a glimmer and your armor will shine like the Son!