2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV
“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.”
I hear the voices, they are up to their usual tricks saying things like, “This won’t work, it never does.” Or “Who do you think you are that they would want to be friends with you.” Now they are not things other people have said to me. Instead they are things I have said to me- those and many other things like that.
God’s word tells us to take every thought captive. It also tells us in Philippians 4:8 to think on whatever is true, whatever is noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy to think of these things. Wow. Most of my thought don’t pass that test! But yet I have a hard time dismissing them just Iike that. “This won’t work, it never does,” is that true? Nope! Out on the first try! “Who do you think you are that they would want to be friends with you,” is that a noble thought? Nope again! Yet we still let those voices talk.
But what if we truly take every thought captive? What if as soon as we have a thought like one of the aforementioned we hold it up to the scrutiny of scripture before letting it wear deep groves into the tracks of our minds that then continue to play over and over and over again. How much happier we would be! How much self loathing we would skip! It always amazes me how happy and content we would be if we would simply heed God’s word! He didn’t create us to be miserable- He created us not to be miserable but to be happy! Why? Because seeing us happy while seeking Him makes Him happy too!
So the next time you’re tempted to continue the monologue of all the ways you’ve messed up and why you deserve to be so unhappy, stop. Take that thought captive. Hold up it to the scrutiny of Scripture and if it doesn’t pass the test- let it go.