Does confusion set in when told to hold your thoughts captive?

Emotional Healing

Jul 19

It used to for me! I couldn't figure it out for the life of me. I struggled for years.

See, I lived in a state of constantly being held down and bullied by my thoughts. Wanna know what a typical day usually looked like? Here it goes:

Thoughts fly around in my head at about 100 mpm (miles per minute, yes, that’s about right). I win arguments in my mind with those who have wronged me. I settle the score with others who have hurt me deeply.

I defend myself to those who have misunderstood me. All while also worrying about the bills, our finances, our kids, friends who are struggling, family, and anything else honestly.

I ruminate on thoughts of being a failure, fears of not being liked, regrets, guilt and shame for mistakes I have made. I hear all the labels that I have repeated to myself quietly for years, LOUD and CLEAR!

“I am a FAILURE”

“I am UNHEARD”

“I will NEVER get it RIGHT”

“I CAN’T DO ANYTHING right”

“I am a BAD WIFE/MOM/DAUGHTER/SISTER/FRIEND” (and anything else I can think of at the time).

Mind you, this is all happening at the SAME TIME!

Oh yeah, I was probably folding laundry or doing some other task during this fiasco in my mind because why not?

This right here, has been happening to me my whole life. Even when I decided to follow Jesus!

Can I let you in on a secret? I really expected that I’d turn into some perfect Christian with the perfect life once I submitted to his will. Yeah, that was like a set up for pain, but hindsight is 20/20.

I now realize we are all imperfectly imperfect which is EXACTLY why we need Jesus! He transforms us daily if we allow him to!

What about our thoughts was God trying to get us to understand?

“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

It wasn’t until recently that I learned what it looks like to take my thoughts captive AND make them obedient to Christ.

Every time I had negative thoughts about myself and others I would think about this verse and ask “BUT HOW?”. Have you found yourself in my shoes with that verse?

Here is what I have since learned:

My thoughts are just that. Thoughts. My thoughts are meant to help me, but sometimes they don’t do the best job. Sometimes they are downright not good for me

We have a real enemy. His name is Satan. He is God’s adversary and because God loves us unconditionally, he is our adversary too. He sets up arguments and pretenses against us so we can believe the lies he is whispering to us. (see scripture above)

We are never fighting “against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:12 NIV. With this knowledge, we should not be fighting each other, but PRAYING FOR ONE ANOTHER! We need to be quick to forgive and slow to anger. Check out the book of Proverbs. It’s filled with wisdom!
The adversary LOVES to use HURTS to cause us to be angry, resentful, judgemental, malicious, and harbor hatred. All of these things make us sick in our spirit and flesh! 1 John 3:14-15, Leviticus 19:17-18 and so many more. Look up the key words above to learn what God says about these things!

“We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.”

1 John 3:14-15

With all of these truths in place, I have learned to stop my thoughts from bullying me! I have learned the enemy will try to use my thoughts to distract me, detach me, and destroy me! I have learned that I have to replace the lies in my head with TRUTH!

I still haven’t fully mastered this practice of holding my thoughts captive but I will tell you this, life has gotten easier.

I am not spending hours at a time in bed beating myself up for whatever the reason of the day was.

I am no longer isolated because I fear what people think of me.

I am no longer ruining relationships because of my fixation on thoughts, rather I fixate my thoughts on TRUTH and my relationships are growing! (Repeat this a few times out loud if you need to. Write it on your mirror. Car door. Whatever it takes to understand this part right here!)

How soon will it be all done and better?

Read this carefully. THIS IS NOT A QUICK FIX!

This is not a 21 day fix program or a magic pill.

This is not a 5 step fix it all program.

This is not a wish from a magic genie somewhere.

It’s not a crash course I am trying to sell you.

You wouldn’t get fit from WATCHING fitness videos. You won’t hold your thoughts captive by reading an article like this.

The practice of holding your thoughts captive requires WORK! From YOU. With GOD!

You will need to practice daily. Even when you would rather give up. Even when it seems like a distant prize.

Why? Because it can be done! And that is how God intended it, which is WHY He gave us the instruction! You can take back what the enemy has been trying to use for far too long!

I am living proof and know an army of others who are too! Friend, let me tell you, once you start mastering this you will wonder why you hadn't prioritized it before.

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Philippians 4:13

Author: Celi Perez a member of Legacy Church

As a church we do not believe in doing life alone. We want to pray with you.