One of the most powerful Scriptures to winning the battle in our minds is 2 Corinthians 10:5. It says, "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;" (KJV).
The Greek word for imagination is argument. An argument is simply our way of reasoning. No, I don't believe in a mindless Christianity where we divorce our mind from engaging in spiritual things. In fact, we are to love the Lord with all our mind, heart and soul.
The reasoning defined in this passage is the weight we put on what we think is reasonable. We get ourselves in trouble because God doesn't think like us. His thoughts and ways are higher. And His thoughts are true and pure without any dark, devilish intent that so often our human nature finds itself entangled in what is called earthly wisdom.
It's not just the wicked, lustful or corrupted thoughts that are to be cast down, but even thoughts that are good, noble and exalted. For you see the sanctified mind, the mind of Christ, which we possess, will always have God directed thoughts. Thoughts that mediate on Godly things will lead us to worship Him (Philippians 4:8). Natural reasoning is often humanistic and the focus on self leads to idolatry.
Not only are we to cast down imaginations, but we are to subjugate them or bring them under the authority of God's Word. We lead our thoughts rather than it leading us. Many of us can recall how we lived by our darken imagination and fulfilled some of those fleshly thoughts. And we can attest, those very thoughts became a hook that lead us deeper into bondage and captivity. While the roots of addiction are buried in the heart, the strength of it lies in the mind.
Why is it so important to take every thought captive?
Simply, what our minds feed on matters in how much we agree or argue with the Word of God. The more you read the Scriptures asking the Holy Spirit to open your heart and take away the dullness of human reasoning, He brings illumination where logic can only go so far to reach. Where logic fails, faith is challenged and matured.
A darkened mind will only argue with the Word of God. It will only use reason to limit why something can or can't be done when God says all things are possible to those that believe.
When we take every thought captive and nourish our minds with the Word of God we will soon find our minds captivated by the splendor and majesty of God! We can't help but think about Him. So taking captive every thought becomes easier because the focus is not on the rounding up a bunch of corrupted thoughts, but on a God who loves us. What He thinks about us matters the most and what we think about Him, matters to God.
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