Your mind is always filled with thoughts. They may be triggered by something outside of you like people, TV, or social media or they might come from within yourself. They can be good, bad, or meaningless. Good thoughts lead to good words, feelings, and actions. Bad thoughts lead to bad things like fear, anger, self-hating, sin, or other bad things. What you do with the thoughts that pop into your mind has a tremendous impact on your inner and outer life which is why Scripture tells you to take control of your thoughts:
We demolish arguments 5 and every high-minded thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God, taking every thought captive to obey Christ. (2 Cor 10:5)
If you don’t control your thoughts, they will control you. Consider the bad thoughts that are planted in your mind regularly. The world plants ungodly thoughts, morals, teachings, and philosophies. Your own mind thinks sinfully, desires sin, and may even have negative thoughts about yourself. If you don’t control negative or ungodly thoughts they will cause you major problems. By listening to worldly and ungodly thinking, you will become more like the world. If you listen to lies about yourself you will get depressed, discouraged, and be miserable. The first step to most paths of destruction in your life starts by allowing one bad thought to take root.
Take your thoughts captive to the truth of Scripture. Destroy the lies about yourself with the truth of Scripture – you are made in God’s image, His child, He thought you were worth dying for, you are fearfully and wonderfully made. Destroy the philosophies of this world with Scripture. Crush false teaching with the truth of Scripture. As bad thoughts or ungodly ideas enter your mind, take them under control and test them against Scripture. Do not allow the smallest bad seed of a thought to take root in your mind. If you let it take root, it will grow like cancer and cause you major problems. Control your thoughts so they don’t control you.
Now, controlling your mind is not just a matter of ‘turning off’ bad thoughts. That’s hard to do. Instead, you need to replace bad thoughts with ‘good’ thoughts. Here’s a wonderful verse that stresses keeping your thoughts on good:
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. (Php 4:8 – ESV)
Control your mind by taking bad thoughts captive and thinking about right things. Replace bad thoughts with thoughts of Scripture, God, His acts, love, or anything God would consider good.
Control your thoughts or they will control you. Your mental health and attitude will improve, you will be better for others to be around, and you will be more upbeat and encouraging.
Think about it
Do you believe that your thoughts will control you if you don’t control them?
Think of times your thoughts drove you to do wrong things because you didn’t control them.
Think of times you listened to negative thoughts about yourself, and you spiraled downward.
Would it have caused you less harm if you took those thoughts captive sooner?
How often do your thoughts control you instead of you controlling them?
How do you take your thoughts captive?
You bring your thoughts captive to Christ by taking them and asking yourself if they are good or bad, godly or ungodly, thoughts according to the Bible.
Once a bad thought is identified, you need to replace it with a good one.
What types of ‘good’ thoughts will you think about the next time your mind is under attack?
What ‘good’ thoughts should you be focused on in general even when not under attack?
BIBLE DEVOTIONS FOR LIVING 