Take Your Thoughts Captive
Theresa Anderson
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1 I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away!—
2 I beg of you that when I am present I may not have to show boldness with such confidence as I count on showing against some who suspect us of walking according to the flesh.
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh.
4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.
5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,
6 being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.
Your brain is a wonderful thing. It is a muscle. The more it is used the stronger it becomes.
The brain is very fascinating to me. God is certainly God. I took a class when I was in college called Anatomy and Physiology and Pharmacology. I learned a little bit about the brain and how it works and why medications are formulated the way they are.
One of the most fascinating aspects are the neurons and synapses. There are 86 billion neurons which is comparative to how many stars are in the Milky Way. There are roughly 1500 synapses for every neuron resulting 125 trillion synapses. It is hard to believe there is that much room in our skull and that does not take into account all the other stuff in there.
Now here is the cool part. Neurons carry information to one of 1500 synapses. The receiving synapse is determined by the information and if it is chemical or electrical. In less than the time it takes to say one, the neuron has already relayed its information and that is only one neuron.
Many people are ruled by their thoughts. They have been for so long, they can not even imagine ruling their own thoughts. There are those who believe you can not control what comes into your brain. This is not what the Word of God tells us to do.
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
In this instance, science has caught up with the Word of God. If there is a difference between science and the Word of God, the Word of God always wins. Do not worry. Science will eventually catch up.
There was a study done at Caltech, Department of Neurosurgery, UCLA in 2010. Electrodes were surgically implanted and these signals were fed through computers to show on a screen thoughts reflected by the amount of neurons associated with them.
They conducted the experiment in steps. The first was a hybrid, combing 2 opposing pictures and seeing if the patient could separate the pictures. They could based on whichever picture they were most partial to. Then they would have them focus on the other picture and their thought patterns changed.
They concluded from this experiment that patients can control neurons with a conscious manner, those thoughts focused on can create more dominant active neurons and those thoughts less focused become less and move to an inactive state.
What does this mean? You are not at the mercy of your thoughts, but your thoughts are at the mercy of you. Praise God. You are called to be an overcomer not to be overcome. You are called to live on a higher plane of existence full of power and authority.
20 Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable.
There are multiple vessels in our homes. We use them for different things. Some are only used for special occasions.
Some are essential but we do not talk about them, but we all have them. Those unmentionables.
Before Christ, we are a damaged vessel. Barraged by fiery darts of this world out to destroy us particular our minds. The lies we have been deceived by. When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, He takes our damaged one and gives us a beautiful vessel.
22 So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
We may have given time, neurons, to thoughts, movies, music, and speech to things which do not honor God. When we focus on things which do not honor God, then it is like filling our vessel with mud and garbage.
6 being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.
We are to wage war on ourselves in a sense. As we grow in a new layer with the Lord and take more of our mind back, we are to be on guard and fight off those disobedient thoughts like a Army Special Forces Green Berets. It is not enough to say we are free, we have to fight for it and victory if found in the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony.
I have been asked by youth and adults alike if something is okay with God. Sometimes, it is an issue with what we think we can get away with. The Bible gives us a true litmus test.
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.
If you make this verse your guideline, all your questions will be answered.
Conclusion:
What kind of a vessel are we? Do we allow the thoughts to rule us or do we rule our thoughts? It is not enough to say we want to rule our thoughts, we have to make a plan.
A - Acknowledge
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
B - Believe
31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
C - Confess
9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
We have a relationship with the Lord and we have allowed the wrong thoughts to dominate our minds. They have become dominate and active and we need to make them less and inactive.
1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.