For
as he thinks within himself, so he
is. Proverbs 23:7a
How often do you stop and
think about what you are thinking about? It really is important, because what we
consistently think about not only determines what we say and do, but shapes who
we are. Those thoughts impact our
attitude, actions and answers. If we do
not control those thoughts, they will control us. 2 Corinthians 10:5,6 actually
tell us that every thought needs to be taken captive or they do the capturing.
We are destroying
speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and
we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,
and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is
complete. 2 Corinthians 10:5,6 NAS
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. And we will be ready to
punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete. 2
Corinthians 10:5,6 NIV
We use our powerful
God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected
against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse
into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for
clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into
maturity. 2 Corinthians 10:5,6 MSG
Simply stopping and thinking about what we think about
goes a long way to following this important advice. I refer to these verses
often, but what do they actually mean?
Let’s begin with what is being referred to as “thoughts.” The
Greek word is noema. It is translated
“schemes” in 2 Corinthians 2:11 – “for we
are not ignorant of [Satan’s] schemes.” With noema
a process is involved. A thought enters
our minds and we decide what to do with it: let it settle into the rich soil of
our imagination and begin to take root, or shoo it right out the window.
Obviously, we are not referring to those thoughts that “fly away” all by
themselves and don’t land long enough to have any impact. However, if a thought leads to thinking, doing
or saying something more, it is a noema.
In 2 Corinthians 11:3 and Philippians 4:7 the word noema is translated “minds,” referring
to the entire mental process, not just the physical working of the brain.
But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his
craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity
of devotion to Christ. 2 Corinthians
11:3
Be anxious for nothing, but
in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be
made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally,
brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever
is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any
excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things
you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things,
and the God of peace will be with you. Philippians
4:6-9
These two verses clearly demonstrate that our
thoughts/minds can be harnessed and led either towards God or away from
Him. The Greek word translated “captive”
in 2 Corinthians 10:6 is aichmalotizo.
It does not mean to imprison, but to place under control in order to be
led or compelled to do what is desired. It doesn’t just stop someone or
something, it forces them/it to do something or go a specific direction. Harnessing
or yoking conveys the purpose and actions of aichmalotizo.
When we take our thoughts aichmalotizo, we are not suddenly deciding, “I’m not going to think
about this.” It is taking those, often unbidden, thoughts, evaluating them and
controlling where they go from here. Thoughts that are harnessed or yoked need
to lead somewhere specific. They need to be “taken
captive to the obedience of Christ.” The Greek word is hupokoe: obedience, compliance,
submission. What does it mean to you to bring your thoughts into compliance with
Jesus? What He thinks about, I think about. What He focuses on, I focus on.
What He is obsessed with, I am obsessed with. According to John 8:29, Jesus was obsessed
with pleasing the Father. Hupokoe is all about alignment. We need
to ask: Is this what and how Jesus would think?
As stated in The Message, we need to “fit every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of
life shaped by Christ.” If those
thoughts don’t fit Christ, they definitely are not fitting for us.
When we truly align our thoughts with Jesus, 2 Corinthians
10:6 says we are ready to identify and “punish
every act of disobedience.” The
Greek word is parakoe -disobedience,
non-compliance, and lack of submission. It is the opposite of hupokoe. “Punish” – ekdikeo - actually means to execute justice, do what
is right, and apply righteousness. When
we’ve aligned our thoughts with Christ’s, we are able to see what doesn’t line
up, quickly recognize when it is NOT how Jesus thinks and readjust our focus
and the direction we go from here … UPWARD!
There are two very specific groups of thoughts or
lines of thinking that must be taken captive or harnessed.
·
Arguments NIV/speculations
NAS - The dictionary defines
“speculations” as “the forming of a theory or conjecture, often without firm
evidence.” One of the definitions for
“arguments” is “a
reason or set of reasons given with the aim of persuading someone, including
self, that an action or idea is right or wrong.” The Greek word is logismos – reckonings, calculations, considerations, and
reflections. These are thoughts that
linger, develop, germinate, grow and take on life. They lead to how you respond or react.
Ø
If a thought leads to your doing
something, it must be harnessed and yoked to Christ, so that it leads to grace
and glory.
·
Pretensions NIV/lofty thing NAS - Pretensions is not a word I use very often,
but am well aware of the concept. It is making a claim that we may or may not
be able to back up with truth. These comments or statements are meant to
impress, attract attention or convince. They are often spoken with authority or
confidence. They are meant to have or be given elevated importance, so it has
significant influence. That is exactly what the Greek word hupsoma means.
Ø If
a thought leads to others thinking, saying or doing something, it must
be taken captive - harnessed, so where it leads them is also grace and glory.
When we stop and evaluate what and how we are
thinking, and realize that these specific thoughts have been elevated above or
stand in conflict with the truth of God, they don’t just need to be harnessed,
but destroyed NAS or demolished. NIV The Greek word is kathaireo – to take or pull down - not
necessarily violently, but definitely with authority. We need to remember that we have that
authority in Jesus’ name and the presence and power of His Spirit within us, no
matter how firm a grip they have on our minds or how convincing they come
across. They are called strongholds NIV or fortresses NAS in verse 4.
The Greek word is ochuroma – “a
place, cause or belief that has been fortified to protect it from attack.” How do we fortify our thoughts? We do so one cinderblock of
justification at a time. We seek out what reinforces what we think and believe.
We discard anything that doesn’t.
These thoughts take a strong hold (or should I say
strangle hold?) on our mind, heart and soul. When they are elevated above or
stand in conflict with God’s truth, they require divinely powered weapons to
pull them down. The Holy Spirit graciously provides us with those weapons.
The weapons we fight with
are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to
demolish strongholds. 2 Corinthians 10:4
NIV
How many of your thoughts need
to be taken captive – harnessed or yoked to Jesus? 2 Corinthians 10:5 states
“every thought!” The Greek word for “every” is pas – all, each and every, individually or altogether as a single
entity. That is a lot of thoughts to think
about.
So how do we do this? We slow down, take our brains off “auto pilot” and think
about what we are thinking about. Most
of all, we need to engage the “mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16), which we
have been given as new creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17) and as the Body
of Christ. (1 Corinthians 12:27) In partnership with the Lord all this truly is
possible. (Philippians 4:13) The
wonderful result is not only do we think differently, we think like Jesus.
