Take Every Thought Captive

     I'm sure you've heard the verse: "we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:5b, NASB), but how exactly do we take every thought captive? And what happens if we don't?

     First one must understand this principle:

Our THOUGHTS trigger our Emotions.
Our EMOTIONS trigger our Desires.
Our DESIRES trigger our ACTIONS.

     Our hearts and minds operate in this order: Thoughts > Emotions > Desires > Actions. By stopping our temptations at the thought no sin occurs (it is not a sin to be tempted), but as soon as we let it stir our emotions we have given-in, we are now guilty.

     Will we be able to do this 100% perfect, all of the time -- of course not! But, as Christians, we are called to a higher standard. In our pursuit of righteousness, we must not be willing to settle for anything less than God's best.

     So, how do we stop our thoughts in their tracks? The answer is surprisingly simple: if an unwanted thought pops into your mind immediately meditate on scripture and the character of God. Simple, but not always easy.

     If a thought flies into your head and emotions are triggered, then what? Once this has happened, sin has occurred (no matter how justified your feelings may be) and must be dealt with in private. When emotions are high this is NOT the time to go to your friends and "blow off" steam. Venting only causes your mind to dwell and re-dwell on your emotions and personal hurt -- increasing the amount of time spent in disobedience to God's command of taking every thought captive.

1) Go someplace quite and lone. This is a time between you and God ONLY. Experience your emotions with God. Tell Him what you're feeling. Put names on your emotions and the situation. Do you feel angry? Tell God, and tell God why you feel angry. Are you lonely? Sad? Frustrated? Experience your emotions -- vent -- with God.

2a) Confess your ownership of the feelings to God. Don't attempt to justify or qualify your emotions. Confess that you are the owner and these are YOUR feelings.

2b) Repent. Since you did not take your thoughts captive, your emotions have been triggered (eventually your desires and actions will follow if you continue down this path). Reveling in your feelings (whether they feel good -- vengeance -- or bad -- depression) is a sin because you are not allowing God's character to flow into your life.

     The whole verse of 2 Corinthians 10:5 states: "We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ" (NLT). Emotions caused by hurt or frustration are actually prideful emotions. We believe we have a right to feel this way; we are justified. But this is not true; recall the sufferings of Jesus Christ. Of all human beings to ever walk the earth, none had greater justification for anger towards another. Christ was perfectly sinless, yet He was cursed, beaten and killed for sins that were not His. Even through all this, His heart was compassionate towards humanity. If Jesus Christ did not justify Himself what right do we have to justify ourselves?

     Understanding this, we must repent -- turn away from our feelings -- and ask forgiveness from God.

2c) Unconditionally forgive whoever caused the hurt and anyone else involved. Christ forgave us; therefore, we must forgive others.

3) Give everything back to God: your emotions, the situation, the people involved -- EVERYTHING. By giving it to God, you're allowing Him to take control and to fill you with His supernatural peace and strength.

4) Replace the Lies with the Truth. Dive into the Bible. Read and meditate on some scriptures pertinent to you. Fill your mind with the mind of Christ. Let the Holy Spirit fill you up and take over your mind and heart.

     Utilizing these principles will enable you operate under the supernatural love of Christ. Jesus has the ability to work through us in ways we cannot imagine! By setting ourselves aside -- our feelings, our desires, our wants -- we make room for Jesus to work amazing things in our lives. Will it always be easy? No. Will it always make sense? No. Will we always want to lay ourselves aside? No. BUT if we choose to act against our natural, sinful selves, Christ is glorified -- and that is the purpose of Christianity.

This was taken from a brilliant study by Nancy Missler called: Be Ye Transformed.

The Free

     I just got back from spending a week in the great outdoors. I was a camp councilor at my church's summer camp. I've been doing this for the past three years and this summer was BY FAR the best I've ever had. Not that the other summers were bad, mind you, but this summer I felt as though the messages were ministering to me specifically. The group I was leading was amazing also! I had seven beautiful girls who were about to enter their senior year of high school -- I've never seen girls so on fire for Jesus Christ and seeking His will above their own!


     The theme this year was: THE FREE. The pastors were specifically referring to freedom from sin -- the freedom one receives from Jesus Christ when one becomes saved. Since I and my girls were already saved, THE FREE took on a different meaning for us...

     For me, it was freedom from fear. I have spent my life in fear; not a whimpering, trembling fear that refuses to go outdoors or to experience the new, but a fear of failure and a fear of rejection. This fear manifests as a refusal to do something that I feel will make people laugh at my inabilities or criticize my attempts. This fear also makes meeting new people difficult and talking about serious issues with old friends impossible -- the fear of being abandoned or rejected for something I might say was too strong.

     These fears can be overwhelming at times and although a healthy amount of daring and sensitivity towards others is VERY good, these were to an extreme. I was scared and miserable because I felt weak, helpless and alone.

     But Christ showed me otherwise.

     I always knew:

"Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me" (Matthew 5:10-11, NASB).

and

"If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you" (John 15:18-19, NASB).

     Yet, I never really lived it. Now, I have learned...
 
     I learned that Christ is where all my approval must lie. He is in charge of my destiny. He has given me gifts to use for His glory. He has designed me with a plan and a purpose -- to usher in brothers and sisters to the Faith through my words and actions, even if I have no idea I'm doing it. If I feel God calling me to do something, I can stand in confidence that He will provide the strength and ability to do it with excellence when I know of myself it is impossible.

     God was big enough and smart enough to create the universe from nothing. He was powerful enough to divide the sea, to make the sun stand still, to make hearts strong enough to move blood through our veins. He was loving enough to die for the sins of the universe. There is no problem -- no mistake -- so large that we cannot overcome it with His help.

     I can stand strong. I can laugh in the face of the world when it tries to pull me down! I can do that which seems impossible because it is not me but Christ in me. He is my strength! He is my power because, of myself, I am nothing, but with Him I am everything.

"All that is gold does not glitter..."

All that is gold does not glitter,

Not all those who wander are lost;

The old that is strong does not wither,

Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,

A light from the shadows shall spring;

Renewed shall be blade that was broken,

The crownless again shall be king.

 -J. R. R. Tolkien The Lord of the Rings

No matter how deep or dark your mistakes; God can redeem you.

No matter how far you have fallen or how large your sin; God can forgive.

It is in Jesus Christ that the Christian's worth is found.

"And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins" Hebrews 8:12 NLT.

Not only does He forgive and forget ALL of our past sins, but Christ gives us glory and a kingdom. For, we are joint heirs of eternity with Jesus Christ our Lord.

"The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him" Romans 8:16-17 NASB.

 

The Victory of Defeat

     Sounds like a contradiction in terms, yes? No. Let me explain...

     I've bee taking chess lessons from some of my schoolmates. For some inexplicable reason, I've felt the push to learn some new things, and strategy has been at the top of my list for quite some time. One of my friends gave me a bit of advice to help take the sting out of (what felt like) and endless cycle of agonizing losses. He said, "Just accept the fact that you are going to lose for a while. The goal right now is to learn, not to win -- that will come later. Just focus on lasting for as long as you can."

     That may sound fine and dandy, but when you're in the thralls of a game -- bear in mind that I'm extremely high strung during games. I stutter and sweat; my heart races, and my hands shake even long after the game is over -- it is hard to remember that the goal is NOT to win. I can't win a game of chess -- not against the people who are teaching me. Yet, even with that advice it can be very demoralizing to suffer loss after loss with little to no improvement.

     The question that follows would be, "Why continue playing? If it gives you that much stress, why continue putting yourself in that position?" The answer is that if I don't, I KNOW I will never improve -- emotionally or

tactically. By exercising my mind and emotions, I have the hope of growth.

     Don't think that I'm looking at the situation with rose-colored glasses. It sucks -- royally sucks -- to have your tail repeatedly handed to you after a six minute round of chess. But through the effort I put forth and with much help from my patient teachers I will get better. I have yet to win a chess mach, but my first game lasted 6 minutes and 14 seconds; my latest game lasted 15 minutes 57 seconds.

     Our walk in Christianity is just like this. We humans are battling our sin nature with the assistance of the Holy Spirit, but sometimes it feels as though no matter how many times we fight, sin right-hooks us in the jaw. There are times we want to scream, "I give up!" and cave into temptation. But, God is faithful to His children. He provides teachers to help us grow stronger, friends to help us carry the burdens that are too big to be handled alone, and the Holy Spirit to supernaturally help us when there seems to hope at all.

     If ever you're feeling like a spiritual failure, it may be helpful to have a friend point out the ways you have grown over the years. Have you become more patient? More caring of others? Have you learned to lie less -- or better yet, to not lie at all? Have you grown wiser in how you spend your time or money? Each improvement is a victory! The point is not to be perfect, but to always be better. We are no longer doomed to be defeated by sin, but with Jesus Christ we are promised victory!

Don't Box Me In

     If there's one thing I love it's personality tests. I absolutely love learning about how I respond to the world and how other people view life. However, there's one thing that my father taught me to remember whenever taking personality tests: The purpose of this test is NOT so that you can go to other people and say, "This is what I am, behave in a way that makes me happy!" but rather to learn what other people are like, so that you can become what they need.

     Please understand this does NOT mean becoming a "people pleaser" (a person who depends on other people's happiness to survive), but it does mean rising above your NATURAL (and possibly SINFUL) behaviors in order to become the best representation of Jesus Christ that you can be. This actually means that -- in many circumstances -- you need to alter your natural behavior into something that is more appropriate.

Example #1

     I am not a "touchy-feely" person. I hate it when people "surprise" me with a hug. I do not like holding hands with my family. I like my space. I feel safe when I have space. If I feel like people are closing in on me or are violating my personal space, I feel like they are a threat and dangerous to my safety. This is my natural tendency.

     However, if I see someone (specifically someone who I know is a "touchy-feely" person) is having a bad day or is going through a hard time, I deliberately move outside my natural tendency and hug them. There are times when I have been counseling girls and I know that the absolute best thing for them would be hugs and gentle pats on the back. I do it. Not because I would want these actions done for me, but I know that I want to be the best example of Jesus Christ I can be. I know it means a lot for the other person, therefore, because I care about the other person, I will deliberately go AGAINST my natural tendency.

     Something that makes me angry is when a person uses their personality as an excuse or as a shield behind which to hide. Few things make me more frustrated when I meet a person like that. In stead of realizing God has given them certain gifts AND the Fall of Man has given us flaws they run around screaming, "don't judge my thoughts or behaviors," "I can't help that I'm like this," "You just have to deal with the way I am." Are these not the most selfish thoughts? How does knowing you are "a certain way" give you an excuse to sin or be discourteous?

Example #2

     I know someone who is an amazing speaker. She is one of those people who can talk to a wall and have a wonderful conversation. She is blessed with always knowing the right thing to say and never having to depend upon others to keep a conversation going. This ability allows her to make newcomers feel welcome. However, if she does not keep her words in check, she becomes a steamroller. She no longer cares about what other people want or need to say because her words are more important. This becomes very damaging to those around her because they feel she does not care about what they have to say. Some refuse to hang around her because she refuses to allow "peace and quiet." Her mouth is in continuous motion.

     What make is sad is that she knows. She is fully aware of her tendencies and her ability to talk everyone else into silence. She also admits that there are instances in which she does not care what anyone else has to say -- her words are of utmost importance. Yet, although she is aware of her flaws, she does nothing to mend them. The flings up her personality type as a shield and refuses to alter her behavior to make others more comfortable.

I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some. (1 Corinthians 9:22)

     Your personality is not an excuse. No matter how well you know yourself, it is our obligation as Christians -- as Followers of Christ! -- to rise above our natural flaws. It is our responsibility to do whatever we can to help our brothers and sisters in Christ and to be examples to the unbeliever.

     Someone once said, "You can be right, or you can be happy. Pick one." In the realm of relationships it is crucial to grow beyond yourself, beyond your "personality type" and natural tendencies. Marriages have failed because of refusal to do do. Others have succeeded to great testament of their families.

     Do not let yourself become boxed-in or limited by your "personality".

The TRUTH Shall Set You Free

This was inspired by a section in my devotional (Cynthia Heald's Becoming a Woman of Freedom) that I found very profound after mulling these verses over...

John 8:31-32
     "So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, 'If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.'"

"What did Jesus mean by truth? How does it set us free?"

The truth is the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ: that in understanding Him and gaining a deeper and deeper relationship with THE TRUTH we shall know and love God better. This understanding will set us free. Free from the eternal bondage of sin. Free to learn and do righteousness for the glory and pleasure of our Lord. In this we are now free.

"But what is the nature of our freedom? It is not release from all restraint. It is not license to indulge our sinful nature. Our freedom is the freedom to 'serve one another in love.' It is possible to do so, because the Holy Spirit enables us to act in ways that are contrary to the natural impulses of our sinful nature. Walking by the Spirit, we are released from the old master that produces hatred, jealousy, fits of rage, envy, and such. We are released to be loving, patient, kind, faithful and good." -Lawrence O. Richards

It is the work of Jesus Christ that sets us free. Growing and  FULLY understanding this takes a lifetime (and then some) but the beginning of this understanding brings about true freedom in Christ. Freedom to perform His will in our lives to the best of our ability.