Day 15: You Have Authority Over Thought
“Bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:5 NKJV
“You may not control every thought that knocks on the door of your mind, but you have authority over which thoughts you invite inside and allow to stay.” — Dr. Daniel LeBlanc
You Have Authority Over Thought
For the past two weeks we have been discovering and discerning the pictures within us. Now we are going to do something about them. It is time to change the picture.
One of the greatest discoveries you can make is that you do not have to believe everything you think. A thought can enter your mind without receiving permission to remain there. You may not always control the first thought, but through Christ you can decide what happens next.
Paul tells us to bring “every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:5 NKJV. Think about those words for a moment. God would never command us to take thoughts captive if He had given us no authority to do it.
A thought may say, “You are going to fail.” You can answer, “No, I refuse that picture.” A thought may say, “You will always be bound by this.” You can answer with the truth of who you are in Christ. A thought may say, “There is no hope.” You can refuse to allow that thought to become the picture you continually behold.
Taking a thought captive does not mean pretending it never entered your mind. It means you stop allowing that thought to freely wander through your imagination, build pictures, stir emotions, and eventually influence your choices.
Think about a security guard standing at the entrance of a building. His responsibility is not to stop people from approaching the door. His responsibility is to determine who has permission to enter. In the same way, thoughts will approach the doorway of your mind, but you do not have to give every thought access to your heart and imagination.
Some of us have been allowing thoughts to walk through the front door without ever checking their identification. Fear walks in and makes itself comfortable. Offense walks in and begins replaying conversations. Lust enters and starts painting pictures. Condemnation arrives carrying memories of everything we have done wrong.
Before long, these thoughts are no longer visitors because we have allowed them to become residents. Paul tells us to take those thoughts captive and bring them under the obedience of Christ.
That means we stop being passive about our thought life. We examine the thought, determine what kingdom it agrees with, and bring it under the authority of Jesus Christ.
This is where the lessons of last week become so important. We ask, “Where did this thought come from? What voice am I hearing? What picture will this thought produce? Does it agree with the Word of God? Does this look like Jesus?”
If the thought does not agree with Christ, it does not receive permission to remain. We have been given the responsibility to decide what receives our attention and agreement.
Jesus demonstrated this when Satan tempted Him in the wilderness. Satan introduced thoughts, suggestions, and even Scripture twisted for the wrong purpose. Jesus did not sit there wondering whether Satan might have a point. He answered, “It is written.” Matthew 4:4 NKJV.
Jesus answered the suggestion with truth, and that is how we begin changing the picture. We do not simply try to stop thinking a wrong thought because an empty mind will eventually be filled again. We replace the lie with truth.
If fear says, “God has abandoned you,” answer with, “He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’” Hebrews 13:5 NKJV. If condemnation says, “There is no hope for you,” answer with, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1 NKJV.
Do not spend all your time arguing with darkness when God has given you the light of His Word. The answer to an evil imagination is not an empty imagination. It is a God Imagination filled with truth.
Paul said, “Whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report... meditate on these things.” Philippians 4:8 NKJV. God does not simply tell us what to reject. He tells us what to receive.
This is the beginning of changing the picture. Reject the lie and receive the truth. Refuse the evil imagination and begin building a God Imagination. Take the wrong thought captive and deliberately turn your attention toward what God has said.
You may have entertained a particular thought for twenty years, but its age does not make it truth. You may have rehearsed a picture so many times that it feels like part of you, but familiarity does not give it authority. Through Christ, you can choose a different picture.
Spiritual maturity is not measured by never having another wrong thought. It is revealed by how quickly we recognize the thought, take it captive, and bring our minds back under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.
At first, you may recognize the wrong thought after entertaining it for hours. As you grow, you begin recognizing it after a few minutes. Eventually, the Holy Spirit can make you so sensitive that when the thought knocks, you immediately recognize, “You do not belong here.”
That is the kind of spiritual maturity we should desire. We become increasingly sensitive to what agrees with God and increasingly unwilling to give our attention to what does not.
Today, do not be intimidated by what has been happening in your mind. You are not powerless before every thought, emotion, temptation, memory, or evil imagination that appears. Jesus Christ has given you His Word, His Spirit, and the ability to choose what receives your agreement.
The thought may knock, but you determine whether it receives your agreement. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, you can take the thought captive and choose the picture you will continue to behold.
Prayer
Father, thank You that I do not have to be controlled by every thought that enters my mind. Holy Spirit, help me recognize quickly anything that contradicts Your Word and the character of Jesus. Teach me to take every thought captive, reject every lie, and replace it with truth. I refuse to allow fear, offense, lust, condemnation, unbelief, or any evil imagination to freely occupy my mind. My thoughts and imagination come under the authority of Jesus Christ. Amen.
