How do we bring our thoughts captive to Christ?

“May we bring every thought captive to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:5)

We discipline ourselves, asking God’s help to become aware of negative or sinful thoughts, and we replace them with thoughts and prayers from the truth from God’s Word. For example--

• if frightened, we find refuge in Him (Psalm 57:1),
• if worried, we find peace in Him (Philippians 4:6-7),
• if confused, we find direction in Him (Psalm 32:8),
• if weak, we find strength in Him (Isaiah 40:29),
• if in sin, we find mercy in Him (1 John 1:9),
• if tempted, we find victory in Him (1 Corinthians 10:13),
• if grieved, we find comfort in Him (Psalm 34:18),
• if our world is falling apart, we find stability in Him (Isaiah 28:16),
• if lonely, we find company with Him (Matthew 28:20),
• if lacking confidence, we find encouragement in Him (Psalm 3:3),
• if tired, we find our rest in Him (Matthew 11:28),
• if under attack, we find our stronghold in Him (Psalm 9:9),
• if overwhelmed, we find our help in Him (Psalm 33:20),
• if about to give up, we find our hope in Him (Psalm 71:5),
• if troubles come, we find our refuge in Him (Psalm 57:1).


Let every affirming thought become a prayer!

What has the Lord been saying to you?

Lord, teach us to hear Your voice. (John 10:4-5)

When we don’t have a ready answer to this question, we should ask ourselves why, because Jesus promises that His sheep will hear and recognize His voice. And in Mark we read that “when He was alone with His own disciples, He explained everything” (Mark 4:34). Whatever He did with His disciples then, He is willing to do with us today, just as whatever He taught His disciples is for us as well. If we spend time alone with Him, He will explain things to us.

When you seek Jesus’ guidance, do you ever wonder if you are hearing His voice, or if it is your own bright idea—or even Satan trying to mislead you? We needn’t be concerned about this, because Jesus promises that we will recognize His voice: “…[the shepherd’s] sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger…because they do not recognize a stranger's voice.” (John 10:4-5, italics added)

Jesus doesn’t speaking audibly to most of us, but some would say He speaks much louder than that! Through His Spirit He speaks to our hearts, principally through His Word, through prayer, other godly people, and circumstances. He is our Wonderful Counselor (Isaiah 9:6), willing to give us His counsel—but we must cultivate a listening ear (Mark 4:9).

Learning to hear our Shepherd’s voice comes through our daily experience of spending time with Him, coming to know Him (John 17:3), becoming deeply and intimately acquainted with Him (John 10:14), enjoying the fellowship of spiritual intimacy (1 John 1:3). This doesn’t happen in the busyness of our service, but as we sit at His feet (Luke 10:38-42). It’s a daily choice we make.