". . . bringing every thought captive to the obedience of Christ."
2 Corinthians 10:5
A mother prayed with her child every evening before he went to sleep. One night he said to his mother, "When we start to pray, I always have bad thoughts." They were thoughts of fear. She told her pastor, and asked for his advice. The pastor shared with her from the Bible, 2 Corinthians 10:3-5. He advised her to lead her son in prayer to bring those thoughts captive to Christ. They did just that, and the child gained victory over his fearful thoughts.
Every Christian is in spiritual warfare (Ephesians 6:10-18). The battle is more often thought warfare. We are tempted with thoughts. Deception comes through thoughts. False thinking leads to confusion about the will of God. A steady diet of Bible study is our "sword of the Spirit" in this warfare. When Jesus was tempted by Satan, he was victorious by simply quoting Scripture. The knowledge of God's Word is powerful to win the battle.
False teaching can bring confusion. We know that "God is not the author of confusion" (1 Cor. 14:33). To the contrary, confusion is a sure sign that we have missed the knowledge of God. Confusion results in doubt. Faith stands on the sure foundation of God's Word. So, when we have doubts and confusion, there is one important question to ask: What does the Bible teach on this subject? Any thoughts that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God are to be pulled down and brought captive to Christ.
Prayer: Father, give us knowledge of your will as we read the Bible. We bring all of our disturbing thoughts captive to the obedience of Jesus Christ. Amen.
