Every Thought

2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV: “And we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

Is it just me, or do you ever have trouble with runaway thoughts? I guess that for some, it’s thoughts; for others, it’s emotions. Of course, not everyone struggles with keeping these things in check, but for those of us who do, this verse is one to take note of.

The author of this verse is Paul, who was encouraging a group of Christians by reminding them that the approach to common problems is different as a believer. He says in the verse before this one that we have weapons of “divine power” to fight with. I absolutely need that divine power sometimes to take control of my thoughts.

In Greek, the word Paul uses for “take captive” also means to bring under control. When you pair control with obedience like Paul does here, I immediately conjure up images of training animals. What better metaphor than a wild animal being subdued to do one’s bidding?

There are several helpful things to think about that this verse implies. One, who is technically the one with the power that the thoughts/emotions submit to? Not us, but Christ. This is helpful because we often think we must do this in our own strength… which is sometimes impossible! While Christ is the divine power, we still have some control over the process.

We can choose not to pick up the phone, limit our doom scrolling, or turn off the news. Sometimes, our responsibility for control comes from tools we have available to us, like therapy or medication. This is a joint partnership of things we have power over combined with things only God can intervene to help with.

The final helpful implication that fits with the animal training metaphor is knowing the most effective way to control animals: positive reinforcement. Psychology instructs us that positive reinforcement is always more effective than negative reinforcement. In other words, our stance towards runaway thoughts and feelings is crucial. Punishing or shaming our runaway thoughts and emotions is not helpful. Instead, we should treat ourselves with compassion and find ways to reward successful times so we can reign in those overwhelming ruminations and feelings.

As you look at this piece, what could the different animals represent in your journey of taking every thought captive?