"Taking Every Thought Captive" Doesn't Mean What You Think It Does
Spiritual Warfare Made Simple, Chapter 10, Part 5
[Note: The next few blog posts will each contain part of Chapter 10 in Spiritual Warfare Made Simple. This is a big chapter, dealing with many misconceptions in spiritual warfare. It’ll be a lot easier to digest as a blog post in smaller bits.]
Misconception 6: Taking Every Thought Captive Refers to Watching What You Think
In an odd twist, one of the verses Paul wrote about spiritual warfare often ends up out of context, talking about something entirely different. Paul wrote:
The weapons of our warfare are not the weapons of the world. Instead, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We tear down arguments and every presumption set up against the knowledge of God; and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:4-5 BSB).
The first part undeniably discusses the seasons of our warfare, divine power demolishing strongholds. The context is clear.
The part taken out of this context is this: “we take every thought captive.”
Frequently, Christians use this in reference to their own thoughts. We take it as a charge to watch your thoughts, and if you have a thought you shouldn’t be thinking, take it captive.
To be clear, it’s good to watch over your thoughts in this way. But that’s not what Paul is talking about.
Paul addresses three strongholds we tear down in spiritual warfare: arguments, presumptions, and thoughts that incline toward disobedience.
All of these are lies — the devil’s lies.
Our warfare is to tear down these strongholds of lies, to proclaim the truth of Jesus and break the lie’s power over people.
Paul isn’t charging us to watch our own thoughts, however good and beneficial that is. Rather, Paul is charging us to watch for the thoughts, arguments, and presumptions in our culture that are leading people to disobey God. We must target these ideas, tearing them down and building up the truth in their place.
The biggest one in my childhood was selfishness, the idea that I deserve to have what I want, when I want it, how I want it. I must gratify my desires.
We take this thought captive by exposing the emptiness of selfishness. The pleasure of gratifying your desires never lasts. It doesn’t satisfy.
But love does. If we love God and love those around us — genuinely love, with the richness of self-sacrifice, honor, and esteem — we’ll be satisfied far longer and deeper than getting a new trinket ever could.
Watch for these presumptions and arguments. Then demolish them.
If we’re trapped in lies, the devil can deceive us into doing whatever he wants.
But when we know the truth, and we proclaim it everywhere we go, the devil can’t touch us.
This post comprises the fourth part of Chapter 10 of my book Spiritual Warfare Made Simple. We’ll cover the entire book in this series of blog posts, along with additional content and Q&A. If you’d like a permanent copy for yourself or a friend, you can grab the ebook or paperback here!
