2 Corinthians 10:5New King James Version (NKJV)

⁵ casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,

How often do we take EVERY thought captive?

We often sling this verse around negative thoughts, or bad thoughts, or to push blame on someone who is struggling with any thought other than our own.

But here is what God has been teaching me, and hopefully it will help you also.

This verse tells us to take EVERY high thing (thought) that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. Now most of us would never think that we are thinking thoughts against God. But I want to challenge you with this. If I can think of a thing, and do it in my own power and strength, was it a God thought?

We can have very good, smart and intelligent thoughts, but is it a God thought?

Bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. Bring EVERY thought captive. Notice what it does not say. It doesn’t say take all negative thoughts, or take any sad thoughts, or take any mean thoughts. It says take all thoughts. ALL of them.

I have had many thoughts and plans, dreams and visions, and I take them all captive and give them to God.

I had a vision that I would lead worship. And I was leading worship at a local church, and it was good. Then God asked me; “did you think you would be sitting here at this keyboard til you died leading worship here?”

I guess I did. But you see, my thought was to lead worship, and I thought that it was finished and complete, or tied to that one location. That was my thought. God’s thought was for me to lead worship, any where. If I held God captive to my thought, when I left that church, my worship would have been finished. But God’s thought was to worship every where. My thought: worship at one location all my life. God’s thought: worship every where I take you.

I had a vision to begin a prayer room. One location. God’s vision was to take that prayer room and multiply it to many locations.  My thought: establish a place. God’s thought: establish many prayer rooms.

What am I trying to say?  I take every thought captive. I take my dreams, plans, and visions captive. I so want anything to be obedient to God’s thoughts and not my own.

If I can accomplish my thoughts without God, then I make my thoughts exalted above God’s thoughts and I hold God captive to my thoughts.

If I take ALL and EVERY thought captive and give it to God, when he gives the thought back to me, it is all about Him.  It is his thought, and it is always way better and bigger than my thought. And it is usually something that I could never do in my own strength.

Father, today I give you all my thoughts. All my plans, vision, dreams. I give you my thoughts, my sad thoughts, my hurting thoughts and my growing and building thoughts. I ask you to hold them til you want me to move on them, because I want you to be exalted, not me. I want to be amazed by You.