Is This Even Possible?

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lighthousejohn

Guest
#1
#1
Paul said to the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 10:5 "5We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."

Is it even possible for us to "take captive every thought"? He referenced in verse 4 that the weapons he fought with were divine in nature. "4The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds."

The struggle that we all have with idle thought and daydreams, etc. makes it almost imposible to Take every thought captive. Is Paul saying this as an all inclusive absolute statement or is he speaking figuratively?
 
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glenwood74

Guest
#2
#2
Jesus said that with the faith of a mustard seed you could move a mountain. And boy are some of my thoughts mountainous. I find that when I am more in God's will, then I am able to have a holy thought life, but as soon as I fall out of a constant state of prayer and praise, then WHAM....horrible thoughts. I have seen a slow but steady improvement in my thought life, and I hold onto the promise that with God all things are possible, so I am hopeful that in the not too distant future, the Lord will give me the grace and strength to keep every thought captive all of the time.
 
1

1still_waters

Guest
#3
#3
*demolish arguments and pretense that sets itself up against the knowledge of God...

So if there are arguments and pretenses setting themselves up against the knowledge of God, they are 'demolished'. This is probably done through the word of God, prayer, spiritual warfare. The truth demolishes lies.

*we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.....

He seems to be using battle imagery here to portray the fact that false teachings are dealt with. With the false teachers and false practices going on in the church, Paul is saying we take those captive and make thoughts obedient to Christ.

Thoughts are taken captive by preaching the truth, the Word and praying. When someone in the church had a false thought it was taken and replaced with the truth.

Imagine a bunch of lil disobedient thoughts just running around in someone's head. Paul is saying, ok, we're gonna take those captive and put thoughts of truth in your head. Since Jesus IS the truth, those thoughts are obedient to him.

So for us today, it's the same. Picture your brain with all these lil thoughts running around. Some are the truth and in full obedience to Christ. Others are disobedient lil buggers that need to be taken captive and removed from your head and replaced with the truth.
 
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Speaktoit

Guest
#4
#4
Matthew 15:19
For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.
Where your heart is,so will your treasure be.
So then,you must keep the first commandment in order to do as Paul said.
Love the Lord your God with all your HEART,and soul,and strenth.
If all thats in your heart is God,then you will have no bad thoughts.
And the fact that you doubt Pauls words,God's word is from the evil one.
What did he say to Eve in the Garden "Did God really say that?"
he put doubt in her heart,doubt is disagreement with God,and disagreement with God is sin!
How can you take every thought captive if you doubt Gods word?
Doubt void the promise.
 
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lighthousejohn

Guest
#5
#5
Speaktoit said:
Matthew 15:19
For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.
Where your heart is,so will your treasure be.
So then,you must keep the first commandment in order to do as Paul said.
Love the Lord your God with all your HEART,and soul,and strenth.
If all thats in your heart is God,then you will have no bad thoughts.
And the fact that you doubt Pauls words,God's word is from the evil one.
What did he say to Eve in the Garden "Did God really say that?"
he put doubt in her heart,doubt is disagreement with God,and disagreement with God is sin!
How can you take every thought captive if you doubt Gods word?
Doubt void the promise.
Click to expand...
I have not said that I doubt God's word. I pose this question for the purpose of discussion. If we are honest and truthful, we will all admit to having carnal thoughts some where in our walk with Christ. It is the purpose of this thread to explore the machinations of "taking captive every thought."
 
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Speaktoit

Guest
#6
#6
I am so sorry if I offended you brother,it was not my motive.
Yes doubt creeps in,and the devil lied to me just yesterday
and for a moment,I agreed with it,all in my mind.
And God showed me,if I'm in doubt about any of his word,
that doubt is not from him,but the father of lies.
I was not accusing you,I was just agreeing with God.
And what Paul wrote,he got from God...true.
If I offended you,please forgive me.
 
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lighthousejohn

Guest
#7
#7
Speaktoit said:
I am so sorry if I offended you brother,it was not my motive.
Yes doubt creeps in,and the devil lied to me just yesterday
and for a moment,I agreed with it,all in my mind.
And God showed me,if I'm in doubt about any of his word,
that doubt is not from him,but the father of lies.
I was not accusing you,I was just agreeing with God.
And what Paul wrote,he got from God...true.
If I offended you,please forgive me.
Click to expand...
There was no offense, just a correction of misunderstanding. I firmly believe all of God's word. That does not stop the mind from idle thoughts. It is not the doubt that destroys our relationship, it is when we dwell on the doubt. This gives the enemy a foothold that will soon become a barrier if we continue to dwell on it. We must submit our doubts to the Holy Spirit (Paul's divine weapon) and allow Him to help us strengthen our mind.
 
pickles

pickles

Senior Member
#8
Apr 20, 2009
14,479
182
63
#8
lighthousejohn said:
Paul said to the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 10:5 "5We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."

Is it even possible for us to "take captive every thought"? He referenced in verse 4 that the weapons he fought with were divine in nature. "4The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds."

The struggle that we all have with idle thought and daydreams, etc. makes it almost imposible to Take every thought captive. Is Paul saying this as an all inclusive absolute statement or is he speaking figuratively?
Click to expand...
I like this, a good post for all of us.
Thankyou and God bless, pickles
 
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Indra

Guest
#9
#9
Is it even possible for us to "take captive every thought"?
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Yes. It is. In fact, it's pretty easy too. Let me elaborate on it. Your senses and memories are like input for your mind. Our brains work through "word"-association. Very, very simplified you could say that words trigger images, images trigger emotions. Emotions are weighed on our inner balance before we decide. In case of sinful thoughts, we have associated these thoughts as our own. All you have to do say "This is not MY thought, I break with it in Jesus Name". Keep repeating. Know that you have authority in the Lord (Luke 10).

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds."
Click to expand...
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

This helped me getting clean from thoughts about heroin and cocaine, lustful sex, anger and violence. Be blessed with the love of God.
 
loveschild

loveschild

Banned
#10
May 21, 2009
3,955
25
0
#10
It doesn't say that you won't have ugly thoughts. Its says don't let the thoughts stay in your mind. I'm watching people actually being destroyed because they won't control their thought life.
Someone makes us mad. get rid of it. Someone hurts us , get rid of it. The devil puts some ugly thought in your mind tell him to get away in the name of Jesus and don't take the thought. Its a never ending battle. But yes we can control our minds. That lady just jumped down my throat. Made me so mad. I'm not going to be mad at her. I'm going to love her. I'm going to pray for her. She made me so mad. How dare she do that. I'm not keeping that in my mind. I just forgive her. Took me 3 days but I refuse to keep the ugly thoughts. Its a command from God.
 
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machew

Guest
#11
#11
We have no ability on our own to do this. This is why Jesus sent us the Holy Spirit as our Helper.
 
T

Tubs

Banned
#12
Mar 31, 2010
25
1
0
#12
lighthousejohn said:
Paul said to the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 10:5 "5We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."

Is it even possible for us to "take captive every thought"? He referenced in verse 4 that the weapons he fought with were divine in nature. "4The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds."

The struggle that we all have with idle thought and daydreams, etc. makes it almost imposible to Take every thought captive. Is Paul saying this as an all inclusive absolute statement or is he speaking figuratively?
Click to expand...
This is very interesting. The every thought process. Jesus was submitted to the Father from the age of (12) years and was always listening to the Father (Lk 2:49, Jn 5:30). We are instructed to live by every word of God (Mt 4:4) and to think upon these things in (Phil 4:7,8) and to let this mind be in us that was in Christ Jesus (Phil2:5). We are told to abide in Christ and to let His words abide in us (Jn 15:7). I believe that Christ took captive every thought through obedience to the Father's words and learned to do that through the things He suffered (Jn 14:24, Heb 5:8). I think every believer should consider what this means to take captive every thought and bring it into obedience to the knowledge of Christ.
 
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mpaper345

Banned
#13
Feb 9, 2010
2,486
39
0
#13
3For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
4(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
5Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; 6And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled(2 Corinthians 10:3-6).

We do not war with our flesh but we war with the Holy Spirit doing the fighting for us in obedience to God.

We have to get rid of all imginations,and everything we think that goes against what God says is truth.

With the Holy Spirit doing the fighting for us we can overcome all things that are against God's ways.

Whatever God is against and goes against His ways,His holiness,and His commandments we have to get rid of.

Matt
 
W

Wootie

Guest
#14
#14
loveschild said:
It doesn't say that you won't have ugly thoughts. Its says don't let the thoughts stay in your mind. I'm watching people actually being destroyed because they won't control their thought life.
Someone makes us mad. get rid of it. Someone hurts us , get rid of it. The devil puts some ugly thought in your mind tell him to get away in the name of Jesus and don't take the thought. Its a never ending battle. But yes we can control our minds. That lady just jumped down my throat. Made me so mad. I'm not going to be mad at her. I'm going to love her. I'm going to pray for her. She made me so mad. How dare she do that. I'm not keeping that in my mind. I just forgive her. Took me 3 days but I refuse to keep the ugly thoughts. Its a command from God.
Click to expand...
I agree with you Loveschild, and after awhile of casting down those thoughts I find it almost habit to not think them when a situation arrises.
 
pickles

pickles

Senior Member
#15
Apr 20, 2009
14,479
182
63
#15
lighthousejohn said:
Paul said to the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 10:5 "5We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."

Is it even possible for us to "take captive every thought"? He referenced in verse 4 that the weapons he fought with were divine in nature. "4The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds."

The struggle that we all have with idle thought and daydreams, etc. makes it almost imposible to Take every thought captive. Is Paul saying this as an all inclusive absolute statement or is he speaking figuratively?
Click to expand...
John, I liked this because it spoke spacificly to that which is a constant concern of mine. I am ADHD and am easly distracted, it frustrates me so much. Ill be praying and spoof, my mind jumps to any distraction. I ask Jesus to help me with it all the time. In fact I praised Jesus saying that it is his gift as well.
So last night I applied this scripture as I prayed and spent time with God Our Father in Jesus. In prayer asking Jesus to take captive my distraction. I found that not only did it comfort me but as I talked to God Our Father he began to nudge me each time my thoughts began to wander. I am always amazed at how the word as well as praise when given to Jesus, allows the power of the Holy Spirit to work in us.
As another post spoke to, everything in us when given to Jesus, turns that which is given into a key. That key then opens the door within ourselves to Jesus, allowing him to do his great works within each of us.
All I can say is Im glad that Jesus holds the keys because , wow, what a huge amount of keys there must be!:eek::D
God bless, pickles
 
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lighthousejohn

Guest
#16
#16
pickles said:
John, I liked this because it spoke spacificly to that which is a constant concern of mine. I am ADHD and am easly distracted, it frustrates me so much. Ill be praying and spoof, my mind jumps to any distraction. I ask Jesus to help me with it all the time. In fact I praised Jesus saying that it is his gift as well.
So last night I applied this scripture as I prayed and spent time with God Our Father in Jesus. In prayer asking Jesus to take captive my distraction. I found that not only did it comfort me but as I talked to God Our Father he began to nudge me each time my thoughts began to wander. I am always amazed at how the word as well as praise when given to Jesus, allows the power of the Holy Spirit to work in us.
As another post spoke to, everything in us when given to Jesus, turns that which is given into a key. That key then opens the door within ourselves to Jesus, allowing him to do his great works within each of us.
All I can say is Im glad that Jesus holds the keys because , wow, what a huge amount of keys there must be!:eek::D
God bless, pickles
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Awesome testimony of the Holy Spirit at work. I pray your continued blessing.

As to the keys, Jesus holds the keys to all of our hearts, plus the keys to the gates of hell. Amazing isn't it.

In Christ,
John
 
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