We often don’t realize how much of our personal worldview is dictated by the tapes we play in our head. Those tapes often come from our childhoods or our assumptions about ourselves. Often these tapes are fake news that has a toxic hold on our thinking. Here are some examples. 

“God cannot use me because of the things I have done in my life. I will never get victory over my habitual sin. If people knew the real me they would not love me. I need to live up to other people’s expectations in order to be loved. If only I worked harder at my spiritual life, God would love me more. I am unworthy of God’s love - or anyone else’s. I will never conquer my constant anxiety about what people think of me.”

Every one of these thoughts is false. They are toxic thoughts that rob us of self worth, of peace, and they diminish the joy Jesus made us for. In John 10:10 Jesus says that the Evil One comes to steal, kill and destroy. How better to do that in your life than to make you believe lies like the ones above that keep you from experiencing what Jesus wants to give us: life and life to the fullest. 

Paul tells us in Romans 12:2 to be “transformed by the renewing of your mind.” You see, that is our battleground. What we believe either keeps us from experiencing true joy and blessing, or contributes to it. But how do we transform our minds?

In 2 Corinthians 10:4-5, Paul gives us a key answer. “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We 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.” 

Strongholds are those things that hold us back and keep us from being all that God wants us to be. Often those are strongholds of the mind. Things we believe that are not accurate, tapes we play that are strongholds of the one who wants to rob us of joy. How do we demolish those strongholds? Paul says, “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” Literally, Paul says, arrest those thoughts that are not true and replace them with God’s truth. 

When our thought is “I am unworthy,” we replace that lie with this truth. “God has made me worthy.” When our thought is “God can’t use me because of my sin,” we replace that lie with the truth that if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us of all unrighteousness. When we think, “I cannot overcome that habitual sin,” replace that lie with the truth that “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Taking our thoughts captive is one of the most powerful things we can do because falsehoods repeated in our thinking diminish our lives while thinking truthfully contributes to wholeness and spiritual well being.

Be conscious today of what you think and ask yourself, “Is that thought true or false?” If it is false, replace it with God’s truth about yourself. Take your thoughts captive and experience life like God designed it to be.

Father. Would you help me to see the truth about myself from your perspective as the one who has redeemed, forgiven and called me to join you in your work? By your Spirit, help me to be aware of the untruths I tell myself and replace them with your truth. Amen.