Tag: blessing

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Take Every Thought Captive

take every thought captive

As I set out for my walk early this morning, this verse kept reverberating in my mind. I queued up my iPhone to one of my favorite Bible teachers. I hadn’t listened to him for awhile, but today this recording was also on my mind. And in the first 5 minutes …

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. (2 Corinthians 10:4-5)

Every action is preceded by a thought.
So what we think about is pretty important.

And if we have a promise from God, the enemy wants to keep us from thinking about that promise. Doesn’t matter if it’s a general promise or a specific promise for you personally. You and I are in engaged in a battle.

  • Worry. You start to think about all that you haven’t done. And you have so many obstacles ahead of you that you believe it’s totally “impossible.”
  • Doubt. Did God really promise you something that wonderful? Surely it was just your imagination running amok. You only wished it was God’s idea.
  • Fear. You begin to notice that the opposite of your promise is happening … fast. Too fast for you to be able to do anything about it.

If you don’t want to end up
where your current thought is taking you,
have another thought!

As I continued my walk, I noticed where my thoughts went. And when they went contrary to where I want to go in Christ, I reached out and took that thought captive! [PLEASE NOTE: I had to do it way more often than once.]

Taking a thought captive means you replace it with another thought!
You choose to believe what The Lord has said instead!

  1. OVERCOME worry by agreeing with God’s Word. Be anxious for nothing. Pray about everything. He promises to give you His Peace. Your Father knows what you need. But He wants to go beyond your needs and bless you so that you can be a blessing to others. How cool is that?
    New Thought: The Lord is blessing me so that I can bless others. (Philippians 4:6-7)
  2. OVERCOME doubt by agreeing with God’s Word. What has He said? Memorize it and replay it often, out loud and in silence. New Thought: I will believe and trust in His Word. (Hebrews 11:6)
  3. OVERCOME fear by agreeing with God’s Word. Perfect Love casts out fear. So seek His Perfect Love and let it flood your heart. Then let your heart rule your mind, and you will develop the Mind of Christ. Fear cannot stand in such an atmosphere.
    New Thought: The Lord is flooding my heart with His Perfect Love! (1 John 4:18)

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  • What persistent thoughts would you like to change?
  • How would your life be different if you did?
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To Pray More Effectively, You May Need to Pray Differently.

Most women pray for their men, of course. But what is the content of your prayers?

  • Are you just telling the Lord to help him to get his act together so your life will be easier?
  • Or are you sincerely interested in meeting your man’s emotional needs?

If you want to pray effectively for your man, you’ll need to get into the cave with him.

  • Spiritually and emotionally speaking, that is (this takes time with the Holy Spirit).
  • Rather than verbally or invasively (which we do in our flesh) as noted in my post about the Man Cave.

For example, don’t insist he talk about his feelings. Because he may not fully understand them yet himself.

Instead, Learn to Pray Differently

The first steps are simple.

  • Listen more.
  • Talk less.

That alone will give him more space to talk – when he’s ready. And you’ll learn the most you can about him. He may not say much. But listen to his words. And pay attention to his actions. His actions will speak loudest.

The latter steps take time.

  • Listen to the Holy Spirit.
  • Pray according to God’s will.

Because you’re not a man, you’ll need a spirit of wisdom and revelation (Ephesians 1:17) that will enable you to pray for him in accordance with God’s will and perspective on the situation. Yes, you may have some great ideas, but this may not be the best time to share them with your man. Wait upon the Lord, trusting that He cares a lot more about what’s going on with your man than you do.

Warning!

Keep the content of your prayers between you and the Lord. Your man’s vulnerability is not a subject you should be sharing with your mother, your sister, or your girlfriends.

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better. (Ephesians 1:17)

He who finds a wife finds what is good
    and receives favor from the Lord. (Proverbs 18:22)

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