Take Captive Every Thought
March 22, 2024
Yesterday I posted this to my Instagram story:
“Reminder that taking your thoughts captive takes practice and strength that comes only from Jesus.
You’re not failing at letting God transform your mind if certain thoughts and fears trigger your body into a fight, flight, or freeze response.
That awareness and frustration is a sign of progress. Let it be light shining on the truth that no part of you is too broken for God’s redeeming grace.
It’s okay if thoughts that you logically know are lies from the enemy bring up uncomfortable emotions. Those emotions aren’t inherently “bad” either. Let them lead you to seek Jesus. He will equip you to sit through those emotions and show you what HE says in response to that lie.
One day you will be able to take that thought captive without a painful or uncomfortable emotional response. Hang in there. His Word remains true even when His promises may take time.”
This month, my gym has been doing a “March Madness” challenge and that has included some goals involving food. With a history of fighting an eating disorder that tried to steal my joy and my life, I was hesitant to partake in the challenge out of fear that I would fall back into old ways. But I’ve seen how far the Lord has brought me from that darkness. So I gave it a go, with the awareness that the enemy would try to remind me of past hurts, pains, fears, unhealthy habits, and insecurities.
Expectedly, those past hurts, pains, fears, unhealthy habits, and insecurities came up during the challenge. It was in those moments where I began to feel as if I was failing and hadn’t learned anything over the years of fighting and praying and growing and changing. Those thoughts and feelings were sad and uncomfortable. But it was also in those moments that I sought the Lord and was reminded of who HE is… the God of Philippians 1:6– “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”
Again— taking your thoughts captive takes practice and strength that comes only from Jesus.
You’re not failing at letting God transform your mind if certain thoughts and fears trigger your body into a fight, flight, or freeze response.
That awareness and frustration is a sign of progress. Let it be light shining on the truth that no part of you is too broken for God’s redeeming grace.
It’s okay if thoughts that you logically know are lies from the enemy bring up uncomfortable emotions. Those emotions aren’t inherently “bad” either. Let them lead you to seek Jesus. He will equip you to sit through those emotions and show you what HE says in response to that lie.
One day you will be able to take that thought captive without a painful or uncomfortable emotional response. Hang in there. His Word remains true even when His promises may take time.
Remembering this led me to reflect on the truth that treating your body well doesn’t just mean fueling it with foods that enable your greatest potential. It also means enjoying the fun foods, going out for ice cream with your best friends, having popcorn at 10pm while watching a movie with your roomie, straying from your meal plan because life threw some curve balls that “messed up” your original plans, missing a workout because your body needed extra rest.
In the past, those things would have sent me into a downward spiral with the anxiety, depression, and eating disorder. Today, the thoughts still come every now and then… or maybe for the entire day if I’m having a tougher time… but, with some therapeutic inner child work, I’ve learned to think of that little girl who had no idea of the battle she would face. What would I tell her? How would I feed her, both literally and figuratively? I would tell her that it’s gonna hurt like hell and feel impossible at times. I would tell her that she is going to want to give up and she will try to at some point. I would tell her that she will make it to the other side, and that her life in recovery is one she could never even dream of. And then I apply that to myself now. Because I’m just as deserving of this truth now as I was then. And it’s true, the life I’m living now… the life that that little girl will grow to live in… is one I could have never dreamed of.
And this is where I weep at the kindness of my Father. HE alone gave me the strength and endurance to take those thoughts captive time after time after time. And some days, not void of the hard emotions that follow those thoughts, but always accompanied by the trust in the promises of a good and faithful God.
Your struggle may not be with food and exercise. But we all have struggles that the enemy will try to bring up time and time again, even after the Lord has worked healing in our hearts and minds. It’s how we respond to those thoughts and lies that matter. We get to love and be loved by the God of Philippians 1:6– “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” Don’t lose hope. He is faithful to keep His promises.
“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 10:5