How to Capture Runaway Thoughts in a Battle…And Win Every Time! by Tracy Ward June 29, 2020 Leave a Comment For an audible version of this article click below We can demolish every deceptive fantasy that opposes God and break through every arrogant attitude that is raised up indefiance of the true knowledge of God. We capture, like prisoners of war, every thought and insist that it bow in obedience tothe Anointed One. Since we are armed with such dynamic weaponry, we stand ready to punish any trace of rebellion, as soonas YOU CHOOSE complete obedience.2 Corinthians 10:5-6 We are now several weeks into the COVID-19 pandemic, and at some point, I bet there is not a single person reading thiswho hasn’t faced a full-fledged attack on your mind and your thoughts. For me, this time has been an amazing time, and there have been numerous opportunities to see God in action. Holy Spirit isbringing fresh revelation, and He’s also using me to encourage, equip, and empower so many in the body of Christ. I’mwatching them step into and walk in greater understanding of their identities in Christ Jesus. Freedom is ringing loudly! But how many of you know that just when you think everything is going so nice and smoothly, BAM, and then comes the test! Allow me to set up the scenario. From August of last year until February, I had a significant hormone deficiency. Thisdeficiency caused numerous tormenting issues, like horrendous hot flashes and night sweats every two hours. I alsoexperienced a significantly reduced sex drive. Not cool for a married woman. But Thanks to Pastor Julie and herrecommendation to have my hormone levels checked, I finally received the help I needed. Fast forward to April when the hormones finally kicked in and things normalized. I felt like a brand-new woman, and the internalfurnace was no more. Hallelujah! But something else happened that I didn’t expect. My sex drive woke up with a vengeance,and suddenly, all I could think about was sex. While that might sound like great news, it was the intensity of it all that createdthe problem. I felt like an 18-year-old teenage boy. So, one might ask, as a married woman, what’s the problem with that? Well, when those thoughts bombard your mind suchthat it consumes and overwhelms your thoughts, THAT, my friends, is a huge problem. Although my husband was a happycamper, I still had a problem, because I wanted more, way more. The other challenge I had was that I was delivered from a two-decade long pornography addiction nearly twenty years ago,and the enemy was looking for an entrance to try to resurrect that old sin. But because that thing is deader than dead, that wasnot even an option for me, nor was there a desire to do that. Thank You, Jesus! So, the question is, how was I able to capture my thoughts, when they had already begun to run wild? The Battle: 10 Rounds My Opponent: My flesh/the enemy The Winner: The first one to score ten pointsWeeks one and two (rounds 1-2), I got my butt kicked and I felt as though I had no control whatsoever. I found myselfentertaining those unhealthy thoughts and feelings. It was as though I couldn’t even spell the name Jesus, let alone use theauthority He’s given me. I was afraid that this was going to end badly and that I could go back into some old thinking patterns,and worse, behaviors that do not honor God. I was in trouble.Score: Me 0 My flesh/the enemy 2 Revealed Truth: It would’ve been easy for me to justify myself, and to continue entertaining those thoughts because I wantedmore than I could have. This is where many believers get tripped up. Here’s a helpful truth. Even if you can easily blame thesituation for how you feel, and ten out of ten people would understand you entertaining your feelings, you’re still 100%responsible for your response! God operates by a completely different standard than the world, and there is never a reason tojustify bad behavior. But God! He had a plan. THE PROCESS OF TAKING MY THOUGHTS CAPTIVE: I called out to Jesus and I earnestly prayed for Him to help me.He answered early the next morning. I was still asleep, but in my spirit, I heard the words to this battle song that I had recentlybegun listening to again that said “🎵 Your Blood is my shield, Your Blood is my shield…I press on toward the goal to win”🎶. Isaw a picture of Jesus’s Blood running down the walls of my mind. Immediately, hope sprang forth! That truth was enough toremind me of Who was with me, and Who was in me.When I fully awoke, additional parts of that song played in my spirit. “🎵 No compromise, I see the prize, yes I will win. Noflaming arrows come to steal, Your Blood is my shield, I press on toward the goal to win!’ 🎶Revealed Truth: When you receive encouragement from the Lord, grab hold of that and don’t let go. This is a stewardshipissue. If I thought that what the Lord gave me was some small thing, and I didn’t apply it to my circumstance, then I might havelost it. Unfortunately, this is a hard truth. You will lose what you fail to steward. ‘To those who use well what they are given,even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will betaken away. ‘ Matthew 25:29Score: Me 1 My flesh/the enemy 2I actively began taking those thoughts captive.I needed to submit to God, resist the devil, and wait for His Ugliness to flee.As challenging as it was to round up those thoughts and take them captive, I knew I wasn’t alone. Holy Spirit is my Helper, andHe was right there to help me through this battle. I allowed the truth of God’s word to strengthen me and to remind me thatgreater is He Who is in me, than he who is in the world. I needed to believe that God’s grace was sufficient to enable andempower me to overcome what was before me. My confidence that I could win this battle immediately sprang into action!Revealed truth: You must strongly resist thoughts that oppose the knowledge of God. Although you may have hope andencouragement, the battle is real, and your attitude should be that this is a fight to the death!Score: Me 2 My flesh/the enemy 2I rejected any form of guilt and shame.The truth is that MY WHO IS NOT MY DO. What does that mean? It means that who I am (my true identity) is not defined bywhat I do or do not do (my behavior). Therefore, as a blood-bought daughter of Christ, my identity never changes; even if mythoughts or feelings are not in right alignment to The Father. I’ve been made righteous in Christ by what He did on thecross. Because Jesus already dealt with sin, this was not the problem, here. My thoughts were sinful, yes, but that doesn’tmean that I had to go into shame-mode for having those thoughts.When I walk in this truth, there is no opening for the enemy to bring shame upon me.Revealed Truth: You are loved by God and NOTHING you do could ever separate you from His love. It’s time to startbelieving and walking in that truth, because we do what we believe and we will not do what we do not believe!Score: Me 3 My flesh/the enemy 2I believed and received what Holy Spirit spoke to me, and I MADE A DECISION to exercise MY WILL, combined withHIS POWER to take those thoughts captive.God then began encouraging me with His Word. When I opened the bible app the following day, this was the verse of the day.Remember this: sin will not conquer you, for God already has! You are not governed by law but governed by the reign of thegrace of God. Romans 6:14 TPTHallelujah, I received that and I knew in my spirit this was a battle that I was not going to lose. Immediately, I was reminded ofthis scripture: If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; andits desire is for you, but you must master it.” Genesis 4:7 NASBRevealed Truth: You have authority over sin! But authority, like a muscle, must be exercised. That is the only way you canbring Your thoughts into submission. You have the power through Holy Spirit to rule over your flesh and the sin it loves toproduce!Score: Me 4 My flesh/the enemy 2Fear of the Lord kicked in and sounded an alarm within me.Holy Spirit reminded me that my body is a temple of the Lord, and that I am to be Holy as He is Holy. I was so horrified ofentertaining those thoughts in God’s presence that it literally brought a mega-shift in my thinking. As a blood-bought daughterof The Most High God, how could I possibly entertain vile thoughts when I carry God’s presence within me? What I realized isthat my heart’s desire was to be pleasing to Him, not so much about the sin itself. Stated another way, I chose to operate in a God-conscious manner rather than in sin-consciousness. Thinking in this way brought me to my knees. It was right then that Idetermined that I would not defile the temple of the Lord any longer!Revealed Truth: The Fear of The Lord is a vital key to repentance. When the thought of hurting God becomes greater thanyour desire to experience temporary pleasure, that, my friends, is The Fear of the Lord. That fear is what causes you to turnaround and sprint toward the Father!Score: Me 5 My flesh/the enemy 2I shifted my thoughts and focus onto Jesus, and where I was seated in the heavenly places, with Christ.He raised us up with Christ the exalted One, and we ascended with him into the glorious perfection and authority of theheavenly realm, for we are now co-seated as one with Christ!Ephesians 2:6 TPTThe truth is that wherever my focus is directed, that thing I behold will always become magnified. The problem occurs when thecircumstances cause my focus to shift away from where I was seated, and to focus on what I was “thinking and feeling,” all ofwhich was temporal and transient. Think about it, that is the goal of the enemy; he wants to draw you out of your spiritualresidence in the heavenly places. He wants you to fix your eyes on the things of this world, and worse, what you think or howyou feel about it. After all, this is where he has his authority! Not today, Satan…I see you, Sucka!Revealed Truth: The enemy has no access to the heavenly places. Remember, the heavenly places are far above allprincipalities and powers. God’s voice should always be the prevailing and loudest voice. If you hear the voice of the enemychirping in your ear, that’s a clue that you’re not positioned in your spiritual residence. Where you position yourself determineswhat you see, and what you see determines your access. Get back in right alignment to The Father, so that you can accessevery spiritual blessing in the heavenly places! It’s not complicated. Ask Holy Spirit to help you.Score: Me 6 My flesh/the enemy 2I exercised my God-given authority over my flesh.This is where the spiritual rubber meets the Christian Road. It was time to apply the truth of God’s word to this situation. Formany Christians, it’s easy to read and quote the word, talk about God, and to participate in every “Christian Activity” under thesun. But the following scripture makes it quite clear that activities are not synonymous with application.Don’t just listen to the Word of Truth and not respond to it, for that is the essence of self-deception. So always let his Wordbecome like poetry written and fulfilled by your life! If you listen to the Word and don’t live out the message you hear, youbecome like the person who looks in the mirror of the Word to discover the reflection of his face in the beginning. You perceivehow God sees you in the mirror of the Word, but then you go out and forget your divine origin. But those who set their gazedeeply into the perfecting law of liberty are fascinated by and respond to the truth they hear and are strengthened by it—theyexperience God’s blessing IN ALL THAT THEY DO! James 1:22-25 TPTSo, how exactly did I apply the word of God to my situation?It looked like this: After I received encouragement from the Lord, I earnestly focused on who I was and whose I was. Whensinful or lustful thoughts would come, I spoke to them. I began saying things like “no, I will not rent you space in my mind, youcan’t stay here, I’M THE BOSS of my thoughts, flesh, not you, and these thoughts WILL come into the obedience of the Wordof God!” Then, I meditated on and spoke God’s word over myself, and I worshipped! Lastly, I engaged my spiritual prayerlanguage. Now you tell me… do you think that those negative or sinful thoughts can hold up in that environment? Not achance! The word says that if you SUBMIT to God, RESIST the devil (by applying the word of God) then The Loser DevilMUST FLEE (James 4:7 TLW)!Revealed Truth: Your spirit is always willing, but your flesh is weak. When you apply (by speaking) the word of God to yourflesh, then you must act on (apply) what the word says. It’s not enough to quote the scripture, you must do it. Otherwise,James says that this is the essence of self-deception. He promises that when you apply the word of God, you’ll bestrengthened by it, and you’ll be blessed in everything you do!Score: Me 7 My flesh/the enemy 2I watched my flesh bow in total submission!As I walked in the above steps, I began seeing a significant reduction of those ridiculous thoughts! The more that happened,the more amped up I became in declaring the word over myself and worshipping My Deliverer! With each day, my thoughts reflected more godly thoughts than sinful thoughts. I was experiencing victory right before my very eyes, which encouraged meto keep going, and not to stop. It’s important to note that it would have been easy to reduce the hormone medication doses tostop the feelings they produced. Instead, I took captive the thoughts that the feelings produced, and lo and behold, both thethoughts and the feelings bowed in the Name of Jesus! Remember, the word says to take the thoughts captive, not yourfeelings. God’s word is true, and when applied to your circumstances, you will see the harvest every time!Revealed truth: Don’t give up! Your flesh won’t be able to hold up in an atmosphere of worship, feasting on God’s word andpraying in the spirit. You must trust that victory is your portion. This can happen quickly, too. Remember, Galatians 5:16 saysBut I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.Score: Me 8 My flesh/the enemy 2God began to show off, and now, I’m having fun!Grace, hope, encouragement, self-control, love, patience, victory, and every other godly fruit of the spirit began to spring forthin multiple proportions. It was like God was saying, I’ll see your faith and obedience, and I’ll raise you everything in My arsenalto ensure your victory (a little poker terminology)! Now I’m having so much fun that I can’t stand it! I can smell the victory, andit’s a sweet aroma! The stench of sin is gone!Praise Report: The thoughts and the physical desires that went along with those thoughts have been gone for three weeksnow, hallelujah! There has not been one vile thought cross my mind or one inappropriate feeling in my flesh!Revealed Truth: You don’t fight toward victory; you fight from victory! You have access to victory 24/7. Jesus secured thevictory for us over 2000 years ago. Our job as His daughters is to ENFORCE HIS VICTORY! You must first believe that truth.Then, when you endeavor to take your flesh and its thoughts captive, and you apply the word of God, you can be assured ofthe victory every single time! That my friends, you can take to the bank!Score: Me 9 My flesh/the enemy 2I never stopped ministering to others through the battle.One of the challenges with guilt and shame is that they leave you believing that you’re such a loser that you’re unfit to ministerto an ant! Lies. All lies. If you know who you are in Christ, then you never stop doing what He’s put you on the earth to do. Heis Who justifies you, not what you are or are not doing. In fact, through all of this, I helped numerous others break through theirissues, and I saw such great growth in them. That was a product of Holy Spirit, not anything that I did! But had I sat on thesidelines, waiting to become “good enough” or “righteous enough” to play in the game, then sadly, that time would probably notever come.Revealed Truth: It’s God who qualifies the called. It’s not how much you’re doing for Him, how good you are, or, how badlyyou think you’re doing. If you’re waiting until you have it all together, you’ll be waiting until eternity. Go and do what God hascalled you to do! The Final Score: Me 10My flesh/the enemy 2The Winner: Me, by TKO in the 10th round!(technical knockout for those who don’t know boxing terminology) The Method:I applied 2 Corinthians 10:5-6I used the Dynamic Weaponry in my arsenal. The Blood, and my faith in God were My Shield, and The Spirit, God’s Word, wasMy Sword! I engaged in worship and praying in the spirit. My flesh and the enemy never stood a chance. The Prize:EVERY deceptive fantasy that opposed God was DEMOLISHED. EVERY arrogant attitude raised up in defiance of the trueknowledge of God was BROKEN. EVERY trace of rebellion was PUNISHED, and EVERY thought was taken CAPTIVE andthose thoughts BOWED in obedience to the Anointed One. All because I chose complete obedience and applied the truth ofGod’s promises to me as a daughter of the Most High!Amen and Amen. Reader Interactions Leave a Reply Cancel replyYour email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment Name * Email * Website Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.
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