Take Every Thought Into Captivity

“…casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ….” II Corinthians 10: 5

Every thought releases a chemical into the body, some good, some not good for you. You determine which chemical by what thought you have.

It is for this reason Scripture notes “A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones.” (Proverbs 7: 22)

Before dealing with the first part of this verse consider the second.

“Bones” in the Bible figuratively represents the body: fat bones means a healthy body (Proverbs 3:8; 15:30; 16:24), but dry bones signify unhealthiness and lifelessness. ( Ezekiel 37:1-14)

A broken spirit, that is a negative spirit, always looks on the dark side of things, contributing to poor health.

Pause and think, before scientific knowledge opened our understanding to these things the Lord revealed a summary of the principles to Solomon.

It is even known now that the left brain is more associated with positive emotions, while the right brain is more associated with negative emotions. A key to sunny disposition, and good health is to keep the left side dominating.

When the levels of serotonin are normal, one feels happy, calm, less anxious, more focused, and emotionally stable. There is an increase in activity and zeal. A bright outlook exists.

Negativity can become a habit. Frequent criticism, cynical thoughts, and denial can create neural pathways in the brain that encourage a negative outlook which is unbecoming of a person of faith.

The good news is the brain can be trained. The basic premise is to “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus….” (Philippians 2: 5)

When you think on a topic, think of how Jesus would speak on it if He were present under your circumstances. Your first thought on the subject may be negative. Before leaving the topic go back and consider how Jesus would think about it. Retrain your brain to flip negatives into positives. That is a good final filter.

Some steps in training the mind include: focusing on good things, practicing gratitude, being open to and enjoying good humor, and spending time with positive people. 

Foremost on training your mind is found in this axiom: “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” (Psalm 119: 11)

That requires that you “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (II Timothy 2: 15)

“For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” (Proverbs 23: 7)

Let the good chemicals flow.