Recently Blest posted about depression and how we should take control of our thoughts. Let me be honest — I said to myself, “I don’t struggle with depression….so this stuff doesn’t really apply to me.” Well God always has a way of bringing me back to reality. For the past couple of weeks I have had some completely irrational thoughts in my mind. These thoughts have nothing to do with my weight loss journey…rather they have caused me fear and panic and anxiety concerning my marriage. For my weight loss I am doing The Lord’s Table at www.settingcaptivesfree.com — I have not done a lesson now in about 3 weeks because I allowed pride to seep into my brain and felt I was doing great on my own. (Enter heavenly ZAP!!) I resolved yesterday that I would get back on track and yesterday’s lesson was on gluttony and slothfulness (not words we throw around too much these days….but we have to call a spade a spade). This morning Blest was inquiring how I was doing via email and I zipped off a reply to her. Then I opened up my lesson and it was precisely what I needed. It started off with the following:
When it comes to losing weight most of us will readily acknowledge that at times our minds are battlefields. We know we shouldn’t overeat but MAN that Stuffed Crust pizza looks good. We know we’ve had enough dinner but the thoughts of a delicious dessert seem to overwhelm us. Even if we resist the first thoughts they seem to keep coming at us, relentlessly bombarding us until we give in.
But, Mandi, as Christians we are not to be victims of these powerful thoughts, rather we are to take every thought captive to Christ. Let’s examine the Scriptures that teach this and then we will look at a quote from Max Lucado:
“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete” (2 Corinthians 10:3-6)……
Next, I want to show you a quote from Max Lucado that pretty well describes the “how to” of taking our thoughts captive to Christ. The examples he uses can be substituted with ones for our particular struggle. Here it is:
“. . . Your heart is a fertile greenhouse ready to produce good fruit. Your mind is the doorway to your heart - the strategic place where you determine which seeds are sown and which seeds are discarded. The Holy Spirit is ready to help you manage and filter the thoughts that try to enter. He can help you guard you heart. He stands with you on the threshold. A thought approaches, a questionable thought. Do you throw open the door and let it enter? Of course not. You ‘fight to capture every thought until it acknowledges the authority of Christ’ (2 Cor. 10:5, Phillips). You don’t leave the door unguarded. You stand equipped with handcuffs and leg irons, ready to capture any thought not fit to enter. For the sake of discussion, let’s say a thought regarding your personal value approaches. With all the cockiness of a neighborhood bully, the thought swaggers up to the door and says, ‘You’re a loser. All your life you’ve been a loser. You’ve blown relationships and jobs and ambitions. You might as well write the word bum on your resume, for that is what you are.’
“The ordinary person would throw open the door and let the thought in. Like a seed from a weed, it would find fertile soil and take root and bear thorns of inferiority. The average person would say, ‘You’re right, I’m a bum. Come on in.’ But as a Christian, you aren’t your average person. You are led by the Spirit. So rather than let the thought in, you take it captive. You handcuff it and march it down the street to the courthouse where you present the thought before the judgment seat of Christ.
“’Jesus, this thought says I’m a bum and a loser and that I’ll never amount to anything. What do you think?’ See what you are doing? You are submitting the thought to the authority of Jesus. If Jesus agrees with the thought, then let it in. If not, kick it out. In this case Jesus disagrees.
How do you know if Jesus agrees or disagrees? You open your Bible. What does God think about you? Eph. 2:10 is a good place to check: ‘For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do’ (NIV). Or how about Romans 8:1: ‘There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus’ (NIV)? Obviously any thought that says you are inferior or insignificant does not pass the test - and does not gain entrance. You have the right to give the bully a firm kick in the pants and watch him run.
“Let’s take another example. The first thought was a bully; this next thought is a groupie. She comes not to tell you how bad you are but how good you are. She rushes to the doorway and gushes, ‘You are so good. You are so wonderful. The world is so lucky to have you,’ and on and on the groupie grovels.
“Typically this is the type of thought you’d welcome. But you don’t do things the typical way. You guard your heart. You walk in the Spirit. And you take every thought captive. So once again you go to Jesus. You submit this thought to the authority of Christ. As you unsheathe the sword of the Spirit, his Word, you learn that pride doesn’t please God. ‘Don’t cherish exaggerated ideas of yourself or your importance’ (Rom. 12:3, Phillips). ‘The cross of our Lord Jesus Christ is my only reason for bragging’ (Gal. 6:14). As much as you’d like to welcome this thought of conceit into the greenhouse, you can’t. You only allow what Christ allows.
“The point is this. Guard the doorway of your heart. Submit your thoughts to the authority of Christ. The more selective you are about seeds, the more delighted you will be with the crop.”
Just Like Jesus
Max Lucado
Word Publishing
Nashville, TN.
Copyright 1998 by Max Lucado
Chapter Nine, “The Greenhouse of the Mind” (A Pure Heart) pages 177 - 182
One important thing I learned in this process is that it still is not enough just to take our thoughts captive, and to meditate on good and right things. We must go one step further and put what we are learning and meditating on into practice. For me this applies to so many areas of my life, especially my eating. I usually don’t turn to food because it is “calling me”….rather I turn to food because of the previous thoughts in the day about not being good enough, not being loveable, not being a good mom, etc. For me it seems the key is to take these thoughts captive and hold them up to the Word and see if they are still true. I would like to encourage anyone else who struggles with this to allow this group to help you. I propose that if I/you start having a thought try to take you captive then post it here. We can then put scripture in the comments that will show if the thought is in agreement with what the Lord says or not.
Mandi, Thank you so much for sharing with us. This is so what I need right now. Literally I’m tearing up over here. I’m on my way to check out the website and program that you are doing.
Comment by Tami — October 31, 2006 @ 7:32 am
You said, “We must go one step further and put what we are learning and meditating on into practice.”
Mandi, that is just where God has had me for the past few weeks, too!!!!! I am so glad you wrote this post… (((((HUG)))))
Also you said, “I propose that if I/you start having a thought try to take you captive then post it here. We can then put scripture in the comments that will show if the thought is in agreement with what the Lord says or not.”
What a FABULOUS idea!!!!! BTW, I have missed you my dear!!!!!!!!!!!!! (((((ANOTHERBIGHUG)))))
Comment by Leann — October 31, 2006 @ 7:41 am
I totally agree with the “putting in to practice” thing. Not only in our weight-loss lives, but our spiritual lives as well. How many years have we known that the way to lose weight was eat less and move more, yet we continue to go in for second helpings and make our only exercise flipping channels with the remote control.
As my mom used to say, if the Children of Israel had left that blood in a bucket by the front door it wouldn’t have done them any good - they had to apply it to the doorpost to get God’s protection!
Comment by Melissa — October 31, 2006 @ 8:04 am
What a wise mother Melissa!!!
Comment by Tami — October 31, 2006 @ 8:24 am
This scripture goes along well with this practice of doing and not just hearing:
James 1:21
Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. 22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; 24 for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. 25 But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.
Comment by Mandi — October 31, 2006 @ 8:39 am
Thanks for this post Mandi. I’ve read it a couple of times and there’s still more I can get from it. I definitely need to start being more active in what I let come into my mind and stay, and what I boot out!
Comment by Debs — October 31, 2006 @ 2:12 pm