“… and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
2 Corinthians 10:5

Often, it is not that we go looking for ways to sin or do wrong. It seems to sneak up on us and we screw up. In hindsight, though, we see that it started with a simple thouht.

James 1:14 says that we are tempted starting with our own sinful desires. It’s not that we just get tempted, but the desire to do what is wrong is within us. Where does that desire come from? Most often it is from the things we think about. That’s why what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 10:5 is so important!

Our thought life is one of the biggest (if not the biggest) spiritual battlefields. The notes in Fire Bible give some real practical steps to fighting this battle. I’ll summarize and list them below.

1. Be aware that God knows every thought.
2. Be aware that your mind is a battlefield.
3. When a thought comes into your mind, take hold of it and measure it up against the standards God presents in the Bible. If it doesn’t match up, ask God to take it and make a point not to dwell on it.
4. Replace the bad thoughts with good thoughts (see Philippians 4:8)
5. Focus on Christ.
6. Be careful what you are seeing and hearing (e.g., music/movies/tv). What you let yourself watch and listen to influences your thoughts more than anything else.

For more reading on this topic, see the notes on 2 Corinthians 10:5 in the Fire Bible (pg. 1678).