Take Every Thought Captive

"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

Nineteen-year-old Liu Shih-Kun was an esteemed concert pianist in China until the Cultural Revolution banned all things of Western Influence. Refusing to renounce his beloved music, Liu was deemed an enemy to the people. Beaten and imprisoned, he languished in a tiny cell with no books, no paper, and even worse - no piano. After his release seven years later, he played with the Philadelphia Orchestra in Beijing... flawlessly. The fact that he survived is remarkable; that his hands continued to move as if they'd never stopped playing is amazing.

What was his secret? Stripped of everything musical for seven and a half years, Liu disciplined himself to shut out negative thoughts and practice hour after hour on an imaginary piano.

Counselors tell us we don't realize the extent to which our own thinking contributes to our mental anguish. The earlier we evaluate our "self-talk" the easier it is to regroup and get back on track. While the concept is simple, it's not easy to implement. Once you start paying attention you'll probably notice more negative "self-talk" than you realized.

Police shout "freeze!" when cornering a suspect. We can "freeze" destructive self-talk by capturing every thought and making it obedient to Christ. Paul says "This is not a wrestling match against a human opponent. We are wrestling with... spiritual forces" (Eph 6:12). Your thoughts have power. To win over them, you must submit to Christ and control what you allow your mind to dwell on. I'm determined to inject FAITH and HOPE into my self-talk today!