I recently had the opportunity to chat with Kelly Balarie on an episode of Your Hope-Filled Perspective Podcast regarding how changing your thinking can change your life. If you missed that episode, you’ll want to tune in here: How to Change Your Thinking and Change Your Life – Episode 211.

Today, Kelly shares how taking every thought captive helps you unlock the power of the Mind of Christ so you can transform your mind, release your worries and burdens, and exchange the enemy’s lies for truth. She provides a guide to take every thought captive and apply it to everyday life.

Be sure to read to the end for a book giveaway!

(If there are affiliate links in this post, meaning, if you click through and make a purchase, I may receive a commission (at no extra cost to you)).

Take Every Thought Captive: Unlocking the Power of the Mind of Christ
By Kelly Balarie

I love coffee. What about you?

To wake up to have my own miniature fireplace in-hand is complete joy. The first sip. Ahh. But, if my coffee maker has no power source, there’s no joy. There’s no delightful taste of coffee beans. If not plugged in, there’s no power to create the new reality of coffee.

Many of us fail to realize the power of our mind. We do not plug into the power of the Mind of Christ within us. Because of this, we tend to live more defensively than offensively. Rather than seeing our faith, create new realities because we trust the Lord Jesus Christ, we fall into defeatist thinking and feelings.

We say, “They enemy is attacking me,” “I feel so oppressed,” “I am worried,” or “I am anxious.”

My encouragement to all of us is: we don’t have to live beat up or constantly beating ourselves up.

There is a power source available to all of us who believe. A way to harness our thoughts into the fullness of Christ. An escape door out of agony. Many know of the principle of — taking thoughts captive. However, few know how to apply it. Yet, this is a power source. Taking thoughts captive revives our heart, reclaims our peace, restores our hope, and renews our life with faith.

Might today be the day you power-up in Christ Jesus and use the weapons He has given you?

“We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God.” (2 Cor. 10:4-5)

How to take every thought captive

How do we do this?

First notice, whose job is it to destroy proud obstacles that get in the way of knowing God? It is our job. God has given us mighty weapons to accomplish this. We have these things because He says He has given them to us.

If we don’t realize the firepower we carry, in Christ Jesus, we will never use it. It is no wonder if we get overtaken by stress, fear, overwhelming feelings, and confusion. God has given us firepower to win.

To dig into this verse, first identify — what strongholds are crippling? Is it the sense that you are enough? Is it a bad online scrolling habit? It is it your communication in your marriage? Is it your doubt in God that keeps you stuck? Is it crippling fear that paralyzes? Is it trauma from the past that keeps repeating in your head?

One way to identify what may be a strong-hold, a mind-suck, or a mental trap is to consider your days. How do you feel after you do something? What kind of thoughts does it produce in your mind? Think about what you think about.

2 Corinthians 10, NLT goes on to say, “We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.” In the NIV translation it is written, “we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

Notice who does the capturing of thoughts. We do. Notice who is to make their thoughts come under obedience to Christ. Us.

We have received power from Jesus to do this! This is possible. No longer do we have to be ruled by bully emotions, mean thoughts, self-condemnation, past defeats, destructive trauma, the world, or the enemy. Jesus empowers us with a better way.

“For who has known or understood the mind (the counsels and purposes) of the Lord so as to guide and instruct Him and give Him knowledge? But we have the mind of Christ (the Messiah) and do hold the thoughts (feelings and purposes) of His heart.” (1 Cor. 2:16 AMPC)

Do you see how much potential your mind has as it yields to the Mind of Christ? The potential of your thinking far surpasses you…

A guide to taking every thought captive

While the book, “Take Every Thought Captive” goes through a detailed battle-plan on how to take every thought captive, how to bring these thoughts into submission, and how to defeat common thought-traps through Christ’s empowerment – once and for all — so we can truly seize the mind of Christ, there is massive growth in starting here:

1. Acknowledge how people, programs, and online activities leave you feeling.
2. Record your negative or defeatist thoughts that do not align with God’s Word.

Sometimes, we don’t know what we don’t know. But by doing these two things you see the processes of your mind for what they are and you will begin the process of taking thoughts captive.

Prayer: Father, I thank you that you have not left me defenseless as it pertains to how I think. Thank you that Jesus is my Savior and He is still saving me. He is redeeming my mind. Thank you that the Mind of Christ is fully available to me. I ask you to help me to think about what I am thinking about. Empower me to take my thoughts captive. In Jesus’s name.

About the Book, “Take Every Thought Captive”

In Take Every Thought Captive: Exchange Lies of the Enemy for the Mind of Christ, author and speaker Kelly Balarie encourages readers to seize the power of God’s Word not only profess truth, but possess it in their mind, heart, and actions.

“Take Every Thought Captive” helps readers:

• transform their minds and release the worries, burdens, and lies from the enemy
• pray through times of mental and emotional strife
• become warriors and fight for God’s plan and purpose
• use God’s Word proactively instead of living defensively and defeated

 

 

About Kelly Balarie

Kelly Balarie, author (Battle Ready, Rest Now, Take Every Thought Captive), speaker, and blogger, delights in joining hands with women as they go through life’s ups and downs. To see God move to revive hearts, to restore relationships, and to bring hope to weary souls are definite highlight moments for Kelly.

Connect with Kelly: Website / Twitter / Facebook / Instagram

 

Book Giveaway

In conjunction with this post and the podcast interview, Kelly is giving away a free copy of her book, Take Every Thought Captive.

Leave a comment below sharing with us one thing you learned about taking your thoughts captive and you will be entered into the contest for your chance to win a copy of her book.

You could also share this blog post on Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter then comment here to tell us where you shared it and you’ll also be entered into the drawing.

The winner will be selected at random and announced next Monday, May 8, 2023. Continental United States only.