Capture every thought

DeAnna Willman

2 Corinthians 10:5 “We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey our Messiah…”

How did you do with that list of thoughts/memories/behaviors you want to change? Where did our Abba lead you to take a closer look at your thought life? Was there some conviction? I pray so. Conviction may seem unpleasant, but it is truly a loving gift from our Father. If He didn’t love us, He wouldn’t convict us in areas where He knows and wants us to change. So, halleluYah for such intimate and compassionate love from the one who Created us!

For several years someone in my life would tell me that she just didn’t understand what God meant when He said to take every thought captive. She wanted to know what that looked like. I tried in various ways to help her understand and put “handles” to the concept. But, ultimately, it is God who gives understanding. So, while I can give you a way to put what God says into action in your life, you will need to ask God to give you understanding and wisdom regarding all of this information. I can tell you the information surrounding how thoughts affect your health. You will need to ask God to give you understanding and direct your steps in taking action.

A few years ago, YHWH opened my eyes to all of this with a much greater clarity than I had had up to that point. One of the things that came out of it was a step by step process for taking your thoughts captive from Dr. Caroline Leaf. She has worked with thousands of people, even many with brain injuries, over the course of nearly 50 years on changing their brains, health, and lives by changing their thoughts. What I present here for you will be a combination of her process and what I have seen work with those around me, including myself.

The process is capture, reflect or recognize, write/dump, reconstruct, action, and live.

Capture- take captive the thought, whatever it is. What is the thought I am having, behavior I am manifesting, belief I am believing, emotion I am feeling?

Reflect or recognize- from where did the thought originate? Who told me this? What evidence do I have that it is true? How does it make me feel? Do I want to feel that way? How does it lead me to behave and relate? Do I want to continue to behave and relate in that way?

Write/dump- while you are reflecting, you are writing down the answers to your reflection. This is not to be in paragraph form, or even grammatically correct. No one will see this except you. Just dump it all out on paper however you want as it comes to you.

Reconstruct- With what thought/behavior will I replace this current thought/behavior? What is the truth? How do I want to feel, think, speak, behave, relate to others? What does God say about this specific thought, emotion, behavior, belief? How would my life change if I changed my thinking/behavior/memory?

Action- this is the immediate action you will take to begin changing this thought/behavior/belief, etc…

Live- how you will think and behave in the truth going forward; Ways you will hide the word of God in your heart regarding this issue. How you will resist the temptations to return to that thought/behavior.

We will look at an example.

Say that you realize you eat too much sugar and it is affecting your health.

Capture- I eat too much sugar

Reflect- I crave sugar especially when I am bored; I eat a whole box of donuts by myself; I hide from others how much I really eat; I feel heavy and lethargic when I eat sugar; I become grumpy a few hours after eating a lot of sugar; I have gained 30 pounds; my clothes do not fit; the doctor has suggested a change in diet, he says I am becoming pre-diabetic and may soon need medication.

Write/dump- be writing all that down as it comes to you in any form or fashion.

Reconstruct- God said that my body is the temple of His Holy Spirit, the spirit of the King of the Universe chose to dwell within me. A king deserves a beautiful palace, God deserves an amazing temple. I want to feel healthy and active; I want to feel free from bondage to sugar. I do not want to live my life with extra weight, fat, and with taking medications. (This also can be included in your “dumping”.)

Action- I immediately confess and repent of my poor stewardship of my King’s temple (my body); I am immediately telling my family and friends what I am changing in my life; I am immediately throwing out all junk food and processed sugar.

Live- I will avoid the bakery and junk food aisles in the supermarket; avoid shopping while hungry; I will eat fruit when I want something sweet; eat four helpings of fruits and vegetables each day; learn more about nutrition and healthy eating; take a high quality multivitamin and mineral supplement; find a walking/exercise partner who is willing to hold me accountable for my behavior; plan ahead for meals and outings; find a community of others who are on a similar path; etc…..

This is one example of how this process can be used. We will look at other examples later on in this journey. Try using this process with one thought, emotion, or behavior this week. Above and through it all, continue to take it all to the throne of our amazing Father who promises to counsel, lead, and help us. Until next time:

Psalm 139:23 “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! See if there be any grievous way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.”