Preface
When I was born again, in 1975, one of the first things God taught me was ...
Taking Thoughts Captive ...
This is God's antidote to the poison of this world ...
A recent example:
A woman I went to school with, sent me a note along with a Birthday Card ...
In her note, she told of her grandson who just got married a few months ago ...
She told of her plans for Thanksgiving and Christmas with her daughter and her son-in-law and her grandchildren ...
She told of her husband's activities ...
I have no grandson, nor daughter, nor son-in law, nor husband ... nor did I have any plans for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I was alone ... with no plans at all ...
IMMEDIATELY THE HOLY SPIRIT BEGAN SPEAKING THE FOLLOWING WORDS TO ME ...
... you are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. Col. 3:3
"That's right" ... I cried out ...
When other people look at me, they see no life ... no husband, no children, no grandchildren
But the truth is ... I am dead, though I live on this earth...
…My life is hid with Christ ... and they can't see my life when they view me ... I look like nothing to them … My life is hid from them.
When Christ appears then I can expect to appear with HIM along with all others who belong to HIM. My life is yet to come, so to speak.
I rejoiced in this truth from the Holy Spirit.
(If I had not heard Col. 3 from the Holy Spirit, I think I would have been pulled down by the note in my Birthday Card.)
Col. 3 ... 1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with HIM in glory.
When we view life on this earth through God's eyes, we are resurrected from the thoughts which otherwise plague us.
This is the basic principle of Taking Thoughts Captive ...
to bring those thoughts into obedience of Christ, THE WORD ...
As a result, we rejoice in HIM ...
Joan Boney
The important thing when a negative thought, a destructive thought, comes is to bring that thought into the obedience of Christ, into the obedience of THE WORD, through prayer.
The apostle Paul said … (II Corinthians 10)
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
We purpose to build our lives on THE WORD OF GOD, ON WHAT GOD SAYS, rather than what the world and humans say.
The world and the “intelligent” people of the world learn to plan for the future …
But God has another way for HIS people, which sounds like foolishness to the people of this world …
Jesus teaches HIS people the following …
Mt. 6 … 24 No man can serve two masters:for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on.
Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall HE not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and HIS righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself.
Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
One of the first things to free ourselves from this world and the ways of this world is to learn to do that which Jesus teaches us which goes against everything humans do and that is to provide for themselves by their own flesh.
We have to learn another way to follow God.
Again, this writing is for the people of God. If you can believe what God teaches in the Bible and learn to actually do things this way, then you enter into a wonderful peace and freedom.
What is it Jesus said?
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and HIS righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself.
We start each day by asking God, “What do YOU want me to do today? Please guide me and order my day today. Help me to see what YOU want me to do today.” (seek the kingdom of God.)
Then we begin to learn to “take no thought for tomorrow”.
A great many thoughts will come to us during the day concerning “tomorrow”.
To start learning this path presented by Jesus in Matthew 6, we need to be aware throughout today when thoughts come about something that is scheduled for tomorrow or of something that “might” happen tomorrow.
When that happens, we need to STOP … and begin praying about tomorrow …
Basically we learn to take care of TODAY through both prayer about what we are about to do and then by taking action appropriate to today …
and concerning TOMORROW, we need to pray … If we have dread about something ahead, we need to turn to God and ask God to give us wisdom and help us. We might need to cancel that thing or we might need to approach it in another way. Regardless, it needs our prayer… We might start to “day dream”, speculating about something we think might happen tomorrow … We might even imagine conversations we are going to have tomorrow with other people … Our mind can get out of control concerning tomorrow.
We must reign our mind in and turn to God for help.
When you start trying to “take no thought for tomorrow”, you are likely to find a great many thoughts coming to you concerning “tomorrow”.
Each time, you must pray about “tomorrow” if you are to overcome in this.
It takes effort to enter into the things of God. It takes faith that God will uphold you as you purpose to honor The Word by doing the Word.
Few people find the way of “life” and many people go in the way of “destruction.”, says Jesus. Mt. 7:13-14
Few who call themselves Christians ever learn to rest in the way God shows in the Bible.
Start with prayer, asking God about those ideas that come to you … asking God to show you HIS way for the various plans you have already made … Be willing to make changes if needed … Confirm your way with both prayer and the Bible.
Especially important: Pay close attention to any scripture called to your mind for that is the Holy Spirit speaking directly to you with a “special” message to you from the heart of God.
I Cor. 2 … Paul explains to us … 9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 10 But God hath revealed them unto us by HIS Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
Many examples will be given of “Taking Thoughts Captive” as you continue in the following exhortations in this book.
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