The ninth item on the Freedom Guide is to take negative thoughts captive. As these thoughts come across your mind, immediately take them captive. Tell them no, and declare the opposite over yourself or your situation.
These negative thoughts will be unique to each of us, which can make them tricky to discover. If we all had he same fears and worries, then I could tell you to beware of this list of X lies or thoughts and that would be the end of it. However, it’s not so easy.
There are normally 3 sources of thoughts in our heads. They all can sound like us, so we need to learn to discern the source of each. If you have more than 3, then you are possibly dealing with an alter/fragment/part, and that is beyond the scope of this post. The normative 3 voices then, are your own, the Lord’s, and the enemy’s. A big clue is given in John 10:10 “The enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy; but I came that you might have life abundantly.” (Alice’s paraphrase) So, we can set any given thought against this verse to determine it’s source.
The Lord’s voice will be consistent with Scriptural principals. Notice that I didn’t say that everything that He says will be found in the Bible. No where in the Bible does it discuss electricity, cars, who you should marry, what occupation you should choose, etc. So, my test is not if I can find his words solely in the Bible. However, He is consistent, and His voice will be consistent with what He has said to us before in the Bible. This is why items #2 and #3 are very important.
The first clue that something is coming from the enemy, is that it is contrary to Biblical principles. He also produces feelings of doubt, fear, pressure, condemnation, and a general lack of peace, to name a few. He is the father of all lies, and although he knows the truth, the only time he uses it, is as bait so that you will buy a greater lie.
Our own voices will sound like us, and will say various things depending on our life experiences. As we become more and more free, and closer to Christ, our minds should be renewed, and our voice will start to sound very similar to the Father’s.
Once we have an understanding of whose voice we’re hearing, what does it mean to take a thought captive? It means, that we do not let it linger in our minds. Once we recognize a thought as coming from the enemy, I find it helpful to just say “No! Nope! Nada!” Out loud if need be. I may follow that with a statement that I bind up that thought and cast it to the cross. That thought is not mine, and I will not receive it. I then focus on the appropriate opposite thought that applies. If I can use one of my personalized scriptures, then this really seems to add strength and power to help me focus on the truth and create positive thoughts.
How do you recognize negative thoughts and defeat them?
If you would like more information on this and the rest of the items on the Freedom Guide, I expanded this content into a book and workbook that you can purchase from me in the office, at my online shop or other retailers here.