Taking Thoughts Captive
As far as taking my thoughts captive, that has been a big struggle for me but I feel like the Lord has shown me some keys to knocking the legs out from under the enemy in that area. I don't know if your struggle is with impure thoughts but many women who have been abused have a terrible struggle with them. The enemy encourages the thoughts and then as soon as we give in to them he turns right around and tells us what scum we are for having them. Here is how I have explained it to others:
When we are tempted it is a struggle with the world, the flesh, or the devil and usually more than one of these. For moral struggles I think it tends to be a struggle mainly with the flesh and the enemy. The flesh desires something and the enemy intensifies the struggle.
I attended a medical conference where a doctor told us how we could get over a French fry addiction. He got us all excited about his full proof solution and then he told us, "every time you start to crave French fries think of pus. I'll tell you, that works. Thinking about pus sure does take away a craving for food. The problem is that I don't always choose to picture pus. Sometimes my flesh wants to enjoy French fries. Then it’s not much of a problem to block the noxious picture out of my mind.
If I can knock out the enemy but my flesh is currently wanting the sin it won't work because I won't choose to get rid of the enemy. I think the key is to take care of the flesh when the enemy is not attacking. I did this by committing that if I allow my flesh to entertain these thoughts, I have to go to my supervisor's wife and tell her about my struggle and that I failed. I am very intimidated by her and believe me, that is enough of a consequence to get me to shut down my flesh.
The second key is to recognize the enemy behind the wrong thoughts I am entertaining. I may be picturing some good-looking guy but if I look behind the skin, it’s a demon. Having fantasies with a demon when I recognize it as a demon does not work. That is where the French fry illustration comes in. I can choose to see that fantasy character the way God sees it and it becomes repulsive. I have to have already made a commitment to do that and have a consequence in place though.
The third key is to remind the enemy of my relationship with God and that Jesus has made me pure and clean. He has chosen me as part of His bride. Reminding the enemy of who I am in Christ makes him run.
Moral struggles may not be your issue but whatever it is, these principles hold true. This can usually be adapted to fit the need.
