Genuinely Free.

When I was younger, I played a ton of video games. Mostly sports games in which I would create my own player, make them the best, and strive to win every award, trophy, and game. I would often times find myself in an array of emotions. I would be bored because I would win. I would be confused because of the difficulty of the game. And most often, I would find myself upset and pausing games to restart them so that I could be perfect. 

Doesn't this sound familiar? Right. It's life. Except there's no restart button in which we can take back actions, words, or thoughts. There is the reality and presence of Christ Jesus who redeems us and washes us clean from these things. There is also the reality that certain behaviors are called to be changed in Christ. It's not like when we say "yes" to Jesus all of sudden every action, word, and thought has changed. That is the process of salvation. Along this process, we are able to recognize what is available and accessible in Christ, and align ourselves with the Kingdom reality. We are called to freedom. Genuine freedom. 

I recently had a conversation with a friend concerning the phrase "taking every thought captive." We were talking about certain thoughts that were coming to his mind and that he wanted to shut out. His tactic was to simply say "no" and continue on in life. I was urged by Holy Spirit to open my big mouth and say, "I don't think that is truly taking every thought captive." I went on to comment that I felt if he just pushed aside thoughts they would resurface with a bigger weight and distraction. Then I felt led to speak this: "I don't think taking every thought captive is running from or pushing aside things we don't want to think about, but rather it is grabbing those  distractions by the throat and speaking the truth to them. The truth of who God is, of who we are, and of how genuinely free we are in Christ."

This was a powerful moment for both of us and unlocked something that is so pivotal and accessible within all believers: the mind of Christ. We no longer have to think in terms of the restrictions of our minds, but we are able to think upon the deep things of God (1 Cor. 2:10). We are able to set our minds on things above, where Christ is seated and sustaining all things in perfect love (Col. 3:1-4). We are empowered to think in alignment with the Kingdom of God, in alignment with the heart of God, in alignment with the Spirit of God. We are no longer bond to fear, but we are children of God, and if children, then heirs (Rom. 8:15-17). 

Now I know what you're thinking, or at least I know what I am thinking at this point, "Easier said then done..." I agree. Taking every thought captive is difficult. Why? Well, because it's EVERY thought. That's a lot of thoughts... Not only this, but we are taking every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ (2 Cor. 10:4-6). It is so much easier to choose the place and position of fear rather than the vulnerability and power of love. It's too simple to just find the pause button, push restart, and press onward toward our own perfection. It is way more convenient to just push aside the difficult things in life rather than taking them captive and making them obedient to Christ. Even the concept of this phrase is colossal: to make distractions and impure thoughts obey Christ, aka to seek redemption in our lives and others' lives.

But this is exactly what taking every thought captive is about: redemption. 

It is recognizing the reality of what Christ has done, is doing, and will do, and aligning ourselves to receive His love in heart, mind, soul, and strength. It is taking the places within our history in which we seemed to have believed the lies and false identities proclaimed over us, and speaking the presence of redemption over them. It is taking every untrue and impure concept, laying ahold of them, and confidently proclaiming who God is and who God says we are. This is the goal of all aspects of life: to receive God's redeeming love and to love our neighbors and ourselves in the circle and eternity of reconciliation. 

Sometimes, it seems most manageable to hit restart and strive for our own works, and believe me, it can be managed. However, the vision of the Kingdom is one in which we are awakened beyond our delusions of God, self, and the other. It is one in which we recognize that we have been given the Spirit that is loving, power, and self-controlled (2 Tim. 1:7) calling all thoughts to obey the reality and eternal truth that Christ has laid a hold of for us. Maybe we ought to be those who engage with the imperfections and speak the truth over them from the One who is perfect. We may just find that taking every thought captive reveals a most glorious vision, because in doing so we are free to be authentic, and genuinely empowered to live as Christ has made us to: freely in love.