Christian Recovery: Taking Our Thoughts Captive

"We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." (2 Cor. 10:5)

As Christians we are given the mind of Christ, and yet, our fleshly filter appears to be the default. So the challenge is, how do we switch from our natural way of thinking to access God's thoughts?

Here's the way our minds naturally work: We receive information into our brains and we process it through our life experiences. Satan is always there to add pain, anger and torment through memories, old offenses, insecurities, perceptions and other unfair means. If we allow these thoughts to persist, they literally become obsessions in our minds. We can't stop thinking about the situation, and because Satan is involved, the obsession grows and negative thoughts fester.

For those who have a propensity for addictions, these obsessions always lead to relapse. And in most cases, these obsessions will take the most devout Christian to very dark places. Many people spend days, weeks and even months and years cornered in the dark recesses of their fleshly minds.

We can avoid obsessions if we learn to take our thoughts captive as described in 2 Cor. 10:5. To do this, you must first become aware of how Satan traps your mind. And there's a simple test you can take to see if you're heading away from God's light. Compare the acts of the sinful nature with the fruits of the spirit in Galatians 5:16-26. You'll know where you stand.

If your thoughts have fallen into the "acts of the sinful nature" category, your job is to grab all your negative thoughts together and throw them out like garbage. You must also wield the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. If you can't think of any scriptures that fit your situation, simply recite 2 Corinthians 10:5, especially the portion that reads, "we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." It's best to actually personalize this scripture by repeating, "I take captive every thought and I make it obedient to Christ."

Be persistent in your spiritual battle against the enemy of your soul. Satan is determined to have your mind, so you must be even more determined to have the mind of Christ. If you have been diligent to counteract the negative obsessions, but are unsuccessful, don't give up. Instead, call your leader, pastor or faith-filled friends to help you work through it.

You will be set free. You will have the victory. God said!

Jamee Rae Pineda has co-authored a Christian recovery book called Follow The Solid Rock Road: Pathway to Radical Recovery. You can also find her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/solidrockroad

Christian Recovery: Removing Shades of Gray

God makes one thing clear in the Bible: There is right and wrong. He's a black and white God who doesn't promote shades of gray. On the other hand, the world has moved to the middle and become shady.

Christians in recovery not only have to get set free from addictions, but must identify wrong thinking and consider their spiritual condition in terms of black, gray and white. Most have lived on the edge, moving between the black and gray areas of life. In those two zones, church-going addicts have developed habits and mindsets that mimic the unsaved. In some cases, they have entered pure darkness.

The goal of recovering Christians is to move from the black and gray area to the white space, which is the blessing zone of God. This requires an understanding of God's ways and knowing what is right in His eyes. Most importantly, it requires the decision to do what's right according to scripture.

The Bible is the main resource for learning right from wrong according to God. This point is made in 2 Timothy 3:16. "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."

According to Wikipedia, righteousness "is an attribute that implies that a person's actions are justified. It can have the connotation that the person has been 'judged' as leading a life that is pleasing to God. Righteousness is also used as an attribute for God."

The Solid Rock Road Christian recovery ministry uses 10 Bible-based principles to lead people to the path of God. It gives them tools to fight the battle for their souls so they can become pleasing to God -- so that they can move from the black and gray of compromise into the righteousness of God.

As a training tool and resource of addicts, check out the book I co-wrote called Follow the Solid Rock Road: Pathway to Radical Recovery. You can also join me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/solidrockroad.