Category: Discipline

Taking Captive Every Thought to Make it Obedient to Christ

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“…and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5b).

Long before a sin is committed, that sin has been entertained, dreamed about, fantasized, planned, imagined in our thoughts.

When you see a beautiful woman, a handsome man, a beautiful car or motorcycle you can’t help but notice the beauty. Thoughts happen. There’s nothing wrong with that.

It’s what we do after the original thought that is the problem. When we allow inappropriate thoughts to dwell, that’s on us.

Thankfully, most of us don’t go around committing the sins we think about. What we struggle with is our thoughts.

I find Paul’s admonition and challenge encouraging and helpful. Paul tells the Corinthian church, “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 Corinthians 10:5).

  • Demolish
    • The Greek word for “demolish” means to “take down,” “pull down,” “overthrow”
    • Demolish what? Demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God
    • Something other than the truth of God has set itself up as the authority and the standard of truth in our lives. We are called to demolish, take down, pull down, and overthrow anything that goes against the knowledge of God
  • Take captive
    • The Greek word for “take captive” means to subdue, subject
    • What are we to take captive?
  • Every thought
    • We are to take captive every thought. The good, the bad, the ugly. All…all..every thought
  • For what reason?
    • To make it obedient to Christ!

 

I love this!

  • We have the word of God to tell us what God’s will is
  • We have been given the authority, the responsibility to take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ

Imagine taking every thought captive in order to make it obedient to Christ! Wow!

How Do You Respond to Correction? How You Respond Says Much About You

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How do you respond to discipline? rebuke? correction?

How you respond says much about you and the one who disciplining you.

No one likes to be disciplined, rebuked, corrected. It always feels like crap. This is true for the one who is giving out the discipline, rebuke, and correction and the one who is receiving it. It feels like crap whether your the discipliner or the disciplinee.

The only reason why someone would make the effort to discipline, correct, and rebuke another is because they love them. If they didn’t, they would just leave them be. It’s yucky and always uncomfortable to enter the realm of discipline, correction, and rebuke.

Some people respond better to discipline, rebuke, and correction than others.

There are some who react to discipline, rebuke, and correction as if it is an intrusion on their rights and intellect. Discipline, rebuke, and correction is not perceived as loving. In fact, it is perceived as an intrusion and an offence.

And there are those who are grateful that someone would care enough to discipline, rebuke, and correct them. They know that the discipline and correction is coming from a place of love. They know that the discipline and correction is to make them a stronger and better person.

So what makes the difference? This is even more intriguing in that in the same family, same church, people respond differently to discipline and correction.

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For those who begin with the posture of the “Fear of the Lord”, where they know God is God and God knows best, their attitude toward God is one of “Humility”. And because they trust that God is God and God knows best, when God disciplines and rebukes, they “Trust” and have “Faith” in God’s love and care for them even in the discipline.

On the other hand, for those who begin with the posture “I know best” what is best for me. Their attitude toward God is one of arrogance. God, who do you think you are to tell me how to live my life? I know better than anyone else, including you, what is best for me. And because they believe they know best, they “disregard” and are “indifferent” to God’s discipline and rebuke. In fact, most of the time, they take offense to God’s discipline and correction.

What I find interesting about this is that the persons who usually finds offense with God’s discipline and correction, typically don’t do well with human discipline and correction. They are, at least in their minds, always right.

Don’t be that guy. Don’t be that gal.

“Do not despise the Lord’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in” (Proverbs 3:11-12).

Discipline

Screenshot 2018-08-29 at 7.33.39 PMDiscipline.

What’s the first thing you think of when you hear the word, “discipline”?

It probably isn’t freedom.

Most perceive discipline as a burden to bear, or an external intrusion into our personal freedoms. But nothing could be further from truth and reality.

There is no freedom without discipline. Discipline is the key to freedom, for it is discipline that opens the pathway to freedom.

  • The discipline to stay true to our moral values – spiritual
  • The discipline to work at our mental capacities – mental
  • The discipline to exercise our physical bodies – physical

Discipline in these key areas is what allows us to be free, to be at our best.

Discipline is the key. Without it, our lives would be a wreck.

How are you doing in these three key areas? What needs to be built up? What needs more work? These three disciplines are the key to your freedom:

  • Spiritual discipline
  • Mental discipline
  • Physical discipline