Mind Games

“Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” 2 Cor10:5

Have you ever had one of those weeks where a bible verse is brought to you so many times that you lose count? It concerns me sometimes when it is the fourth or fifth repetition that I finally register that the Lord is trying to get my attention. Welcome to my week.

Being what the Myers-Briggs personality test defines as a “thinker”, my mind is constantly churning. The churning is an asset to the Lord’s kingdom when I think on things that are true, pure, honest, lovely, virtuous, and praise-worthy like the Lord says in Phi 4:8. Peace controls my mind in such a strong way when it rests in the Lord’s type of thinking, and I find myself gliding through life representing the kingdom without even trying.

Since we can’t always stay on the mountaintop, the time always comes when tidal waves of “uncontrollable” thoughts bombard my mind. Not necessarily bad thoughts, just not the kind that exalt the Lord. These are thoughts like “My family really needs a vacation right now”, and I end up spending 14 hours on Airbnb searching for the perfect vacation stay and another 8 hours shopping online for modest swimwear to bring with us. Or, here’s another one, “My daughter is graduating this year and I must make it special because Covid is killing the whole experience.” That one calls for at least 12 hours on Pinterest. I write these examples dripping with sarcasm, but I truly have been there at times.

Like I said, these examples are not necessarily evil. They just “exalt themselves against the knowledge of God.” My imagination, or more appropriately my flesh, gets moving and before I know it, my mind is being held captive. The peace lifts, and I find myself bothered with everything, or even everyone, around me. The very people I am trying to do nice things for become a nuisance. The vacation I am trying to plan becomes almost stressful. Why? Because I allowed my flesh to get involved and now what wasn’t quite “evil” is surely tipping the scale.

How do I solve this problem? I must “bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” In other words, it’s time to put my bible studying into overdrive. I can’t seem to find a single verse where Jesus or any of his apostles spent hours searching for modest swimwear for their vacation, and, hmmm, no examples of where to shoot the perfect graduation pictures.

I am not saying these things are wrong, they are just unnecessary for the work of the kingdom. They don’t add anything to our lives in light of eternity. They don’t glorify the Lord. They are excessive. Can I go on vacation? Of course! Can I make my daughter’s graduation special? Of course! Should any of those things captivate my mind? Absolutely not!

In times when the whirlwind of life’s thoughts leaves us in a state of oblivion, I am thankful for the reminder that the Lord is always patient. He patiently nudges us to remember His words. He patiently nudges us to replace the flesh’s thoughts with His thoughts. Thank you, Jesus for being my steadfast rock. Help me Lord to keep my eyes firmly set on You and the things of Your Kingdom. Help me to glorify You in all my ways. In Jesus Name.