Insolomonsporch's Blog

“Bless the Lord, all His works in all places of His dominion; bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul!” Amp Ps 103:22

“[Inasmuch as we] refute arguments and theories and reasoning and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One),” Amp 2Cor 10:5

“Whoever finds his[lower life] will lose it [the higher life] and whoever loses his [lower] life on My account will find it [the higher life].”  Amp Mt 10:39

What is the purpose and benefit for bringing every thought captive to Christ Jesus for the believer?  What is the reason for needing to do so?

The reason, the purpose for doing so… is that in no other way is it possible for us to walk in the spirit, nor to live according to the spirit of Christ.  If I do not bring every thought captive to the obedience of Christ – then I am merely indulging my own thoughts: my own natural thoughts.

Think of this – the Kingdom of God has been expressed as God’s rule in the hearts and minds of men.  This is attested to by Ps 103:22 above.  For a work to be God’s work – it must be in a place where He has dominion.  If God does not have dominion in our thinking and in our heart – His works cannot and are not coming forward.  They are

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simply man’s works originating out of man’s heart and mind upon which we then ask the blessing of God as an aftermath.  They are thoughts derived from man’s natural or lower life.  No matter how we try to dress them up, or blow the anointing of the Holy Spirit upon them – they are unchanged.  They are flesh.  And from them we reap only flesh and destruction.

It has taken me a long time to really understand that my life is not going to produce a work of God.  My life is natural.  But if I continually, and daily, yield it to God as a living sacrifice – He can bring supernatural things out of me, and they can yield fruit of righteousness for His Kingdom.  They can do this even as I reside here in a tent of flesh on this earth.  In fact, God desires that this happen – to bring glory to His Name!  It is a sweet fragrance to Him – of my offering my lower life daily – that His life can fill me and flow through me!  It is the poignant truth of me losing my lower life on His account.  But I must really lose it – lose sight of it – forget about it!  I must not hold it in escrow somewhere and game the system…

Now think about this same thing, in terms of the Sermon on the Mount – the Be-attitudes.  They are really the attitudes of Christ’s heart.  They are Kingdom attitudes – being exported to this realm by the power of God. As we examine Matthew 5:2-20, we can witness in Jesus’ words the very message of the Kingdom of God.  We can see that He is providing a template of His own thinking, His own heart not only as a window of insight and understanding – but as a way of walking into Kingdom living – even as we live in this world!  It is a pathway! But you see – these are only possible as you and I bring every thought captive to His obedience.  There is no other way to access these states of blessing and joy in Christ – except by the laying down of our own thought-life, in obedience to Christ.

If I don’t bring my thoughts captive – I will continue to live my own life and even be deceived – thinking I have found my higher life and am living it in Christ (Jas 1:21-25).  If I do bring my thoughts captive, then the Kingdom is able to enter and flow through me and the life I live is the life of the spirit of Christ – even while I walk in this body of flesh.  This is the victory that Jesus has already secured and provide at the Cross – which waits upon our obedience to Him.

Why is this thought-life so important?  Why does it need to be continually yielded to Christ’s obedience?  Because it was man’s thought-life that caused the fall of man in the Garden.  While the dew of the dawn of man’s fellowship with God was still glistening visibly on every leaf – while the words of God still echoed across the terrain – while the fragrance of fellowship with the Father still clung to their own garments, Eve was successfully turned from sanctified thinking to corruption.  The point?  Without laying down our thought-life daily, without bringing it under captivity – we are as easily turned to walk in the flesh as Eve.  The apple has already been eaten – eyes have been opened to good and evil, and the flesh still skulks about (inspired of course by our enemy).

Without this taking thoughts captive, we have no prayer of walking out a life in the spirit, a life of victory in Christ.  We thus nullify His sacrifice and provision.  We make it of no effect!

Christ has made a way, through His suffering on the Cross, for us to walk in victory, in light, in Him.  It is a way of obedience – where we choose continuously: moment by moment His life, His thoughts, His way, His obedience – in delightful captivity to Him!  This is the way – walk ye in it…