Controlling My Thoughts

... take captive every thought, to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5 (NIV)

I have been a Christian for a lot of years, so I have heard this scripture referenced many times. Yet, it was only a few years ago that I began to understand what this Scripture meant.

I have pondered the "worst case scenario." I have thought about my child's death. I have allowed my mind to wander, mentally rehearsing her funeral when certain songs play on the radio. When my mind wanders, my emotions follow, and I lose the ability to function. God cannot use me if I am an emotional wreck.

I have to create a mental block between me and harmful thoughts, taking them captive. Keeping them in a cage, not giving them free rein in my mind. For me this is a deliberate step. It does not occur naturally. Negative, damaging thoughts creep into my mind several times a day. Every time I have to erect a mental fence around those thoughts and consciously ignore them. Of course there are days when the mental fence I erect is not high enough and I find myself sobbing. But, I am getting better at taking captive my thoughts.