Take Every Thought Captive – Don’t Let Satan Rule Your Mind! Part 1

When it comes to spiritual battles we sometimes fight daily, my thoughts often go to those powerful words spoken by our Messiah Yahusha found in John 10:10.

“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly.”  —  John 10:10 

 

Like many, if not all of you reading this blog, like me, you are a Believer who seeks to live a righteous Qodesh life. We actually delight in the law of Yahuah. I think of those words spoken by Paul in Romans 7:22.

“For I delight in the law of Yahuah after the inward man.” 

 

The word delight in Greek is sunēdomai. Sunēdomai means to rejoice in oneself, that is, we feel satisfaction concerning our behavior as an obedient disciples. In other words, we simply feel good because we are behaving ourselves as Yahuah wishes us to behave. We feel good all on the inside (inward). Paul in this same verse called feeling good all on the inside as, eso. 

 

Our spiritual battles come and Yahusha tells us in plain language that Satan, the thief wants to steal, kill, and destroy our desire to live an obedient life. Paul emphasizes this in Ephesians 6:11 when he tells us we need to put on the Whole Armor of Yahuah because our fight is not with the world, but with powers and principalities. Because:

“we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”  —  Eph 6:12

 

To keep things clear, there are good angelic powers and principalities as seen in (Ephesians 3:10-11). These as spoken of are the principalities and powers in heavenly places and are known by the church as the manifold wisdom of God, and again in 1 Peter 1:12. Peter speaks: “To them (the prophets) it was revealed that not to themselves, but to us, they ministered the things which are now reported to you by those who have preached the gospel to you in the Holy Spirit sent from Heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.” You see, these angels as powers and principalities are good ministering spirits.

 

The last Bible reference to good principalities and powers is in Titus 3:1. This is a reference to earthly authorities and governments, who are ultimately placed over us by the will of Yah. We are told to submit to governments out of respect for the God who ordained their rule over us. Rebellion against earthly authority brings judgment Romans 13:2.  

 

I want to bring this significant point home in hopes of opening your mind to the fact that you are not your own. You were bought with a price; you were redeemed from death in love by the blood of Yahusha. Yahuah loves us and wants us all to have a full and prosperous life. Remember, Yahusha told us that Satan wants to steal your joy, he wants to kill you emotionally and spiritually, even unto death and he wants to steal every good thing Yah has given you.

 

Yah is sovereign. He wants to know our faithfulness to Him. Like Abraham’s loyalty was tested through his only son Jacob, so is our loyalty tested. Following is a list of verses showing that Yah puts us to the test to test our faithfulness to Him.

 

1. Deuteronomy 8:2

You shall remember all the way which the Lord your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.

 

2. Psalm 26:2

Examine me, O Lord, and try me; Test my mind and my heart.

 

3. Jeremiah 17:10

“I, the Lord, search the heart,

I test the mind,

Even to give to each man according to his ways,

According to the results of his deeds.

 

4. James 1:3

Knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.

 

5. Psalm 11:5

The Lord tests the righteous and the wicked,

And the one who loves violence His soul hates.

 

1 Chronicles 29:17, Psalm 139:23, Psalm 7:9, 1 Thessalonians 2:4, Jeremiah 11:20, Psalm 11:4; Ecclesiastes 3:18, Psalm 66:10, Proverbs 17:3, Job 7:17, Job 7:18, Isaiah 48:10, Jeremiah 9:7; Job 13:9, Jeremiah 12:3, Job 23:10, Ezekiel 21:13, Zechariah 13:9, 1 Corinthians 3:13, Jeremiah 20:12

 

I spoke of good powers and principalities above. Its opposite is demonic angels. Remember, Satan wants nothing good for you. So, what are Powers and Principalities? Not all Bible versions use the phrases powers and principalities. Whereas it is an expression of choice for the King James Version, others express these entities as “rulers and authorities,” “forces and authorities,” and “rulers and powers.” Remember I speak of the powers of darkness as spoken in Ephesians 6:12 above. These are demons who beset people, and not only people but government, economies, and may as well say the entire fabric of humankind. They work from within darkness in heavenly places meaning places unseen (Eph. 3;10). This reminds me of when people that sometimes when they speak of a sin they committed, will say “I didn’t see it coming!” Yet most sin is premeditated; it starts with a thought often at the coercion of evil powers and principalities.

 

Therefore to him, that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. —  James 4:17.

 

James 1:14-15 seems to agree:

“But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.”

 

This death is not always a physical death. Death comes in many forms, wrongful desires can kill friends, and family, cost us our jobs, lead to addiction, or any numerous vices bringing on hurt, and pain which eventually leads to depression. First comes the thought, then the sin. But where does the thought come from?

 

Satan speaks to our minds. He planted an idea into the mind of Eve causing her to make a bad choice, and the narrative continues. James 1:14-15 speaks of being drawn by desire and enticement. To be enticed means being lured, seduced, beguiled, or persuaded. Whichever way it comes the individual decides whether to act upon it or reject and resist it. When Apostle Paul came to terms with his sinful ways, he spoke of it this way:

“For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” —  Romans 8:38-39

 

This was after he called himself a wretch in the previous chapter. You see, he recognized his sinful nature, and we must do the same. By recognizing it for what it is we begin to place chains on our sinful nature. We begin to have a renewal of our thought processes toward Yahusha.

 

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:

“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through Yahuah to the pulling down of strong holds; Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of Yahuah and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Yahusha; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.” 2 Corinthians 10:3-6

 

Powers are real threats, so the next time you are tempted, lured, or you just do not feel right about doing such and so (beguiled, or seduced like Eve), or you have feelings of hurt, anger, fear, or depression know that an evil power is behind it. A power that wishes you no good!