Seriously…where do you think all those ‘random thoughts’ that run through our minds on any given day come from; and I’m speaking more about those ‘irrational negative’ thoughts that can incite an emotional reaction or response from us at any given moment?

You know the ones I’m talking about. They seem to ‘come out of left field’ at the most inopportune times, almost like a ‘flaming arrow’ where it lands in the ‘thatch roof of our noggins’ and then begin to ‘spread’ like wildfire. Sometimes they may incite fear or dread, causing you to break out in trembling or sweats. How many people today suffer ‘panic or ‘anxiety attacks’ and require meds to keep those under control?

Or how about those times when someone did or said something to you, or worse…they forgot to say something that you were expecting and needing to hear, maybe a congratulations or a ‘Happy Birthday’…and they forgot; and immediately you were bombarded with all these ‘thoughts’ of hurt and resentment and anger? It was like a ‘dogpile’ of negative  words that ‘came in like a flood’ (Isa. 59:19) trying to convince you how wrong that person was to cause you such pain and hurt. Then, before you knew it… you were ‘nursing a grudge of resentment’, that if left unchecked …grew into a deep root of bitterness.

And dare I mention those ‘lustful images’ that can trigger all kinds of passions and desires within, stirring up sexual cravings simply because of an image that popped up on your computer screen, your TV…or a ‘romance novel’ you were reading, and you ‘need’ to have those desires fulfilled much ‘sooner than later’?

You may be just fine with concluding that those ‘thoughts’ are nothing more than simple ‘electrical and chemical signals firing between neurons’ in your brain, or a ‘complex interplay between your brain’s biological networks, subconscious memories and external environment’. And that may be the case for you who remain ‘spiritually dead’, which was the condition we were all in before coming to Christ (Eph. 2:1-3). But as I proposed in my most recent posts here the past few days, what if there was ‘something more’ we are dealing with that pertain to all those ‘thoughts’? Suppose there really is a ‘spiritual element’ to this world we live in, which includes both ‘good and bad spirits' that exists as they influence our lives on a daily basis. Could that not be a game changer in the way you live and function and move through this life?

Take a moment and look up these passages that offer another perspective that we would all do well to be reminded of when it comes to dealing with such ‘thoughts’. In Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, he admonished them (and us) to recognize the ‘war’ we are involved with, and that it was not ‘fleshly’ in nature, but ‘spiritual’ (2 Cor. 10:3-5). He speaks about ‘pulling down strongholds and casting down imaginations/arguments’ …by ‘bringing into captivity EVERY thought…to the obedience of Christ’. Ever wonder how ‘thoughts’ come into this discussion?

Take a look at James 1:12-16 as we are given a detailed account as to how ‘temptation’ plays out to ensnare us and eventually destroy us…if…we fail to properly engage and ‘resist’ (James 4:7). And it all begins with this idea of ‘enticing’, as if being ‘lured’ to ‘take some bait’. Ever have that ‘second piece of pie talk to you’, or something even more dangerous and destructive? Where do…you think those thoughts come from? (1 Peter 2:11)

Could Paul have been any more direct and explicit when he plainly tells us “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places…” (Eph. 6:12 NLT)?

Do you recall those 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness, having fasted the whole time and found Himself dealing with some temptations as He confronted Satan? (Luke 4:1-12). Your Bible does tell us it was Satan who appeared to Jesus, and not just some ‘hallucinations’ made up of ‘electrical and biological impulses’. Why would Peter write and warn us to remain ‘vigilant and clear minded…because of an enemy (whom he calls out as the devil) who goes about like a roaring lion seeking to devour’? (1 Pet. 5:8-9).

Why, he too advises us to ‘resists him’. Paul tells us in Eph. 4:27 to ‘give no place to the devil’. Do you really believe these early writers of the New Testament were just ‘un-enlightened’ …not having been fully educated to better understand the inner workings of the human mind? You know, sort of how like most of us have been taught to believe about those folks from the ‘dark/middle ages’?

I find it rather telling that Jesus took His disciples aside and ‘enlightened’ them to this spiritual conflict in Luke 10:17-21, even suggesting that the Father actually ‘hid’ such revelations from the ‘wise and the intellectually prudent ones’. Jesus assured them that He was ‘giving them power/authority over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt them’ (19). Friends…can I just tell you that for the true believer who is abiding in Jesus…the only ‘power’ Satan has against you is the power of the ‘lie’. But if he can convince you to believe what he is feeding your thought life…and you believe him, it opens the door for him to take you captive, and do you much harm. (2 Tim. 2:25-26; Heb. 12:1; John 10:10; 5:14). What do you think he did with Eve? “You can eat off this tree and you surely will not die!” (Gen. 3:1-4).

Now for those of you who are adamant in thinking that ‘no one can snatch you from the Father’s hand’ (John 10:28), you might want to go back and read who that promise is made to in the preceding verse (27).

I have to confess here in closing, that when it comes to this idea of ‘taking into captivity, every thought’…that I found it nearly impossible to do this…until after…I discovered what it means to ‘abide in Jesus’ (John 15:1-8). Once I began to put that into practice a few years ago, so many of these other verses began to make sense, like the one in Ephesians 6 where we are told to use a ‘shield of faith to quench/extinguish the fiery darts of the wicked one’ (16).

Go finish up reading now, once again, that short lesson Jesus taught in Matt. 12:43-45, and tell me that those ‘unclean spirits’ are just ‘biological and electrical impulses’ bouncing around in your head.

No wonder God made it known that ‘His people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge’ (Hosea 4:6).