Thought Interrogation

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2 Corinthians 10:5 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,

What It Is Speaking to Me

I love interrogation room scenes in movies and TV. The bad guy is sitting there, the cops are working angles—good cop, bad cop—trying to get a confession out of him. Interrogations work because when the cops have enough evidence, enough truth on their side, eventually all the lies the bad guy tells fall apart under scrutiny.

Sometimes I don’t think we interrogate our own thoughts enough. We let the lies of the devil, intrusive worldly thoughts, and our own negativity about ourselves, others, or situations take up space in our minds. They’re criminals running unchecked in our mental space. What would happen if we hauled those thoughts in for questioning?

We sit that negative thought down, put it under the hot lights, and start questioning it. It gets interrogated by the Holy Spirit and the Word of God—two good cops who hold all truth. Which means they can defeat the lie.

Perhaps I got carried away with the analogy, but the point stands: Paul encourages us to take our thoughts captive. We are not slaves to our thinking or the lies of the devil. So we don’t have to let lies run free, we can bring them into the light of truth. We can take those bad thoughts captive and watch them break under the power of truth. Usually, all it takes is to put that lie through an interrogation.

What Is It Saying to You?

Do you struggle with certain thoughts?

Do you believe you have the power to take them captive?

Do you have an example where a truth defeated a lie you previously believed?

What Are We Going to Do About It?

Have a thought interrogation: when a persistent negative or anxious thought arises, stop to examine the lie it’s based on, and replace it with truth.