LASTING TRANSFORMATION HAPPENS NOT THROUGH BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION, BUT THROUGH THE RENEWING OF THE MIND.

Romans 12:2a,

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,

JOIN THE READING PLAN HERE. Today, Nov. 2, is deadline to join.

Our minds are being molded. Every moment of every day, whether we realize it or not, our thoughts are being shaped by forces both seen and unseen. The shows we watch, the social media we scroll through, the conversations we have, the memories we revisit—all of these experiences are literally wiring our brains, forming neural pathways that will determine how we think, feel, and live.

-Idleman, Kyle. Every Thought Captive

YOU WILL EITHER TAKE YOUR THOUGHTS CAPTIVE OR YOUR THOUGHTS WILL TAKE YOU CAPTIVE.

• If you could transform your thinking, how would your life change?
• If the mental narratives holding you back were replaced with biblical thoughts of hope, confidence, and purpose, how would it begin to mold your life?
• The truth is, your life is being molded right now, in this very moment, by your thoughts. The question is, are you actively participating in that molding, or are you letting it happen by default?

Our thoughts are the battlefield where truth and lies collide, obedience and rebellion are weighed, and the voice of God is often drowned out by fear, pride, shame, and distraction. (Renew Your Mind Reading Plan)

2 Corinthians 10:3-5

3 For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,

I. IDENTIFY THE STRONGHOLDS

To be transformed we need to renew our minds. We need to expose the lies we believe, capture those thoughts, and replace them with God’s truth that can set us free. When our thoughts become ingrained, we become attached to our lies—sometimes because we’ve believed them for so long and sometimes because they allow us to feel in control; sometimes because admitting something is a lie calls everything else into question and sometimes we’re so used to believing them that it’s more comfortable to just keep believing them. And sometimes it’s because so many of the people around us and so much of the information we are exposed to support the lie that we don’t question it.

-Idleman, Kyle. Every Thought Captive

II. DESTROY THE STRONGHOLDS

2 Corinthians 10:4-5a

4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to DESTROY strongholds. 5 We DESTROY arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God,

Proverbs 21:22

A wise man scales the city of the mighty and brings down the stronghold in which they trust.

If we want to change our lives, to become the person we are meant to be, it’s not enough to change our behavior and address our habits. The behavior will come back later and old habits will return, often stronger than before. Or we’ll replace one thing with something similar–one self-destructive habit gets swapped out for another, because the stronghold is still standing.

-Idleman, Kyle. Every Thought Captive

How do we destroy strongholds?

2 Corinthians 10:5b

take every thought captive to obey Christ

We can’t be passive about this. We don’t wait and hope things get better. We can take out the rest of the city, but if we don’t take down the stronghold, nothing is going to change. This is why we end up making the same resolutions year after year. This is why we feel frustrated with our progress and don’t understand how, despite our best effort and genuine intentions, we are still fighting the same battles years, even decades, later.

-Idleman, Kyle. Every Thought Captive

III. TRUST IN YOUR WEAPONS

2 Corinthians 10:3-5

3 For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,

The first thought you may need to rethink is the thought that you can do this on your own. If those tools would work, they would’ve worked by now. We’ve tried self-empowerment and self-motivation and self-help plans, and they don’t work. Today, we declare freedom, our emancipation, from relying on our power. We are transitioning to divine power.

-Idleman, Kyle. Every Thought Captive