More Than A Feeling... It's A Fight
2 Corinthians 10:5 (NIV)
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
Offense doesn’t just live in your emotions. It gets lodged in your thinking. You replay conversations, dwell on what they did, imagine how you’ll respond next time. And before you know it, your thoughts are carrying the weight of your wounds. That’s why Paul says we have to take every thought captive. That’s a military word. It means offense isn’t just something we “deal with,” it’s something we fight to overcome.
So how do we actually fight back? The first way is what we call The Assertive Approach. When toxic thoughts start to take over — when you start replaying that offense or building your case — you stop it. Out loud if necessary. “Stop.” “No.” “That’s not true.” You take authority over your mind instead of letting your mind have authority over you. This isn’t denial. This is discipline. It’s training your brain to obey the truth of Christ, not the emotion of the moment.
The second way is what we call The Gentle Redirect. Instead of just saying “no” to wrong thoughts, you start feeding your mind with better ones. Philippians 4:8 gives you a full list — whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable. Think about those things. You don’t just fight the lie. You fill your mind with what’s right. That’s where transformation starts. If you can change your thinking, your feelings will follow.
Prayer:
God, I want to stop letting my thoughts run wild with offense. Help me take every thought captive. Give me the courage to be assertive when I need to interrupt a toxic spiral. And give me the discipline to redirect my mind toward what is good and true. I want to think the way Jesus thinks, love the way Jesus loves, and forgive the way Jesus forgives. Rewire my thoughts so I can live free. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
Offense doesn’t just live in your emotions. It gets lodged in your thinking. You replay conversations, dwell on what they did, imagine how you’ll respond next time. And before you know it, your thoughts are carrying the weight of your wounds. That’s why Paul says we have to take every thought captive. That’s a military word. It means offense isn’t just something we “deal with,” it’s something we fight to overcome.
So how do we actually fight back? The first way is what we call The Assertive Approach. When toxic thoughts start to take over — when you start replaying that offense or building your case — you stop it. Out loud if necessary. “Stop.” “No.” “That’s not true.” You take authority over your mind instead of letting your mind have authority over you. This isn’t denial. This is discipline. It’s training your brain to obey the truth of Christ, not the emotion of the moment.
The second way is what we call The Gentle Redirect. Instead of just saying “no” to wrong thoughts, you start feeding your mind with better ones. Philippians 4:8 gives you a full list — whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable. Think about those things. You don’t just fight the lie. You fill your mind with what’s right. That’s where transformation starts. If you can change your thinking, your feelings will follow.
Prayer:
God, I want to stop letting my thoughts run wild with offense. Help me take every thought captive. Give me the courage to be assertive when I need to interrupt a toxic spiral. And give me the discipline to redirect my mind toward what is good and true. I want to think the way Jesus thinks, love the way Jesus loves, and forgive the way Jesus forgives. Rewire my thoughts so I can live free. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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