Taking Captive: Winning the War in Your Mind
I played golf in school, and if you’ve ever held a club, you know it’s not just a physical game — it’s a mental one. Every shot starts in your mind before it ever touches the ball. You visualize the swing, imagine the flight, see the roll, and picture the ball dropping into the cup.
But that mental game can turn into a battlefield real quick.
You start thinking about the people watching, the last bad shot, the next hole, or the wind that’s probably going to mess up this perfect drive. Before you know it, your mind is full of noise — and the swing you’ve practiced a thousand times feels like the first time you’ve ever picked up a club.
Golf taught me something I’ve had to relearn as a man, husband, father, and pastor:
If I lose the battle in my mind, I’ll lose the moment in front of me.
The same is true in life.
Scripture says in 2 Corinthians 10:5 (ESV):
“We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.”
That verse paints the picture of a soldier standing guard over his mind — not letting every stray thought, fear, or temptation roam free. Every thought that enters must bow to Jesus.
But how do we actually do that?
How do we take something as quick and invisible as a thought and make it submit to Christ?
Here are three practical ways:
1. Identify the Intruder
Before a bad shot ever happens, you can feel it coming. Your grip’s too tight, your head’s not clear, and the doubt creeps in — don’t shank this one.
That’s the first step: awareness. You can’t take a thought captive if you don’t notice it first.
Slow down enough to recognize what’s happening in your head.
Ask yourself:
Would Jesus say this about me?
Is this thought leading me toward peace or toward fear?
Is this the truth, or just the enemy talking louder than usual?
Write it down. Name it. Don’t let it hide in the shadows of your mind.
2. Replace the Lie with Truth
You don’t fix a bad swing by pretending it didn’t happen — you adjust. The same goes for our thoughts. Once you identify the lie, replace it with truth from God’s Word.
You’re not enough. → “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13, ESV)
You’ll never change. → “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17, ESV)
You’ve messed up too much. → “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22–23, ESV)
Write down a few truths that counter your most common mental battles. Keep them close. Quote them out loud.
You can’t silently defeat a loud lie.
3. Surrender the Thought in Prayer
Once you’ve identified the thought and replaced it with truth, bring it to God.
“Lord, this thought doesn’t belong here. I surrender it to You, and I receive Your truth instead.”
This isn’t weakness — it’s warfare. Taking thoughts captive isn’t about trying harder; it’s about surrendering quicker. Prayer transfers the burden off of your shoulders and places it on His.
Start your day this way:
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Philippians 4:8, ESV)
A Mind Like a Garden
This past Friday, I spent about four hours cleaning up a lady’s yard for the winter. In multiple places, she had severely overgrown rose bushes. What was once harmless and beautiful had turned into something wild and destructive.
The vines had grown up the house, into the basement, through the HVAC unit, and had wrapped themselves around nearly every other plant nearby. What used to bring peace and beauty now produced chaos and damage.
As I worked, I couldn’t help but think — this is exactly what happens when we leave our thoughts unchecked.
One small thought left alone might seem harmless, even justified. But over time, it spreads. It winds its way into every area of your life — your confidence, your marriage, your peace, your faith. Before long, you can’t even tell the difference between what’s healthy and what’s harmful.
Unchecked thoughts always grow roots.
And the longer they’re left alone, the harder they are to remove.
If we want to live with clarity and peace, we have to do the work of pruning our minds — cutting back the lies, trimming away the fear, and keeping space for truth to breathe.
Final Thought
Men, freedom begins in the mind. You can’t control every thought that enters, but you can control which ones get to stay.
Like golf, life’s about focus — not perfection. Every day brings new shots to take, new holes to play, and new noise to ignore. But when we choose to take every thought captive, we find peace where there was pressure, and confidence where there was chaos.
Don’t let your thoughts play you out of position. Take them captive — and live free.
