At the Instant of a Thought

At the Instant of a Thought

“[W]e are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.”   2 Cor 10:5c   I believe that the basics of the Christian life – basic blocking and tackling – happens between our ears (in our minds).  Every sin either starts with a thought or consists of a thought, so how we handle our thoughts is critical. Sometimes I feel like I have a random thought generator in my head.  There is stuff that God hears and I hear that I would never share with any human being (except perhaps an accountability brother).  Talking with guys, I believe a lot of men have the same experience.  Where do these thoughts come from?  I’m not exactly sure, but it is usually safe to assume that such thoughts come from the world, the flesh, or the devil, or some collusive combination. What do we do with those thoughts? My current Paul (Christian mentor) says we need to change the channel of our minds.  But how actually do we do that? From martial arts, I’ve taught myself to think in terms of “the instant of the thought.”  Some martial arts teach actions at the instant of the punch, the instant of the grab, or the instant of the kick.  We train to respond immediately and reflexively in those instances.  I believe as intentional Christians, we ought to train ourselves to respond immediately and reflexively at the instant of a thought. I see this modeled by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  In Matthew chapter 4 and Luke chapter 4 Jesus faced temptation by the master deceiver and master accuser.  Jesus responded in the same manner...