Rationalizations and High Places

2 Corinthians 10:3-6 is another thought management passage. We started in Romans 12:2 and the inside-out process given by Carolyn Leavy in her book, Who Switched off my Brain.
Thoughts -> emotions -> attitudes -> behaviors. If you want behavioral change, work on your thought life. In Romans 12:2, mind renewal is encouraged by yielding ourselves to the work of the Spirit of God. Then in Philippians 4, we looked at the replacement principle. Paul gives us eight positive qualities to replace any toxic thoughts that we might run after in our mind. Here again is a reminder from Proverbs 4:23
Above all else, guard your heart,
for it is the wellspring of life.


In 2 Corinthians we are encouraged to take captive our thoughts. The word, Take captive” has the idea of taking captive at spear point. Visualizing this may be helpful in your thought management process.

Two issues influence our rabbit-train thinking according to 2 Corinthians 10:3-6

(2 Cor 10:3-6) For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. {4} The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. {5} 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. {6} And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.

Note these principles in this passage:
1. Our process of managing thoughts employs resources that are right out of heaven.
2. Strongholds are those established thought and attitudes entrenched over time and repeated thinking in an area. They can be demolished.
3. Strongholds are established through two lines of thinking: rationalizations and the establishment of worship centers, called “high places.”
4. Thoughts can be taken captive.

More tomorrow.