Podcast Introduction Our reading today is  2 Corinthians 9-10, and I’m calling the episode “Take Control of Your Thoughts.” Comments on 2 Corinthians 10 As we have mentioned before, there are those in the church at Corinth who did not recognize Paul’s authority as an apostle. Much of this chapter has Paul defending that authority. Not for his own benefit, but for theirs. What he has to say is important. After all, as an apostle he is bringing God’s message…and they should receive it as from God. In the first five verses of chapter 10, Paul is introducing this concept, and he mentions that this is a spiritual matter, a spiritual battle even.  “1By the humility and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you—I, Paul, who am “timid” when face to face with you, but “bold” toward you when away! 2I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of this world. 3For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5We 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.” 2 Corinthians 10:1-5 NIV For today’s discussion, I want to focus on the last part of that last sentence:  “…we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” Is that even possible? Can we really take our thoughts captive and make them obedient to Christ?  Before I begin to answer the question, let’s remember what Paul the apostle, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, wrote to his young protege Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:16:  16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17so that the servant of Godmay be thoroughly equipped for every good work. Beloved, I believe that. I believe what Paul said there. I do believe that *all* scripture is the God-breathed Word of God. So if Paul was able to “…take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ”, I believe you and I can do it, too. First let’s understand why we would even want to do this. Paul was doing battle with worldly ideas…ideas that were counter to his mission. And this was a spiritual battle. Beloved, *we* are in a spiritual battle today. There are forces of darkness all around us that literally want to silence us, and even kill us. If you don’t believe that, then you’re not paying attention. The last thing Jesus did before He ascended to Heaven was to give the disciples (and by extension, us) a mission…a job. He said, “… go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Perhaps more than at any time in human history, certainly more than any time in my lifetime, people need to know the Lord. Freedoms are being eroded around the world. Globalists want to bring every person under subjection. But there is freedom in Christ. Kings and Prime Ministers and Presidents can subjugate our bodies, but they cannot control our minds and souls. When we belong to Christ, we are free. And the powers of