It's hard not to be filled with anxiety when facing the unknown. I was thinking about the verse last night that says we are to take every thought captive (and make it obedient) to Christ (2 Cor. 10:5). It's a classic example of  how well God knows us, imperfect creatures that we are. He knew we'd have thoughts that would be less than holy (and that includes worry and anxiety, since He tells us not to worry), so He was sure to include a remedy in His Word.

I used to skip past that verse when I would read it. It's so cryptic. What does it mean, anyway, to "take every thought captive to Christ"? Click! Last night, the lightbulb came on. I didn't understand the verse as a whole, so I took it apart. Take captive, huh? Almost immediately I pictured in my mind some Roman soldiers dragging a grubby, sweaty captive in chains to Caesar. A-ha! We are literally to take our thoughts as captives to our King...Jesus. "Here, Lord. I bring this thought to you. It isn't holy and doesn't glorify you, but it keeps coming back. Sometimes I feel powerless against it. Help me to not think this way. Give me strength against this thought. Help my thoughts to be pure, righteous, holy, trusting, and full of faith."

The next logical step is to fill our minds with the Word of God.  "As a man thinks, so is he," and, "Out of the heart, the mouth speaks." Jesus called the Pharisees "white-washed tombs" -- they looked great on the outside, but on the inside was the death and decay of sin. We can see in Scripture that their thoughts consisted of pride, arrogance, murder, and deceit. No wonder our Lord called them "tombs". We would all do well to take an honest look at our insides. Are we full of death and decay?

If so, we know the remedy.