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. 2 Corinthians 10:5
In the film, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Scarlet Witch is a
deeply wounded character who sets her sights to avenge the ones she saw as responsible
for her lifelong emotional scars. Her gift is mental manipulation. She turns
her prey upon itself through their thoughts. She sees their fear, then has them
see it too. “Everybody’s afraid of something,” she says. (Even she has her own fears) She surfaces the
person’s fear into full mental immersion, so even the strongest of minds is
captivated and consumed by the vision of their own soul’s “dark side.” Crippled
by their own soul, the prey is controlled by the twisting of their own
passions. Implosion and destruction. All by the captivity of thoughts.
Played out more intensely than regular rivers of thoughts, this has been my life for the last 48 hours. One person has
set to demolish me with arguments and pretensions, due to her own wounds of
ego, pride and God only knows what other issues. One person has set her sights
to twist accomplishments into perceived failures, all for the sake of casting
barbs to satisfy her own vengeful spirit. It’s not about me or others she looks to
demolish; it’s about her. In the end, her own public rants cemented her loss of
credibility, though she cast doubt through her drama. She garnered the attention
that she desperately sought. And she will continue to do so at will, as long as
she is imprisoned in her pain. I have always said that we can’t control what
other people say, only how we respond. In all honestly, this person’s public
and relentless attacks had gotten to me. My response was defensive. Not only because
she looked to intricately bring dark into the light, but publicly attack other
staff as well. Yes, she’s being prayed over. But until we see the unseen, we
are stabbing in the dark. It’s always easier to fight an enemy we can see; so
we can defeat and return to serenity. It’s always harder when we become our own
enemy. So, let’s see: For our struggle is
not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities,
against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil
in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 6:12
The response will always to stand for truth; and those on the
side of truth will see the folly of ego. The response is to fight for personal
freedom, not escape into more serene circumstances (the lion will only wait
until defenses are down in the safety of the calm to pounce with a mind storm).
Yet, in all of this, the key to surrender to the Spirit of Christ SO HE can
take captive my thoughts with His own thoughts – which are more numerous than
sands on the shores – Psalm 139:17-18 (let that blow your mind) – in exchange
for my thoughts taking me captive. But I am active in choosing to surrender to the immersion of His captivity. Constantly. In reality, from birth to death, I am so distracted, I don’t even know I’m in
thought immersion. I don’t have the ability to take my thoughts – of bliss and
bondage alike - captive (they come more natural than breathing). And one would
go insane trying to be conscious of every single thought and act accordingly
(so take the pressure off and dispense the theological debates). We weren’t
designed to control our every thought and behavior. We were designed to choose
the Designer. Even the most perfect humans failed in their choice (see Scarlet
Dragon and twisting of words to wage war), so it’s not about perfection. It’s
about freedom and redemption. I will be captive to myself or captivated by
Christ. One of the other at any given moment.
So, whose thoughts immerse me? In the darkest of nights,
dreams overwhelm. By the light of day, distractions distance me. See the unseen
to choose immersion over imprisonment. Let the thoughts flow from suppression to surrender; surface to freedom.
