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Flip the ScriptA program of Wildfire Foundation

2 Corinthians 10:5, in plain words

How do you take every thought captive?

You notice the thought, hold it up to what God says, and don't let it run your day if it isn't true.

What 2 Corinthians 10:5 says

We demolish arguments and every presumption set up against the knowledge of God; and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:5, Berean Standard BibleRead in context

Paul was writing to the church in Corinth, where some people were pushing back on him and on what he taught. In verses 3 and 4 he says this kind of fight isn't won with the world's weapons. It's won by bringing each thought to Christ and letting Him have the last word.

A captive is someone you've stopped and are holding. That's the picture. A thought shows up, and instead of following it wherever it goes, you stop it and ask where it came from.

For more on the verse itself and the verses around it, read what 2 Corinthians 10:5 means.

What it looks like on a normal day

Say you text a friend and hours go by with no answer. A thought shows up: “They're tired of me. Nobody really wants me around.” Here's how you'd take that one captive.

  1. 1

    Notice it

    Name the thought in plain words. Write it down if you can. Here it's: “They're tired of me. Nobody really wants me around.”

  2. 2

    Question it

    Is it true? Do you know that, or are you guessing? Is it what God says about you? A slow reply is a fact. “Nobody wants me” is a story you told yourself about it.

  3. 3

    Answer it with Scripture

    Find what God's Word says to it. Romans 15:7 says Christ has accepted you. 1 John 3:1 says you're called a child of God.

  4. 4

    Say what's true

    Put it in a sentence you can say out loud: “I'm a child of God. A late text doesn't change that.” Then get on with your day.

David prayed something like this in Psalm 139. He asked God to look at what was going on inside him and show him the way.

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the way everlasting.
Psalm 139:23-24, Berean Standard BibleRead in context

Five more examples, step by step

Here are five common lies, each walked through the same four steps. Pick the one that sounds like you, or type your own thought and see what God says about it.

“I'm worthless.”

1

Notice it

Name it in plain words, the way it sounds in your head: “I'm worthless.”
2

Question it

Who decided what you're worth: a hard day, or the God who made you?
3

Answer it with Scripture

For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life you inherited from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or spot.

1 Peter 1:18-19, Berean Standard Bible

4

Say what's true

I'm made in God's image. Jesus paid for me with His own blood. My worth was settled by Him, and a bad day doesn't change it.

More verses for this thought

“Something bad is coming and I won't be ready.”

1

Notice it

Name it in plain words, the way it sounds in your head: “Something bad is coming and I won't be ready.”
2

Question it

Do you know this will happen, or are you living tomorrow's worst case today?
3

Answer it with Scripture

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own.

Matthew 6:34, Berean Standard Bible

4

Say what's true

I won't carry tomorrow's worry today. I bring God every need with thanks. He is my refuge and my help, today and tomorrow.

More verses for this thought

“If I don't hold it all together, everything falls apart.”

1

Notice it

Name it in plain words, the way it sounds in your head: “If I don't hold it all together, everything falls apart.”
2

Question it

Does it really all depend on you? Who actually holds things together?
3

Answer it with Scripture

He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

Colossians 1:17, Berean Standard Bible

4

Say what's true

God holds all things together, not me. I'll do my part today and let Him carry the rest. I can ask for help.

More verses for this thought

“I'm a failure, and I always will be.”

1

Notice it

Name it in plain words, the way it sounds in your head: “I'm a failure, and I always will be.”
2

Question it

Did you fail at something, or are you a failure? Those aren't the same thing.
3

Answer it with Scripture

Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will arise; though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light.

Micah 7:8, Berean Standard Bible

4

Say what's true

When I fall, I get up again, because the Lord is my light. His mercies haven't run out. God is the strength of my heart.

More verses for this thought

“What I did is too much for God to forgive.”

1

Notice it

Name it in plain words, the way it sounds in your head: “What I did is too much for God to forgive.”
2

Question it

Is your sin bigger than the cross? What does God say He does when you confess?
3

Answer it with Scripture

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 1:9, Berean Standard Bible

4

Say what's true

Jesus came to save sinners, and that includes me. When I confess, God forgives me and makes me clean. My sin is removed as far as the east is from the west.

More verses for this thought

It takes practice

You won't catch every thought, and that's okay. Most of us have been thinking the same lies for years. Each time you catch one, the next one gets a little easier to spot.

Once you've moved a lie out, Paul tells us what to fill the space with:

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think on these things.
Philippians 4:8, Berean Standard BibleRead in context

If you want more verses for this, start with Bible verses for replacing negative thoughts or Bible verses to fight the lies of the enemy. Taking thoughts captive goes hand in hand with renewing your mind. And when you've found the true thing, say it: here are Bible declarations to say out loud, each with its verse.

How Flip the Script helps

The app walks you through the same four steps. You type the thought in your own words. It finds the passage that speaks to it and gives you the verse, a short teaching and a declaration you can say out loud. Your flips are private unless you choose to share one.

When to get more help

Some thoughts are more than a habit. If you're stuck in thoughts you can't shake, intrusive thoughts that scare you, or a low mood that won't lift, please talk with a counselor or your doctor, and a pastor or friend you trust. Bringing your thoughts to God and getting good care go together. Flip the Script isn't therapy and doesn't replace it.

Common questions

What does “take every thought captive” mean?

It means you don't let a thought run your day just because it showed up. You stop it, hold it up to what God says, and keep only what's true.

Where does the Bible say to take every thought captive?

2 Corinthians 10:5, in a letter Paul wrote to the church in Corinth. In the verses around it he says the fight he's in isn't won with the world's weapons.

How do I take my thoughts captive when I'm anxious?

Start small. Write the thought down in plain words. Ask if it's true and if it's what God says about you. Find a verse that answers it, then say the true thing out loud. Doing that once is a win.

Is taking thoughts captive the same as positive thinking?

No. Positive thinking swaps a bad thought for a nicer one. Taking a thought captive tests it against God's Word. Sometimes the true answer is hard to hear, but it's always better than a lie.

What if the same thought keeps coming back?

That's normal. Most of us have believed the same lie for years. Each time you catch it you get a little quicker at it. If a thought scares you or won't let go no matter what you do, talk with a counselor or your doctor too.

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