“But whenever or however a God idea is conceived in your mind, you need to take it captive and make it obedient to Christ. God ideas are like melting snowflakes. They are delicate things of beauty, but they have short shelf lives. If you don’t capture them, they disappear forever.”- Mark Batterson
“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 (NIV)
Mark Batterson continues Chapter 7 of Primal as he comments on the second half of 2 Corinthians 10:5. He asserts that we must see more than the negative implications of this verse. We also need to see the positive possibilities. Yes, it’s crucial that we capture sinful thoughts and get them out of our minds. But Paul also exhorts us to capture creative thoughts and keep them in our minds. Pastor Batterson adds:
“It means stewarding every word, every thought, every impression, and every revelation inspired by the Spirit of God. I call them God ideas.”
Furthermore, we must be watchful. Or, in modern terms, first-class noticers. In the Old Testament era, watchmen sat on a city wall and kept watch. From their vantage point, they saw attacking armies or traveling traders before anyone else saw them. And, Mark stresses, this precise result happens when we pray. Because prayer gives us a God’s-eye view of the situation. And our awareness heightens. As first-class noticers, we see what God want us to notice. Mark explains:
“When you pray for someone or something, it creates a category in your reticular activating system. And now you notice anything related to those prayers. . . . Prayer creates divine opportunities. But prayer also sanctifies the reticular activating system and enables us to see the God-ordained opportunities that are around us all the time. And once we see them, we have to seize them.”
Today’s question: What God ideas, or melting snowflakes, have you captured and made obedient to Christ? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Seize opportunities to serve”
