The War in Your Head: Why Your Thoughts Are Never Neutral

(Based on 2 Corinthians 10:3–5; Ephesians 1:19–20)

You might look calm on the outside.
You might smile in the grocery store and say “fine” when someone asks how you’re doing.
But inside? There’s a war.

And the battlefield is between your ears.

Paul says it like this in 2 Corinthians 10:3–5:
“Though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does… we take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ.”

Welcome to The Law of Cognition—the idea that what you think determines what you become. This isn’t pop psychology; it’s Scripture. And it’s lesson two in Every Thought Captive.

Your mind is not a neutral space.
Every thought is either leading you closer to God’s truth or deeper into deception.
Every mindset is either building a stronghold of faith or a fortress of fear.

The Power of a Thought

Imagine for a moment you hear this thought:

“You’re not good enough.”

You let it linger. You replay it. You start to believe it.
Soon it’s not just a thought—it’s a lens. It affects how you parent, how you lead, how you pray, and how you see God.

That’s how strongholds are built—not overnight, but over time.

That’s why Paul calls us to go to war. Not with fists or fury, but with the truth. We don’t demolish strongholds by trying harder—we tear them down by letting God's Word rebuild our minds from the inside out.

What Is a Stronghold?

A stronghold is a lie you believe for so long, it feels like truth.

“I’ll never change.”
“No one loves me.”
“I’m just broken.”
“I’m a victim of my past.”
“God can’t really use me.”
Sound familiar?

These are more than bad moods. They are spiritual structures—mental fortresses that keep God’s truth out and your pain in.

But here’s the good news: You have divine power to demolish strongholds (2 Corinthians 10:4).
Not weaken. Not chip away. Demolish.

The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work in you (Ephesians 1:19–20).
Resurrection power isn’t just for Easter—it’s for your everyday thought life.

What Does the War Look Like?

Craig Groeschel tells a story of feeling stuck in his own mind as a pastor—fighting off lies that he wasn’t good enough, spiritual enough, or strong enough to lead.
And those thoughts weren’t just passing clouds—they were landmines.

Maybe your mind feels like that too: a place filled with pressure, confusion, or despair.

Here’s the challenge:
Start identifying your strongholds. Name them. Bring them into the light.
Because once you name the lie, you can confront it with truth.

Think Differently. Live Differently.

Here are three questions to take into your week:

What’s one recurring negative thought you wrestle with?

What biblical truth can replace it?

What would change in your life if that truth took root?

Renewal doesn’t happen by accident. It happens by intentional replacement—by taking every thought captive and making it obey Christ.

You don’t have to live at war in your head forever.
But you do have to fight.
And the fight begins with what you think.

Available on Amazon or as part of the Good Questions Have Groups Talking subscription service at www.MyBibleStudyLessons.com.

Why Books Are Better Than Curriculum My life has been changed a thousand times by books—almost never by curriculum.

I’ve spent decades in ministry, and here’s something I’ve noticed again and again: books change lives; curriculum fills time.

Don’t get me wrong—there’s some great curriculum out there. But for me, and for many people I’ve served, the real transformation has almost always come from reading a great book.

I’m talking about the kind of book that grabs you by the heart, opens up new ways of thinking, and won’t let go until something inside you shifts. The kind of book where you underline every other sentence and say to yourself, “Why didn’t I see this before?”

Curriculum often feels safe. Predictable. Scripted. It walks you through a lesson and makes sure all the blanks get filled. But it doesn’t always challenge you. It doesn’t press in with the force of an honest author pouring out years of experience, wrestling, and wisdom onto the page. That’s what books do.

Books have changed my life a thousand times.
Curriculum? Not so much.

Books like Knowing God by J.I. Packer, The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer, or The Spirit of the Disciplines by Dallas Willard—they didn’t just educate me. They discipled me. They pastored me in the quiet hours when I was alone with my thoughts and desperate for truth. They shaped my theology, ignited my passion, and called me to deeper surrender.

That’s why I believe churches, small groups, and Sunday School classes ought to use books as curriculum.

Instead of prepackaged fill-in-the-blank lessons, hand your group a well-chosen book. Read a chapter a week. Ask a few good questions. Let the author do the heavy lifting, and let the Holy Spirit do the deep work.

When you read a good book in community, the results are powerful. People come alive. Conversations go deeper. The learning sticks. Why? Because books engage the mind and the heart. They aren’t just about right answers—they’re about transformation.

So here’s my plea to pastors, group leaders, and teachers: use books as curriculum. Let your people read Eugene Peterson. Let them wrestle with C.S. Lewis. Let them laugh and cry with Max Lucado. Let them be challenged by Francis Chan or stirred by John Ortberg.

Let them grow.

Because if you want to make disciples, get your people reading good books.