Question- How do you cast thoughts down?

[Dave Darling]

Hi everyone- a question. What do you do when you want to cast a thought down? When I want to cast a thought down I say in my head "I cast that thought down in the name of Jesus". However doing that has stopped working, it doesn't work any more. I must be doing it wrong. What do you do when you have a thought you want to cast down? Thanks!

 

[public hermit]

The Jesus Prayer is one way to keep wayward and distracting thoughts at bay. John Cassian suggests repeating Psalm 70.1:

O God, come to my assistance.
O Lord, make haste to help me.

Match the repetition with your breath so that it becomes you.

The idea is to repeat it with the desire of your heart focused on God, the good for which you were created to seek. In essence, it is repentance. You are turning your mind toward God and away from whatever keeps you from doing so.

Jesus Prayer - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[sandman]

When there are thoughts that I need to dump…. things from the past that are history but tend to pop up on occasion to remind me of my tarnished past…. I do a little skeet shooting.

I see that thought or situation come out of the trap and fly through air…. and with a double barrel 12 gage I mentally blast it ….and watch it disintegrate…. I never miss.

But I am assuming you were referring to 2 Cor_10:5 which is kind of different than just antagonizing thoughts.

The literal for that verse is:

Demolishing reasonings and every high (false) thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God and leading captive every kind of thinking in obedience to Christ.

 

[St_Worm2]

Hi everyone- a question. What do you do when you want to cast a thought down? When I want to cast a thought down I say in my head "I cast that thought down in the name of Jesus". However doing that has stopped working, it doesn't work any more. I must be doing it wrong. What do you do when you have a thought you want to cast down? Thanks!

Hello Dave, persistence/perseverance is required more often than not in casting down/taking captive the horrible, sinful thoughts that enter our minds (at least, that has been my experience over the years anyway). Quite frankly, it can become both tiring and painful to do so, especially when Satan is involved (as he just keeps shooting those flaming arrows of his, one after another after another at us, and sometimes it just seems like it is NEVER going to stop ).

When it becomes unbearable (IOW, when I get tired of resisting the thoughts that just won't stop coming), I sometimes choose to get loud/vocal and fight back in that way (instead of simply resisting in my mind), and that has helped (of course, I wouldn't recommend doing something like that in public ).

Finally, the Lord's command is to resist, but always keep the Lord's promise (see below) in mind when you are doing so, when you are in the heat of your "thought-life" battle, that is (as it makes persisting in the battle quite a bit easier ).

James 4​

7 Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you ​

Praying for you!

God bless you!!

--David

1 Corinthians 10​

13 No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. ​

​

2 Corinthians 10​

5 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. ​

.

 

[tturt]

Dave, it's great that you recognize it's a thought you need to eliminate.

To apply "Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;" (II Cor 10:5)

When those thoughts come, immediately put your focus on God and His Word such as:
"And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior" (Luke 1:47)
God "...hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:" (Col 1)
"To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen." Jude v 25

Or you can look at it as - Put on God's armor. Just think- We can put on God's armor. In this case, apply the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Eph 6:10-18) to your thought life.

Be persistent and those type of thoughts will stop. (Phili]plans 4:8). If they do try to return, again immediately focus on the truth.

 

[The Liturgist]

Just a friendly reminder: please read the Traditional Theology Statement of Purpose before posting here.

 

[The Liturgist]

The Jesus Prayer is one way to keep wayward and distracting thoughts at bay. John Cassian suggests repeating Psalm 70.1:

O God, come to my assistance.
O Lord, make haste to help me.

Match the repetition with your breath so that it becomes you.

The idea is to repeat it with the desire of your heart focused on God, the good for which you were created to seek. In essence, it is repentance. You are turning your mind toward God and away from whatever keeps you from doing so.

Jesus Prayer - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Indeed so.

The Jesus Prayer is what I use. “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Have Mercy on Me, a Sinner,” or in a shorter form, “Lord Have Mercy,” or “Christ have Mercy.”

I also like to pray the Hail Mary*, a non-intercessory version of which was also much loved by Martin Luther, as my dearly beloved friend @MarkRohfrietsch will attest , and my view is that if Martin Luther loved that prayer, any Protestant should feel completely comfortable praying it.

So yes, I daresay that what we have discussed, you and I, @public hermit , represents a menu of things @Dave Darling might consider. Probably the Jesus Prayer or “God make speed to save me, Lord make haste to help me,” as you suggested, would be ideal.


*I pray the version with intercessions but I don’t expect all Protestants to get on board with that, although many Anglicans do.

 

[MarkRohfrietsch]

Indeed so.

The Jesus Prayer is what I use. “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Have Mercy on Me, a Sinner,” or in a shorter form, “Lord Have Mercy,” or “Christ have Mercy.”

I also like to pray the Hail Mary*, a non-intercessory version of which was also much loved by Martin Luther, as my dearly beloved friend @MarkRohfrietsch will attest , and my view is that if Martin Luther loved that prayer, any Protestant should feel completely comfortable praying it.

So yes, I daresay that what we have discussed, you and I, @public hermit , represents a menu of things @Dave Darling might consider. Probably the Jesus Prayer or “God make speed to save me, Lord make haste to help me,” as you suggested, would be ideal.


*I pray the version with intercessions but I don’t expect all Protestants to get on board with that, although many Anglicans do.

There is an old thread here, going back to 2015 where I quote "Luther's Evangelical Praise of the Mother of God": Martin Luther's 'Evangelical Praise of the Mother of God' prayer

The prayer in question:

O Blessed Virgin, Mother of God, what great comfort God has shown us in you, by so graciously regarding your unworthiness and low estate. This encourages us to believe that henceforth He will not despise us poor and lowly ones, but graciously regard us also, according to your example.​

The Lutheran Hymnal 1941 Page 87 The Feast of the Visitation; from the Gradual: Blessed art thou, O Mary, among women, and blessed is the fruit of they womb; behold there shall be a performance of these things which were told the from the Lord. Hallelujah!

 

[SeventhFisherofMen]

,,, However doing that has stopped working, it doesn't work any more,,,

Maintaining our prayers and coping tools is the same as maintaining our real life tools. our car needs an oil change, our body needs food, dishes need washing... etc you get the picture.

Maintain this tool, pray that Jesus clean and strengthen your coping mechanism.

the enemy uses tactics to try and get us to stop using things, so sometimes we adapt, make a new coping mechanism, like taking a thought captive according to 2 Corinthians 10:5, maybe imagine a trashcan that your thoughts are thrown in, or anything that can assist you

 

[childeye 2]

Hi everyone- a question. What do you do when you want to cast a thought down? When I want to cast a thought down I say in my head "I cast that thought down in the name of Jesus". However doing that has stopped working, it doesn't work any more. I must be doing it wrong. What do you do when you have a thought you want to cast down? Thanks!

I believe the Holy Spirit actually does this for me by exposing the lies that bad thoughts are premised upon. Basically, I see it as a process of asking and answering the question of whether the thought is God talking in my heart or the devil talking in my head. I see the bad thought as trying to get me to believe something untrue. As per experience, usually a bad thought brings a darkness over my heart that I would describe as troubling. The Holy Spirit shows me how the thought/sentiment contradicts the Spirit of Christ and upon seeing/realizing that the thought/sentiment has no basis in Truth, it then becomes unbelievable, has no power and ceases to trouble my soul. It is therefore cast down through faith in the Spirit of Christ through the comforter who brings comfort where I would otherwise be troubled through a deception.

2 Corinthians 11:3
But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

 

[MarkRohfrietsch]

Hi everyone- a question. What do you do when you want to cast a thought down? When I want to cast a thought down I say in my head "I cast that thought down in the name of Jesus". However doing that has stopped working, it doesn't work any more. I must be doing it wrong. What do you do when you have a thought you want to cast down? Thanks!

God is not a Genie who is at our beck and call 24/7; the Devil likes it when we think like this, because when God does not respond the way we want, it sews seeds of doubt. Everything we ask in God's name needs to be done prayerfully. You also need to be mindful that your will and desire does not supersede that of God. When we pray boldly and ask God for something, what we want may not be what God wants, and God's answer may be no; what we might consider as "our" wisdom, as the Bible says, is not the same as God's... this is why King Solomon asked for wisdom; he wanted to be truly wise like God. Remember even though we are redeemed by Christ, while we are still in the flesh, we remain poor miserable sinners with absolutely no power to save ourselves or others. That work is done through the Holy Spirit... who sometimes uses us to fulfil God's will

One more thing that bears saying... while God demands our prayer, it is not He who needs it, it is us... He already knows what we need and want. Again, defer to His better judgement.

In our tradition we often end formal prayers like this: "All these things, and whatever you would have us ask, according to Your will, we ask in the name of your dear Son, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, Now and forever. Amen".

I hope this helps.

 

[tturt]

Revised my post #5 to include the Scripture the OP is referring to and the last sentence in post #4.