We've been sharing how to build and draw your marriage into unity, by turning the hearts, one towards another. We found that when hearts are directed towards one another, then there comes a tremendous flow in a marriage. Otherwise if the heart has got barriers, and walls, or defilements in it; you find that no matter what you try, you can't build that sense of unity. We shared a couple of weeks ago, about how people can be free from defilement, and many people were prayed for, and began to acknowledge things that come into their life, previous relationships, defiling thoughts. One of the things that happens so frequently, is that people find that their mind is troubled by memories or pictures, which are very powerful and very vivid. It's important to know what to do with those things.
The first thing is to realise this, is that pictures and memories associated with previous relationships, we need to reject totally any hope of that relationship, any desire for that relationship. We need, within our heart, to totally reject that which we were a part of in the past, which was not right. Without that, you can never be properly free and separated from those things. The second thing is that breaking soul ties, or prayer ministry, can literally break the links in those relationships, and bring a great measure of freedom in the mind. However some people find they still struggle with thoughts and pictures that come back to them, pictures that re-invade the mind, even though they've turned their heart against it, and they've been prayed for.
Let me give you then another key that will just help you, a very, very simple key. The Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 10, Verse 5, it tells us: we are to bring into captivity every thought into the obedience of Christ. So there's actually something we can do, and that is: take every thought captive; making it a prisoner of war. A prisoner of war is a soldier you captured and disarmed, so it says: thoughts which are ungodly thoughts or pictures, are like enemy soldiers that come against us to hurt us; and we must arise inside, and take them captive, or prisoner of war; and disarm them. Well of course how do you do that? Well it says this, it says: you take the thought captive into the obedience of Christ. There's something Jesus has done, there's an area where Jesus has been obedient; that you and I can take our thoughts, and make them submit to what He has done. Now you say: how do I do that? That's what we really need to know, how do I actually make it work? I can share with you testimony of how it works.
In my life, I have found things that from my past have come up at times; and they've been quite vivid pictures, that have been hard to displace. Whenever they come I used to fight them. Now of course as you fight them, they become more attractive. The sign that says 'don't touch the paint', of course you want to touch it straight away. If I put a box down the back, 'do not open this' it'd be sure to be opened more than a dozen times before the service is over. [Laughter] It's just how it is. When we see the law 'don't do it'; you feel you want to do it. Knowing you're not to do it never gives you any power, it just draws you to get more attracted, makes the sinner alive. So I've found that when you fight negative thoughts, you actually end up empowering them; so I found a very simple way of dealing with it - very powerful, it works very effectively. As the thought comes, I begin to identify the thought, I see it. Then I consciously just take another thought, the cross of Christ. I consciously meditate on the cross of Christ, and superimpose it over the picture that is coming to invade my mind; and hold it there by faith, until what is beyond it, begins to just disappear.
I've found, if I have separated in my heart from all desire for that thing, and it is invading me as an unwanted thing; then if I will just see the thing for what it is, and lift the cross of Christ against it; so I'm looking through the cross at it, believing for that cross of Christ; His obedience to break it's power. I find within a short time I literally - the power of the thing is lost and it goes. Then I just redirect my thoughts somewhere else. But I have found sometimes just trying to redirect your thoughts, the thoughts keep invading, so I have found it very helpful to consciously meditate on the cross of Christ, His obedience on my behalf, and push it upon that troubling picture, until I see the thing vanish and go. I've found it to be very powerful, taking every thought captive, or prisoner of war, into the obedience of Christ; not to my obedience but His obedience. It's very simple. I've found it works, and I'd encourage you to try it if you're struggling. How many people struggle with these thoughts that invade them, they can't seem to get rid of them, they seem to push against them? How many people have experienced that? See, many.