When we were kids, we played a game called capture the flag. There were two teams, Red and Blue. I was on Blue. The strategy was to take as many Team Red players captive as possible, to get access to their flag…while they were out to do the same to us and our flag.

The difficulty was hanging onto Team Red POWs (Prisoners of War). If they escaped, well then, we were back where we started. A never-ending cycle unless we stepped it up and took the game seriously.

I was thinking about how this same strategy applies to our thoughts. There are good, healthy, lovely ones, can we call them Team Blue? (Yes, I think we shall) And there are anxious, fearful, jealous, reactionary ones. Team Red.

My friend Melissa reminded me how hard it is to stay on top of them all. Self-control is not always enough.

She said “I struggle with this so very much…my thought life…. any negative word or news sends my mind into a world of “what ifs”…and then anxiety sets in….” Team Red is swamping her and capturing her flag. The ones she captures from their team keep escaping, to beat her up again. This struggle is real.

Yet, Blue Team can come away victorious!

Here are Three Steps to Capture Team Red.

1. Enter the arena knowing we are in a war. My friend Jean recently told me “I’ve just been going through the motions.” We feel that way at times. Perhaps this is a wake-up call. The enemy wants to destroy every peaceful thought we have, and flood us with anxiety. We must plan on fighting. Plan on winning. Remember that our God has equipped us to “Take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:3-6 in the Message is…awesome.

“The world is unprincipled. It’s dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn’t fight fair. But we don’t live or fight our battles that way—never have and never will. The tools of our trade aren’t for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity.

2. Don’t ever fight alone. Team up! Go Blue! We do this by FIRST getting a word from God. Simply pray “Holy Spirit, what should I think when anxious thoughts assault my mind?”  And then listen, believe, obey and carry that word with us always. Let Him help us battle those thoughts with that word. And SECOND, by telling a loving and honest friend about our struggles. They can pray with us and keep us encouraged and accountable as we fight. We may want to find a trained Christian counselor to help us find the root of our thought cycle, so we can get out of it and start captivating instead of being captivated. My friend Grace reminded me of this wonderful verse, Philippians 4:6-7. Here it is in the Message.

“Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.”

3. Just like in our childhood game, it is always easier to win when we can take on fewer enemies. How? Expose ourselves to less of whatever attacks our peace. I suggest we periodically test ourselves to see if we’re taking in too much negativity, only to have to fight negative thoughts. When we are on Social media, or watching the news, how many thoughts are anxious and fearful? Whatever the source Team Red is using, close the portal down for a while. Let peace gain a fighting chance!

Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.”

CAPTURE those thoughts. They are yours… make them yield to Christ.

GO BLUE!