Entering Your Promised Land, Part 2 — Taking Every Thought Captive

Entering your promised land means leaving a slavery mindset behind and living the free, faith-filled life Jesus purchased for you. In this message, the speaker teaches that Israel left Egypt but never changed its mentality, and that many Christians do the same: saved and set free, yet still living in fear, worry, complaining and negativity. The answer is to take authority over your thoughts, using the weapons of 2 Corinthians 10:3–5.

This teaching continues the earlier message Entering Your Promised Land: Be Strong, Be Courageous and Observe to Do. Below you will find the full video, a structured summary, every Scripture linked to the New King James Version on Bible Gateway, a timestamped outline and practical steps you can begin today.

Sermon at a Glance

This message was preached at NTC Ministries and posted on August 9, 2022. The speaker, one of the church’s ministers, opens by thanking Dr. Hohman for his recent messages and explains that he has not spoken in a few months but has been teaching on entering your promised land. It runs about 56 minutes and closes with a prayer of blessing and freedom over the congregation.

The heart of the message is that freedom has to be lived, not just received. That takes three things he repeats throughout: relentlessly pursue God, be determined in your call, and stay committed to Christ no matter the circumstances.

What Is Your Promised Land?

The speaker defines the promised land as what God wants you to enter into: how He wants you to walk and how He wants you to live. God has great purpose and great plans for every believer, including supernatural things. Jesus said that those who believe will do the works He did and greater works (John 14:12), and that believers will lay hands on the sick and they will recover (Mark 16:17–18). If the Word says it, he asks, should we not be doing it all the time?

That is the promised land, not anxiety, worry and negativity. The world is full of that, from television and social media to the radio, the news and even friends at work. But God does not make mistakes. You are here for a reason and a purpose, and God wants to do great and mighty things in your home and workplace. You have to believe it and open your eyes to receive it.

The Bible is full of promises, thousands of them, and God does not break them. Whatever He has called you to do, be committed to it and stand strong in the Lord and in the power of His might (Ephesians 6:10). Know that God will make a way where there is no way. When you take the step of faith and lay hands on the sick, you will see them recover, because of the promises.

Free but Still Thinking Like Slaves

Next the speaker revisits the exodus. Israel was not rescued by a convoy; one man, Moses, went to Pharaoh and said, let my people go. A few plagues later, millions of people walked out free. He calls it a type and shadow of what Jesus did: He came to earth and defeated death, hell and the grave, and when we receive Him as Lord and Savior we are free. We are not in bondage to fear, worry, anxiety, negativity or the lies of the enemy. We may feel bombarded, but we are not bound.

The problem was that Israel never changed its mentality. In slavery they had built habits of fear, worry, complaining, arguing and bickering, and they carried those habits for forty years. Did they have anything to complain about? God rained manna from heaven and gave them quail, and nothing wore out. Some Christians do the same: they pray the sinner’s prayer, then choose to live in the same bondage as before and wonder why they have so many issues.

He also addresses comparison. Thoughts creep in: they always get blessed, they always get the promotion, why do I never get healed? But when Israel was freed, not one person was left behind. What God does for one, he says, God will do for you. For God so loved the world, every man, woman, boy and girl, that He gave His only begotten Son (John 3:16), and whoever confesses with the mouth and believes in the heart will be saved (Romans 10:9).

So the believer has to put away old habits, including the words that come out of the mouth, and come out from the world and be separate (2 Corinthians 6:17). You cannot do the same things and expect different results. God is not a wimpy God; He is mighty for pulling down the strongholds that try to bind us to slavery again.

The table below follows the contrast the speaker draws between the two mindsets.

Weapons That Are Not Carnal

The main text is 2 Corinthians 10:3–5, read from the New King James Version: “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.”

Though we walk in the flesh, the speaker says, we are not looking for a fleshly fight. No one puts on a physical helmet and breastplate to walk around town. We are not even out to debate people. The greatest commandment is to love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and the second is to love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:30–31). Stand for truth, but do not get into a war of words; just speak the truth and let the anointing go forth.

Faith pleases God. Whatever is not from faith is sin (Romans 14:23), and faith without works is dead (James 2:26). As you keep standing on the truth with relatives and coworkers, God breaks down walls that years of arguing never moved.

He refuses to call anyone hopeless. If God could knock Saul off his donkey and change a killer of Christians in an instant (Acts 9:3–6), He can change your husband, wife, children and parents. Nothing is too strong for our God, and greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4).

Paul, he explains, is talking specifically about the warfare in our minds. It starts with one small thought and a “yeah, but.” The only “but” the speaker likes is “but God”: but God will make a way, but God is able to heal. Satan’s tactic is that one thought, so be careful what you watch, what you hear and who you spend time with, because evil company corrupts good habits (1 Corinthians 15:33).

Building Strong Spiritual Habits

That is why church matters. Believers come together to be built up in faith so they can go out and be the church. The building is only four walls. The speaker urges people to connect through the week, to talk about the things of God, and to share what they are learning and reading, more and more as they see the Day approaching (Hebrews 10:25).

The battle in the mind is against arrogant, rebellious ideas and pride that thinks its own way is better. Living a strong spiritual life takes work, and once you take a stand, all hell will try to break loose. The devil walks about like a roaring lion. Are you letting him box your ears, or are you using your authority to say, Satan, get behind me? Do not touch My anointed ones (Psalm 105:15), and every believer is anointed.

Some believers say they want change but will not give God time. Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; whatever a man sows he will reap (Galatians 6:7). Seek first the kingdom. We are the army of the living God, he says, not the flag football team.

In John 8:31–36, Jesus tells those who believed in Him that if they abide in His word they are His disciples indeed, and the truth will make them free. Whoever commits sin is a slave of sin, but if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. The speaker has the church say it out loud: I’m free. Then why walk as slaves? Flick that flea away, he says.

Growth can be painful, because some habits are deeply attached. He recalls his parents making him get up for school every day. At graduation he swore he would never wake up that early again, yet since then he has never slept in; now he wakes without an alarm because it became habit. Spiritual habits work the same way. Let the Holy Spirit stretch, mold and refine you, and deal ruthlessly with carnal thoughts.

The filter for those thoughts is Philippians 4:8–9, which he reads in the Amplified Bible: think continually on whatever is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely and admirable, and practice it, and the God of peace will be with you. Anything not in those two verses, he says, he does not need in his life. That does not mean we will never stumble; we grow together and help one another through it.

Taking Every Thought Captive

Satan is loud in the world, the speaker says, so believers need to be just as loud. Perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18). When a thought rises against the Word, say, thought, get out of my mind in Jesus’ name, then think about something else, even as simple as thanking God for the trees, the sun and the moon. That is why we memorize Scripture and meditate on it daily.

When he feels sick, he answers with Isaiah 53:5: He was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities, and by His stripes we are healed. Then he tells his body to take on healing and goes to work or to church anyway. Each time you take that stand, the thought loses its hold and it gets easier as it becomes habit.

Waiting for a calling? Begin where you are. The church motto is “I serve.” Greet, help in the nursery, usher, play an instrument with the worship team or run the overhead screens, and do it wholeheartedly as to the Lord. Whatever lies say you failed last time or are not smart enough, God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7).

Jesus said not to worry about what to eat, drink or wear, because your heavenly Father knows you need these things; seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added (Matthew 6:31–34). There is trouble in a fallen world, but when you focus on the work God has called you to do, He will always take care of you.

From 1 Peter 5:6–9, he teaches humility under God’s mighty hand, patience, and casting all your care on Him because He cares for you. God is not a genie; He wants us to mature, so if you need healing, study healing, and if you need finances, study finances. Resist the devil, steadfast in the faith, knowing believers everywhere face the same battles. That is why we need one another. The hand cannot say to the foot, I have no need of you (1 Corinthians 12:21), and where brothers dwell in unity, the Lord commands the blessing (Psalm 133:1–3).

Promises to Stand On as You Enter

The speaker closes with Scriptures to remember. In Psalm 34:8–16, David invites us to taste and see that the Lord is good. Those who fear Him lack nothing; young lions may lack and suffer hunger, but those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing. Whoever loves life must keep the tongue from evil and the lips from speaking deceit, and seek peace and pursue it.

He applies it to negative talk. If what you say is contrary to the Word, it is a lie, because God’s Word is true and every man a liar (Romans 3:4). Heaven and earth will pass away, but His words will by no means pass away (Matthew 24:35). He shares that he grew up in church and knew how to shout and smile, but there came a point when he could not live off his parents’ faith; he had to apply the Word himself. As Dr. Hohman says, he adds, change is not change unless there is change.

Jesus is coming back for a glorious church, not a sleeping one (Ephesians 5:27). Faith takes discipline: you would not quit a diet after one day or expect to keep a job you showed up for once or twice. Keep pressing; those who wait on the Lord will run and not be weary, walk and not faint (Isaiah 40:31).

Finally, three promises. Jeremiah 29:11–13 says God knows the thoughts He thinks toward you, thoughts of peace to give you a future and a hope, and you will find Him when you search with all your heart. Psalm 92:12–15 promises the righteous will flourish like a palm tree and still bear fruit in old age. Isaiah 26:3 says God will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Him, because he trusts in Him.

Entering Your Promised Land This Week

The speaker sums up the message in his closing prayer: relentlessly pursue God, be determined in your call and stay committed to Christ. Here are practical steps drawn from the sermon:

• Evict the thought. When a thought opposes the Word, say out loud, thought, get out of my mind in Jesus’ name, and turn your mind to something good.
• Answer with Scripture. Memorize verses such as Isaiah 53:5 and 2 Timothy 1:7 so you have a ready reply when fear or sickness speaks.
• Use Philippians 4:8 as a filter. If it is not true, honorable, pure, lovely or admirable, do not dwell on it or repeat it.
• Serve where you are. Take one practical role in your church this week instead of waiting for a calling.
• Stop complaining. Replace grumbling and comparison with thanks for the plans God has for you.
• Stay connected. Meet with other believers during the week and share what you are learning.

Timestamped Outline

• 0:00 A growing church and the promised land
• 0:51 Signs, wonders and greater works
• 2:39 Moses, Pharaoh and freedom in Christ
• 3:32 Free but still thinking like slaves
• 5:32 Why do they get blessed and not me?
• 7:44 Forty years of complaining
• 10:36 Reading 2 Corinthians 10:3–5
• 12:25 Not a war of words
• 14:33 If God changed Saul, He can change anyone
• 16:47 Guard what you watch and hear
• 19:54 Give God time; seek first the kingdom
• 20:55 Free indeed: John 8:31–36
• 24:34 Habits and the school alarm clock
• 25:36 Think on these things: Philippians 4:8–9
• 27:49 Thought, get out of my mind
• 29:51 I serve: finding your calling
• 31:59 A spirit of power, love and a sound mind
• 34:10 Humble yourselves: 1 Peter 5:6–9
• 37:51 We need each other
• 40:12 Taste and see: Psalm 34
• 45:47 Not living off someone else’s faith
• 48:48 Faith takes discipline
• 49:58 Jeremiah 29:11–13 and Psalm 92
• 54:10 Isaiah 26:3 and closing prayer

Entering Your Promised Land Series

This is the second message in a short series on living the life God has promised. Go back to the start:

• Previous: Entering Your Promised Land: Be Strong, Be Courageous and Observe to Do
• You are here: Entering Your Promised Land, Part 2 — Taking Every Thought Captive

Frequently Asked Questions

Does taking thoughts captive mean I will never struggle again?

No. The speaker is clear that every believer has the same flesh and lives in the same earth-cursed system, so we will still stumble and make mistakes. The point is not perfection but practice. Each time you refuse a thought that opposes the Word and replace it with something true, it gets easier, until it becomes a habit. And believers are meant to walk through hard seasons together, not alone.

Why does God not just answer my prayer right away?

The speaker says God is not a genie. Through faith and patience we inherit the promises, and God wants to build strength, hope and faith inside us so that we mature as His sons and daughters. Part of receiving is learning: if you need healing, study what the Word says about healing; if you need provision, study provision. Like a parent, God wants His children to grow up, not just to be handed things.

How do I know if a thought is from God or from the enemy?

The speaker’s test is simple. If a thought is not true, honorable, pure, lovely or worthy of praise, and if it does not line up with the Word of God, it is not from God. Fear, worry, anxiety, comparison and accusations that you will fail again all fall into that category. He encourages believers to rebuke such thoughts immediately rather than pondering them, and to replace them with Scripture.

Scripture References

All passages open in the New King James Version on Bible Gateway:

• 2 Corinthians 10:3–5 — every thought into captivity
• John 8:31–36 — free indeed
• Philippians 4:8–9 — think on these things
• 2 Timothy 1:7 — power, love and a sound mind
• Matthew 6:31–34 — seek first the kingdom
• 1 Peter 5:6–9 — cast your care on Him
• Psalm 34:8–16 — those who seek the Lord lack nothing
• Jeremiah 29:11–13 — a future and a hope
• Isaiah 26:3 — perfect peace

How this summary was made: written with AI assistance from the sermon’s own transcript and checked against the Scriptures listed above.

Watch More Messages

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