“See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.”
– Colossians 2:8
We are all tempted every single day, in a sense, to be taken captive by philosophy and empty deceit. Of course we would be fooling ourselves if we didn’t realize there is an adversary today, who wants to deceive us.
We must be on guard against Satan’s strategies to pull us away from Christ.
This Verse Reminds Us To Be On Guard For Deception
There’s an adversary today who wants to pull us away from Christ, and he’ll use it by philosophies in this world, thoughts, patterns of the world, traditions, even. Colossians 2:8 talks about elemental spirits of the world. So, just ways of thinking and desiring that pull us away from Christ that are not according to Christ. So we must be on guard today, and every day, not to be taken captive by anything that pulls us away from the truth of Christ from the grace of Christ.
This is why time in the word every day, I’m convinced is essential. We need to be filling our minds with truth every day. Because, there’s all kinds of deception around us just waiting to pull us away from Christ. There’s an adversary who’s working to pull us away from Christ with that deception. So let’s fill our minds with the truth of Christ every single day.
Colossians 2:8 Prays For Truth and To Avoid Deception
Let’s meditate on it all day long. And in the process, make sure that we’re not being captive by philosophy and empty deceit. Let’s pray that for our lives, our minds in particular. God, we don’t want to be taken away by any deception, by anything that is not according to Christ today. So, help us, we pray. We pray that you would fill our minds with truth. So as we read your word, that your word would soak into our minds, that your word would saturate our minds. You would help us to remember it.
God help us to recall it, we pray. So that, when we are tempted by philosophy, empty deceit, human tradition, according to elemental spirits of the world, Lord that your truth would reign. That we would have such a strong and firm foundation in your truth, in your word, that we would not be carried away easily. In fact, we would not be carried away at all. Oh, God, we pray. Help us to think today, all day long, according to Christ. And help us to desire today, all day long, according to Christ. So Lord, guard our minds and our hearts in Christ Jesus today, according to your word, and the power of your spirit. We pray these things, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
David Platt serves as a Lead Pastor for McLean Bible Church. He is also the Founder of Radical, an organization that makes Jesus known among the nations.
David received his B.A. from the University of Georgia and M.Div., Th.M., and Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Some of his published works include Radical, Radical Together, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Don’t Hold Back, and How to Read the Bible.
He lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area with his wife and children.
