Taking every thought captive

As a woman, I am often on an emotional roller coaster.  Sometimes it can be so frustrating that I can feel content and happy one minute while the next I feel discontent and miserable.  I've been battling a lot of selfishness lately.  Let's face it, I always battle selfishness.  But it has seemed greater lately.  Then, randomly last night, I got really weepy about something that just hit me as I was going to bed.  On top of that I had a really vivid dream that had me waking wondering if the dream was real.  All of that combined had me travelling to church in a half-hearted way.  Although because I was feeling half-hearted about worship, I decided to pray on the way to church.  I'll admit, it was also kind of a half-hearted prayer.  But God answers even half-hearted prayers (have I ever mentioned how I love that I can serve a God who gets me, who loves me no matter what, and who wants His best for me?!).

My regular Sunday school teacher was out today, so one of the men in the class was filling in.  Guess what his topic was?  "Take every thought captive."  I'll admit, I kind of rolled my eyes at myself and God.  But I started paying attention.  And I knew it was just the message that I wanted needed to hear.  I have to take my thoughts captive, because I know that when I let them wander and have their way, they wander very far astray of the truth.  Especially in my present mood.  My emotions don't control me.  I have to remember that. I have to dwell on truth.  And the truth is three-fold.  God is sovereign.  God is good.  God is wise.  When I move outside of the boundaries of those truths, I entertain thoughts that are not God honoring or truthful or wise or good.

Then, on to worship I went.  The first song we sang was "Jesus Son of God."  The chorus kind of stopped me in my tracks:

On the altar of our praise
Let there be no higher name
Jesus Son of God
You laid down Your perfect life
You are the sacrifice
Jesus Son of God
You are Jesus Son of God

Especially the first part.  What do I put on the altar of my praise that I allow to have a higher name than Jesus?  Family?  Desire for marriage and children?  Self-satisfaction?  Friends?  "Me" time?  Praise of man?

I would love to say that I have been completely able to take my thoughts captive today.  I haven't, but hearing all of these things today has certainly helped me to turn my thoughts to "whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable."