A Sermon
Delivered on Wednesday Evening, January 21st, 2026, by
Evangelist PAUL ACQUAH,
Live on MZ Radio London, London UK.
Every day, a thousand voices compete for our attention. From the screens in our pockets to the billboards on our streets, the world is telling us who to be, what to value, and where to find our worth. But somewhere in the midst of all these voices, a timeless warning speaks through Scripture: “See to it that no one takes you captive.” Not captive by force, but captive by a mindset. Not trapped by walls, but trapped by a worldview that ignores the King of Kings. As followers of Christ, we must remain alert, guarding our hearts and minds against the subtle drift away from the truth. This is because the battle for our faith often begins in our thinking. Today, we stop drifting. Today, we stand guard. It’s time to break free from the traditions of men and ground ourselves in the truth of Christ in today’s message titled “Don’t let the world take you captive.”
Colossians 2: 8
See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits[a] of the world, and not according to Christ. (ESV)
Another version, the NIV says,
8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces[a] of this world rather than on Christ.
The word captive means to have a rope around your neck and be led naked through the streets. So, the bible is saying do not be taken captive, do not be led around naked with this world’s philosophy. We need to be on guard against the “philosophy” or mindset of this world. One of the ways that the enemy lies and tries to attack is through just basic tradition of this world. Basic philosophy of this world will tell you that this is what family looks like, . this is what marriage can look like, it can’t look like this, adultery is normal, divorce is normal, hey if your kids go wild it’s normal. If you live in debt and die in debt it’s normal, lying to get what you want is normal, bribery and corruption is normal, because everyone is doing it. You must have sex before marriage, fornication is normal and so on.
The bible is saying that the way Satan tries to take us captive is through philosophy. Philosophy is basically just a system and way of thinking. It also means “plausible but faulty or misleading argumentation. This is describing systems of thought rather than just individual thoughts. Philosophies are entire ways or systems of thinking. So, the bible says be careful that you’re not taking captive through hollow and deceitful systems and ways of thinking which depend on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.
The KJV says it this way: Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Chris (KJV).
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 realise 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. To beware is to be cautious and on your guard; It communicates the idea of a soldier on guard duty being on the alert because of the enemy. This is stressing the point that we are in a spiritual battle. We Christians are in constant conflict with the kingdom of Satan and all his forces. We cannot go to sleep, go on leave, or get a discharge from this battle. There must be a continual vigil. If we don’t maintain a constant vigil against the devil, he can take us captive and spoil us of the great riches we have in Christ.
What the bible is warning against here is not just individual thoughts that are wrong but philosophies such as evolution, humanism, materialism, and anything else that violates Christian philosophy. Everyone has a philosophy. Pessimism and optimism are philosophies. Every culture has a certain outlook or philosophy, and these philosophies dictate people’s responses. Philosophies program people to respond in predictable ways. If people want to change their responses, they must change their philosophies. There’re basic philosophies of the world that will try to take you captive. They will say oh well, yeah that’s just the way it is, and you’ll receive these attacks of the enemy because everybody thinks it’s normal. When you have foundations in Christ it completely begins to change that because you realise and say ‘wait a minute, that’s not what I’m built on. That’s not who is inside of me’.
Many modern philosophies are in opposition to the Scriptures. The rise of psychology in our modern society has produced a philosophy that is opposed to true Christianity. Generally, psychology places the blame for people’s individual actions on others instead of on themselves. At first, this seems comforting, because it rids us of personal guilt and responsibility for our actions, but it also robs us of our God-given authority. If others are our problem, we are doomed to be victims for the rest of our lives, because we can change neither the past nor others. The truth of God’s Word reveals that we always have the choice of whether to become losers or winners. God gave us that choice. “This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live” (Deuteronomy 30:19). Satan cannot violate your choice, and God will not violate it.
Haven’t you heard of people claiming that their “dysfunctional” families were what caused them to commit terrible crimes? If it is true that we are simply products of our environment, then people who have similar backgrounds would all have similar reactions, but it’s not true. Siblings raised in identical situations may have completely opposite reactions because of their personal choices. Believing anything less than this puts mankind on the level with animals, which have no choice but to simply respond to their environment. We are not animals! We were made in the image of God Almighty, and we have the privilege and responsibility of choosing right from wrong.
This type of “philosophy” is the root of much error in the body of Christ today. The Bible reveals God’s system of thinking, or philosophy. It is timeless and remains the proper philosophy, regardless of the latest “politically correct” thinking. We must dominate our thoughts with God’s way of thinking. Then, and only then, will we see the results that God’s Word promises.
