The 2026 CCA Auxiliary Scholarship

Christian Chiropractors Association 2550 Stover, B-102 Fort Collins, CO 80525 Toll Free: 800.999.1970 Local: 970.482.1404 Fax: 970.482.1538

Auxiliary Scholarship Second Place Award - 2026

Abigail Funk

Taking every thought captive means making a deliberate choice to redirect thoughts, actions, and words in an effort to please God. The verse that always comes to mind when I think of taking every thought captive is Philippians 4:8, which says “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.” It isn’t easy to control our thoughts, and our words and actions often flow from our thoughts. If our thoughts aren’t centered on God’s Word, we are more

susceptible to spiritual attack. I believe that our thoughts are one of the main ways that Satan influences us and tries to turn us away from God. That is why it is necessary to know what taking every thought captive means and practice different ways to control our thoughts. When I was worrying, my mom would remind me, “Abby, you just have to take every thought captive.” When I was younger, it annoyed me. As I’ve gotten older, I have realized the wisdom in this advice. She taught me to check my thoughts when I was struggling and discussed some ways to redirect my thoughts. First Thessalonians 5: 16-18 says, “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” When I was stressed, she would turn on joyful praise music as a way to focus my thoughts on God and not whatever was bothering me. She would urge me to pray and ask God for help. And she urged me to count my blessings. She helped me figure out ways to “change the channel” of my thoughts and think about other things. I still continue to apply those lessons in my daily life. When I am stressed about something, it is really hard for me to get it off my mind. I replay conversations in my head and analyze when I should have said or done something differently. This often happens at night when I finally have time to review the day. Since I have recognized this, I have started doing two things to stop the pattern of repetitive negative thought. Each night, I write down one good thing that happened or focus on something I can be grateful for. Some days it is harder than others- but each day has something for which I can be thankful. Giving thanks helps me reset my brain at night to think about the good things of the day and remember those instead of all the things I wish I could have done better. The other thing I do is play instrumental hymns before I go to bed. I have found that this gives my brain something else to think of at night, praising and worshipping God, rather than focusing on the things I’m worried or stressed about. During the day, when I find myself worrying about things I cannot control, I have a couple of methods to take my thoughts captive. When I was a child, we attended AWANA (A Bible memorization program). I quickly discovered that I was fairly good at memorizing scripture, and I have continued to practice memorizing Bible verses since my AWANA days. I’ve memorized the book of James and the first three chapters of Romans, in addition to many other verses. When I am worrying, I often start quoting the

book of James in my head. Since reciting takes a great deal of focus, it causes me to stop thinking about whatever was occupying my thoughts and redirect them toward the truth of scripture. And lastly, I have a picture of a poem my grandmother has kept in her pocket for years. She is the most peaceful person I know so I often reread this poem when I’m struggling with my thoughts. Some of my favorite parts are: “Every day of life is a gift from God…Be grateful for the precious gift of life and spend it by being as happy and thankful as you possibly can. Let your mind dwell on the good things which have happened to you. Let gratitude be your attitude... don’t let anyone else spoil your day for you...” Abigail Funk is a student at Cleveland University in Kansas City, MO and plans to graduate in August of 2029.

“What Does It Mean to Take Every Thought Captive” by: Abigail Funk Cleveland University (Kansas City)