Dec 16, 2018 GUARD YOUR THOUGHTS
2 Corinthians 10:5 “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
Romans 12:2 “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-His good, pleasing and perfect will.”
One of the most important actions one can take in this life is that of taking dominion over his thought life. We all say that we believe that what we think is important, but many fail to actually take steps to alter their thought life when needed. We are quick to say that we are born with a positive attitude or a negative attitude and that there is little we can do about it-‘I am who I am’ view of ourselves when it comes to our thought life. It is a fact that our basic, core thoughts, direct our life. We are bombarded with outside forces that would cause us to think and dwell on things that are harmful to us. Also, if we walk according to the flesh-who we use to be-and not according to the Spirit, our thoughts are not of a healthy nature. The main point is not whether every thought we have is just what it should be, but that we take ownership of our thought life and consciously manage it. For example, we may have a wrong thought flash across our mind, but what we do with that thought is the important thing. Someone said that an initial thought is like an airplane flying over, asking permission to land in our mind. If we are walking with the Lord and we have a wrong thought but we refuse to ‘let it land’ and we reject the thought because it does not please the Lord, then no sin has been committed on our part. So, it’s not about perfection in our thought life, but about managing our thoughts as we walk in the Spirit. However, as we come to know our identity in the Lord and as we live out of our new heart, new nature, and new mind, we will find that our thought life, even when confronted with temptation, is in keeping with what pleases the Father. Managing our thought life is not as difficult as it may appear. God has made us overcomers and has given us the power to rule even our thought life and our hearts. It is really as simple as telling our mind what to think about or what not to think about. The admonition to direct our thoughts is seen in Colossians 3:2: “Set your mind on the things above, not on things that are on the earth.” We have the privilege and the power to replace wrong thoughts with the right thoughts. As we read in Romans 12:2, the renewing of our mind is not a one-time action, but is a way of life; we are to be continually being transformed, and this transformation process takes place when our minds are under the influence and direction of the Holy Spirit. We are not robots; we are sons and daughters of God and we are made in His image and we have been made new creations. In Romans 8:11 we are told that the Spirit will give life to our mortal bodies, and that life is all encompassing, reaching even to our very thought life. Victory comes when we take dominion over our thought life. Let us filter our thoughts through the following verse.
Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honorable, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things or of good report; if there is any virtue, and if there is any praise, think about these things.”
Blessings,
Buddy
2 Corinthians 10:5 “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
Romans 12:2 “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-His good, pleasing and perfect will.”
One of the most important actions one can take in this life is that of taking dominion over his thought life. We all say that we believe that what we think is important, but many fail to actually take steps to alter their thought life when needed. We are quick to say that we are born with a positive attitude or a negative attitude and that there is little we can do about it-‘I am who I am’ view of ourselves when it comes to our thought life. It is a fact that our basic, core thoughts, direct our life. We are bombarded with outside forces that would cause us to think and dwell on things that are harmful to us. Also, if we walk according to the flesh-who we use to be-and not according to the Spirit, our thoughts are not of a healthy nature. The main point is not whether every thought we have is just what it should be, but that we take ownership of our thought life and consciously manage it. For example, we may have a wrong thought flash across our mind, but what we do with that thought is the important thing. Someone said that an initial thought is like an airplane flying over, asking permission to land in our mind. If we are walking with the Lord and we have a wrong thought but we refuse to ‘let it land’ and we reject the thought because it does not please the Lord, then no sin has been committed on our part. So, it’s not about perfection in our thought life, but about managing our thoughts as we walk in the Spirit. However, as we come to know our identity in the Lord and as we live out of our new heart, new nature, and new mind, we will find that our thought life, even when confronted with temptation, is in keeping with what pleases the Father. Managing our thought life is not as difficult as it may appear. God has made us overcomers and has given us the power to rule even our thought life and our hearts. It is really as simple as telling our mind what to think about or what not to think about. The admonition to direct our thoughts is seen in Colossians 3:2: “Set your mind on the things above, not on things that are on the earth.” We have the privilege and the power to replace wrong thoughts with the right thoughts. As we read in Romans 12:2, the renewing of our mind is not a one-time action, but is a way of life; we are to be continually being transformed, and this transformation process takes place when our minds are under the influence and direction of the Holy Spirit. We are not robots; we are sons and daughters of God and we are made in His image and we have been made new creations. In Romans 8:11 we are told that the Spirit will give life to our mortal bodies, and that life is all encompassing, reaching even to our very thought life. Victory comes when we take dominion over our thought life. Let us filter our thoughts through the following verse.
Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honorable, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things or of good report; if there is any virtue, and if there is any praise, think about these things.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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