Be Careful of Your Thoughts: They Control Your Life and Create Your
World.
“Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your
life.”(Proverbs 4:23 NCV)
“Be careful of your thoughts, for your thoughts become your
words. Be careful of your words, for your words become your actions. Be careful
of your actions, for your actions become your habits. Be careful of your
habits, for your habits become your character. Be careful of your character,
for your character becomes your destiny.” (Unknown author)
Art is
organized beauty, Music is organized sound; Science is organized knowledge,
Government is organized society, religion is the organized Mystery and Philosophy
is organized thought. Our thoughts impact how we feel about ourselves
and others. We share our fears, our sorrow, our joy, our love and our dreams
with our thoughts. Our thoughts create words and action. With our thoughts we
can motivate ourselves to do things we never thought we could do. So watch what
we think and be conscious of the words that come from our thoughts, and the
actions that follow our words which can also move others to step forward and
maximize their own potential. Thoughts can calm us or excite us. Thoughts and
Words can actually change the direction of a nation.
To
live differently, we must think differently, to think differently, we must make
a right
choice daily. We can
choose our thoughts and we don’t have to just think about whatever falls into our
mind. Fleeting thoughts could determine the quality of our life. Every word
that comes out of our mouth comes from a thought - whether consciously or
unconsciously. Our
words determine whether you display the character of integrity or not. Proverbs
4:23 NIV says “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows
from it.” In the Bible “heart” denotes
the inner man, his thoughts, his will, his inclinations, and his affections; or
the human soul with its faculties and operations. The way we think determines
how we live and who we are. That’s why we need to think about what we’re
thinking about.
The Bible tells us that the heart
is deceitful and unsearchable to any but God alone (Jer. 17:9). The first and
most important step in seeking a cure is an accurate diagnosis of the
problem. If you do not understand the problem, you will not seek the right
cure. That is true not only physically but also spiritually. Knowing that
indwelling sin occupies a heart that is deceitful and unsearchable should make
us extremely cautious. Jesus said, “That which proceeds out of the man that is
what defiles the man…….” (Mark 7:20-23). No one commits this outward sin
without first having committed them in their mind. So we must win the battle over
sin on the thought level because 'Sin' is primarily self-centeredness.
God's two great commandments are
first that we love him with all our hearts and secondly that we love our
neighbor as we love ourselves. Sin, then, is the reversal of this order. It is
to put ourselves first, virtually proclaiming our own autonomy, our neighbor
next when it suits our convenience, and God somewhere in the background.
Self-centredness is a world-wide phenomenon of human experience is evident from
the rich variety of words in our language which are compounded with
'self'.—words like self-applause, self-absorption, self-assertion,
self-advertisement, self-indulgence, self-gratification, self-glorification,
self-pity, self-importance, self-interest and self-will etc. Our self-centeredness is a terrible tyranny.
The condition of our minds
determines the condition of our lives. Mind is the Master power that moulds and
makes, and Man is Mind, and evermore he takes the tool of Thought, and, shaping
what he wills, Brings forth a thousand joys, a thousand ills: —He thinks in
secret, and it comes to pass: Environment is but his looking-glass. This is why
we ought to beware and aware, what we allow our mind to think about. Proverbs
23:7 says “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he." Job said, "The
thing I greatly feared came upon me."
You will eventually become what you think. If you allow yourself to
think negative worried, fearful thoughts, then you will become a negative,
worried, fearful person. You cannot think defeat and expect victory. You can't
think poverty, and expect wealth. You can't think the worst, and expect the
best. Quit thinking about what you don't have and start thinking about what you
do have. Quit thinking about what's wrong with you and start thinking about
what's right with you. Quit thinking about how big your problem is and start
dwelling on the fact of how big your God is.
What we focus on, we magnify;
we’re not changing its actual size, we’re simply making it bigger in our own
mind. If we stay focused on our problems, on a negative report, what somebody
said about us, how we’ll never get out of problems, all that’s going to do is
make it bigger than it really is; it’s changing our perception of it. The
Apostle Paul warns us in 2 Timothy 3 that there will be terrible times in the
last days. Our hope in times of testing is to magnify the Lord to see him
as he truly is – which is always bigger than our problems.
God’s infinite power cannot fit
into the confines of our finite minds. So what is impossible for us is
never impossible for God. Psalm 68:1 says “Let God arise, let his enemies be
scattered” when we make God bigger in our life, when we let Him arise, focusing
on His greatness, knowing that He’s in control, fighting our battles, making
our crooked places straight, and we go out with this attitude of faith,
expecting breakthroughs and dreams to come to pass, when we let God arise like
that, our enemies will be scattered. Enemies of fear, doubt, depression,
sickness, injustice; nothing can stand against our God. He is the
all-powerful Creator of the universe. When we let God arise, we can’t stay
defeated; healing, help, favor, victory comes. Our enemies will be scattered. Always
magnify what’s right and not what’s wrong. The truth has been compromised
as the enemy seeks to blind the world and destroy it.
The truth that sets you free and
that gives you victory in every area of our life is the word of God. Jesus
said "you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free"
(John 8:32) God alone can help us to know what is truth. The only way to
replace the error of the world’s way of thinking is to replace it with God’s
truth, and the only infallible source of God’s truth is found in his revealed
word. There are no shortcuts. There is no magic formula for renewing our minds.
We must fill our minds with God’s word. As Jesus prayed to the Father,
“Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17).
The Bible specifically talks
about four things we must do to develop a mind that agrees with God. First “Set
your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”
(Colossians 3:2) second “Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but
let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you
will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”
(Romans 12:2) Third “Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded,
set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation
of Jesus Christ.”(1 Peter 1:13) and fourth “In your relationships with one
another, have the same mindsets as Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5).
Have you ever wondered how this is possible? God created the human mind as a
combination of conscious and unconscious processes (thoughts) of the brain that
direct our mental and physical behavior. Our thoughts influence our actions. It
follows, then, that if we want to act like Christ, we must also think like Him.
With the mind we exercise the power of reason, conceive ideas and use judgment.
It stores our intellect, as distinguished from emotion or will. To have the
mind of Christ, we must think as He thinks. There are many benefits to having
the mind of Christ, because “in whom (Jesus Christ) are hidden all the
treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col. 2:3).
Three times in the Sermon on the
Mount, Jesus said “Do not worry about your life,” Worry is absolutely useless.
It never dried out a tear, lifted a burden, or solved a problem. Worry
buries blessing and steals our Joy and strength. Worry is a wound in the heart
of God. So Worry is not just a weakness; it’s wickedness. Worry is an insult to
God. You can’t live the full life without peace and joy. Isaiah 26:3 says
“You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are
fixed on you “Notice that the result of focusing our minds on God is peace, the
opposite of war. We can be victorious in the battle with worry for our minds.
When we are, we will find our minds at peace with God. One method we can use to
renew our minds is to meditate on God’s Word. The psalmist says: “My soul is
consumed with longing for your laws at all times. Your statutes are my delight;
they are my counselors” (Ps. 119:20, 24). Like the psalmist, we can find joy
and knowledge in the Word when we choose to dwell on it. One of the most
important ways we can renew our minds is to think on the things that are listed
in Philippians 4:8: “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.”
The mind is like a garden. If a
gardener plants mango tree he will get mango. If he plants wheat he will get
wheat. Whatever you plant is what you
get. Gal. 6:7-8 says "Do not be deceived; God is not mocked: for
whatsoever man sows, that will he also reap. For he that sows to his flesh will
of the flesh reap corruption; but he that sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit
reap life everlasting." It is impossible for any person to sow to flesh
and get a spiritual harvest. God has given you the ability to control what you
sow and thereby control what you harvest. If you experience defeat over sin,
lack power, and never really walk in the all the fullness of God then it is
time to examine your hearts, mind and thoughts. Jesus said that “the good
person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person
out of his evil treasure produces evil….” (Luke 6:45). The good treasure Jesus
speaks of comes by God’s grace, but the evil treasure is the best that man, in
his pitiful, fallen state can produce apart from God. We must free our mind from destructive thoughts
"Those who are dominated by their sinful nature think about sinful things,
but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please
the Spirit." (Romans 8:5). “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek
the things above, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God.
Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.” (Colossians 3:1)
The only way to make a stream
pure is to purify the fountain. And the only way to deal with our sin is by
having our hearts cleansed by God’s Holy word. This is precisely what the
Gospel does. God does not call us merely to stop sinning. He calls us to be
transformed from within. And He provides such transformation through the power
of the Gospel. This is the new birth of which Jesus spoke in John
gospel chapter 3. It means a Natural and carnal mind must be converted and
renewed to become Spiritual and the converted mind must beware lest it be
corrupted. The converted mind can be conquered. The converted and conquered
mind can be controlled by bringing every thought captive in to the
obedience of Christ. Every thought that is in rebellion to God must be made a
prisoner of war and be made to submit to the authority of God in Christ Jesus
as Lord. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 says “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not
war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal,
but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds ;) Casting down
imaginations, and every high thing that exalted itself against the knowledge of
God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;”The
Lord does not treat only our symptoms. He addresses the root cause of all our
problems. By the power of His Spirit and His Word, He changes us so that we
become “a new creations” (2cor 5:17).
The Scriptures say it is not
those who are swift, but those who endure to the end, who succeed. Let people
pressure you to release God’s glory. Every one faith will be tested for
authenticity. If your faith is authentic, life is going to try it, just to make
sure. If a faith is terminated by trials or tests, then perhaps it was not
really a living faith from God. 2 Corinthians 5:7 says “For we live by faith,
not by sight.” The apostle Paul reminds his readers that followers of Christ
must not build their lives around things that have no eternal significance.
Rather than pursuing the same things the world pursues, a child of God should
focus on the unseen realities of everlasting kingdom. To walk by faith is to
fear God more than man; to obey the Bible even when it conflicts with man’s
commands; to choose righteousness over sin, no matter what the cost; to trust
God in every circumstance; and to believe God rewards those who seek Him,
regardless of who says otherwise. When the storms of life hit, they almost
always appear stronger to us than God’s Word. It is crucial for us to remember
that our perceptions can be deceptive.
Remember there is not enough darkness in the world to
extinguish the light God has put within a child of God. The light of God’s
revelation and His salvation in your heart is so strong and bright that all the
darkness of the planet, all the darkness of people’s opinions, and all the
darkness of past failures can never put it out. Keep in mind that when we speak
of bringing things into captivity to the obedience of Christ, that it means
that we have the God given authority to accomplish that very thing. The
imaginations and false reasoning that the enemy seeks to use to defeat us and
lead us from the path of righteousness cannot prevail against the authority of
Christ anointing in us.
Faith in God requires
perseverance. Perseverance actually means “to bear up under pressure.” People who have faith in God are stronger
than the pressure life brings. The purpose of pressure is to get rid of what is
not of God. Perhaps you’re in the fire right now. It’s a good place to be. No
matter what people may say about you, don’t retaliate. Let them talk about you.
It doesn’t matter what they think. You can smile, knowing that you will come
through the situation. In Philippians 4:8 Paul exhorts us to develop a godly
thought life. He says “Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and
right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are
excellent and worthy of praise”. Practicing above verse is essential if we want
to develop and maintain healthy relationships (see Philippians 4:2-3, 5). A godly
thought life is also integral to a life of joy (see Philippians 4:4) and peace
(see Philippians 4:6-7) in every situation. Since our thoughts form the basis
for our behavior, a godly thought life is also essential for the obedience to
which Paul exhorts us in verse 9. “Whatever you have learned or received or
heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice. And the God of peace will
be with you.” Clearly, Paul’s thought
life was at the heart of the contentment he had learned in every situation (see
Philippians 4:10-12).
The mind is a person's greatest
asset and it is the key to peace and happiness, however, there are three
enemies that attempt to take hold of a person's thoughts including a person's
past, Satan, and the world's system. The first battle in your mind is with your
old self nature, it's the source of all bad habits… We are taught in 2
Corinthians 19:5 “casting down imaginations, and every high thing that is
exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity
to the obedience of Christ;” Whenever we have a negative thought that seeks to
depress us, we must immediately cast it down, think on God’s Word, and speak
His Word. Plant God’s Word deep in your heart in order to think the right
thoughts. The way you think determines the way you feel, and the way you feel
determines the way you act If a person is labeled with negative
affirmations during their formative years, they may carry those thoughts into
adulthood and see themselves as such, even though they know it to be false.
In the Old Testament, when God
was fulfilling his promise to provide a king to his people, Samuel was
bewildered that God passed on some mighty good looking candidates. God then let
Samuel in on his criteria for choosing a king. But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do
not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD
does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward
appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” – (1 Samuel 16:7) Like it or not,
God’s economy is not only different than ours…it is also higher. He is
holy; we are not. We see partially, but He sees perfectly. The things that
we tend to value by our nature are not the things that are on his priority
list. What does that mean? It means we need a paradigm shift. We need a new way
of thinking. We need renewed minds.”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. –
(Romans 12:2)
Let God transform you into a new
person by changing the way you think. "Satan can't control your thoughts,
only you can, and God can't control your thoughts," "If you're having
bad, scary, guiltily, lonely, depressed and discouraged thoughts, it doesn't
help to say, 'God change my thoughts.' God is going to say, 'it's your mind,
you do it.'" How can we renew our minds? It’s as simple as spending time
with God, trust and obeys His word. Just as we would get to know a neighbor or
a friend, we must spend time with the Lord. As we begin to know him, we gain a
much better idea of what it means to surrender to his will and to be found in
him. We begin to value what he values, and we begin to see as he sees…not what
is temporal and merely on the surface, but that which is eternal and of lasting
value. God is far more interested in changing a person's mind than their
circumstances. "Your feelings don't shape your life, your thoughts and beliefs
do. It doesn't even have to be true, if you believe it, it's going to shape
your life," Change always starts in the mind. People have the ultimate
power to change their own thoughts, but in order to do so, one must feed,
focus, and free their minds on a moment by moment. We must feed our mind with truth, "People
need more than bread for life; they must feed on every word of God." (Matthew
4:4)
