What Are You Thinking?
Proverbs 4:23 (GNT) puts it this way, “Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts.”
Our Thinking Leads To What We Do
You see, what we think leads to what we believe, what we believe determines what we say and what we do. In other words, what we think leads to the actions we take. There is wrong thinking and there is right thinking. If we think wrong, we will believe wrong. If our believing is wrong, our confession will be wrong, and our actions will be wrong. It all hinges on our thinking! So, what are you thinking?
3 Sources of Our Thinking
We need to realize that thoughts come into our minds from three different sources – the world, the devil, and God. In other words, thoughts come into our minds as we engage with the world. The world feeds our minds with all kinds of images and messages. The devil is at work trying to put thoughts into our minds and often uses the world. Then, of course, God has things He wants us to be thinking about.
The difference between the thoughts of the world and the devil and those of God is – that the thoughts from God come from within us. They come through our spirits into our minds. Other thoughts are from outside influences.
The Choice is Yours
Did you know that the average person has 10,000 separate thoughts each day? That works out to be 3.5 million thoughts a year. Every one of those 10,000 thoughts represents a choice you make, a decision to think about this, and not about that. What we think on and think about is “OUR CHOICE”. Here’s the thing, if we choose to think on the wrong things our believing will be wrong and ultimately our actions will be wrong and we will be confused and defeated.
Get Rid of Stinking Thinking
We can’t stop thoughts from coming, but we get to choose what thoughts we entertain and think on. Someone once said, you can’t stop the birds from flying over your head, but you can stop them from making a nest in your hair.” Thoughts are like the birds they come to us, but we don’t have to entertain those thoughts. We need to get rid of the “stinking thinking”.
How to Get Rid of Stinking Thinking
When wrong thoughts come what do you do? 1Corinthians 10:4-6 gives us the answer. It says, “that are For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,”
You take captive every thought that is contrary to the things of God. Notice this is something you do. Again it’s your choice. No one, not even the devil can force us to dwell on, think on, or meditate on any thought. Whenever a wrong thought comes immediately choose to cast it down and take it captive.
Choose to Think on These Things
You cannot think on two things at the same time so, here is a powerful way to cast down vain imaginations and wrong thoughts. Think on good things. If you choose to think on the right things you can’t be thinking on the wrong things
What are the right things to think on? Philippians 4:8 tells us, “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. 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.”
Renew Your Mind with the Word of God
The Bible teaches us to have “the mind of Christ” (1 Cor. 2:16). The only way we can have the mind of Christ is to study His Word, believe it in our hearts, and act upon it. We renew our minds by studying the Word of God. If we fill our minds with the Word we will be in a better position to think on the good, pure, lovely, praiseworthy, good things.
One More Suggestion
Be prepared before the wrong thoughts come. I have rehearsed, memorized, and logged in my mind several good things that God has blessed me with. The time I got saved, the moment I was filled with the Spirit, when God called me into the ministry, when our children were born, a few very special times with my wife and a few very significant times in my ministry. I am prepared whenever the enemy tries to fill my mind with thoughts of defeat, discouragement, evil, or any other wrong thought, I immediately begin to thing on these good times of God’s blessings.
Why not take a moment and write down at least 10 times or moments in your life when God has done something very special and significant in your life. Memorize them, rehearse them, and be prepared the next time the devil tries to bombard you with wrong thoughts. Remember you can’t be thinking about two things at once. Choose to think on the good things! What are you thinking?