Fixing Our Thoughts
by Scott Basham, BibleSteak Contributor
God and Jesus Intimately know our thoughts
Luke 16:15 - And He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God.
1 Sam 16:7 - But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."
Matthew 9:4 - And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, "Why are you thinking evil in your hearts?
Luke 9:46-48 - An argument started among them as to which of them might be the greatest. But Jesus, knowing what they were thinking in their heart, took a child and stood him by His side, and said to them, "Whoever receives this child in My name receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me; for the one who is least among all of you, this is the one who is great."
John 2:24-25 - But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.
The Bible describes what is in our thoughts
Jeremiah 17:9 - The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?
Hebrews 4:12 - For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Our thoughts are often focused on the wrong things
Philippians 3:18-19 - For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things.
2 Corinthians 11:3 - But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.
Romans 7:21-25 - I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good.
For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man,
but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members.
Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?
Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.
We need to fix our thoughts
Romans 8:5-7 - For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, 8and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
The secret conversations you hold in the privacy of your own mind are shaping your destiny, little by little.
There will always be some junk, and there will always be some greatness. Society constantly pushes us towards the negative, whether wrongful thinking or negative thinking. It is far easier to be pulled down than to be lifted up.
What you persistently think about eventually manifests itself in the things you say and do. As much as you may try, you cannot have one kind of thought life and live a different life.
Simply avoiding things you don't want to think about won't bring about thinking the way you want to think. You need to find healthy thoughts to replace them with. (See Philippians 4:8.)
Emotions don't reveal what is going on in your life - emotions reveal what is going on in your thought life, where your thoughts have been going. Those who experience more joy don't necessarily have more to be joyful about; they just think differently.
God has given you talents and gifts for the purpose of enhancing the lives of those you come into contact with. Your thoughts will either enhance or diminish your talents and gifts. If your thoughts are unhealthy, you'll be limited in how much you can positively affect others lives. If your thoughts are healthy, it's unlimited how God can use you. Know that God has great hope and plans for you.
We need to build our thoughts so they can't help but to enrich ourselves and also everyone we come into contact with.
Please realize that a healthy thought life is the bullseye. We don't regularly hit the bullseye, but let's work on getting closer to hitting it, to having the thought life that God wants us to have. The closer to the bullseye, the more God can use us.
So, let's find a way to have healthy thoughts
1 Cor 15:33 - Do not be deceived: "Bad company corrupts good morals."
Be alert to who is lifting you up and who is pulling you down. As much as you can, take time with those who help, and avoid those who hinder.
Ephesians 4:22-24 - that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.
Allow the Holy Spirit to work in your thoughts.
Philippians 4:6-8 - Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.
Colossians 3:2 - Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.
You can only dwell on that which you already have. Feed your mind with healthy things.
1 Timothy 4:15 - Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all.
You won't make progress by casual efforts. Make changes to become healthy.
Hebrews 10:16 - "THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THEM AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD: I WILL PUT MY LAWS UPON THEIR HEART, AND ON THEIR MIND I WILL WRITE THEM"
In Summary, here are suggestions on how to build a healthy thought life:
(Some material was borrowed from the book "The 4:8 Principle" by Tommy Newberry.)
God and Jesus Intimately know our thoughts
Luke 16:15 - And He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God.
1 Sam 16:7 - But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."
Matthew 9:4 - And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, "Why are you thinking evil in your hearts?
Luke 9:46-48 - An argument started among them as to which of them might be the greatest. But Jesus, knowing what they were thinking in their heart, took a child and stood him by His side, and said to them, "Whoever receives this child in My name receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me; for the one who is least among all of you, this is the one who is great."
John 2:24-25 - But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.
The Bible describes what is in our thoughts
Jeremiah 17:9 - The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?
Hebrews 4:12 - For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Our thoughts are often focused on the wrong things
Philippians 3:18-19 - For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things.
2 Corinthians 11:3 - But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.
Romans 7:21-25 - I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good.
For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man,
but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members.
Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?
Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.
We need to fix our thoughts
Romans 8:5-7 - For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, 8and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
The secret conversations you hold in the privacy of your own mind are shaping your destiny, little by little.
There will always be some junk, and there will always be some greatness. Society constantly pushes us towards the negative, whether wrongful thinking or negative thinking. It is far easier to be pulled down than to be lifted up.
What you persistently think about eventually manifests itself in the things you say and do. As much as you may try, you cannot have one kind of thought life and live a different life.
Simply avoiding things you don't want to think about won't bring about thinking the way you want to think. You need to find healthy thoughts to replace them with. (See Philippians 4:8.)
Emotions don't reveal what is going on in your life - emotions reveal what is going on in your thought life, where your thoughts have been going. Those who experience more joy don't necessarily have more to be joyful about; they just think differently.
God has given you talents and gifts for the purpose of enhancing the lives of those you come into contact with. Your thoughts will either enhance or diminish your talents and gifts. If your thoughts are unhealthy, you'll be limited in how much you can positively affect others lives. If your thoughts are healthy, it's unlimited how God can use you. Know that God has great hope and plans for you.
We need to build our thoughts so they can't help but to enrich ourselves and also everyone we come into contact with.
Please realize that a healthy thought life is the bullseye. We don't regularly hit the bullseye, but let's work on getting closer to hitting it, to having the thought life that God wants us to have. The closer to the bullseye, the more God can use us.
So, let's find a way to have healthy thoughts
1 Cor 15:33 - Do not be deceived: "Bad company corrupts good morals."
Be alert to who is lifting you up and who is pulling you down. As much as you can, take time with those who help, and avoid those who hinder.
Ephesians 4:22-24 - that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.
Allow the Holy Spirit to work in your thoughts.
Philippians 4:6-8 - Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.
Colossians 3:2 - Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.
You can only dwell on that which you already have. Feed your mind with healthy things.
1 Timothy 4:15 - Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all.
You won't make progress by casual efforts. Make changes to become healthy.
Hebrews 10:16 - "THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THEM AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD: I WILL PUT MY LAWS UPON THEIR HEART, AND ON THEIR MIND I WILL WRITE THEM"
In Summary, here are suggestions on how to build a healthy thought life:
- Avoid environments (people, media, locations, etc.) that feed negativity to you
- Pray (see Philippians 4:6-7)
- Worship God (take time to enjoy God)
- Read the Bible (Hebrews 4:12)
- Study the Bible (dig in, discover its depths - biblesteak.com can help, under each verse)
- Memorize verses (so they will pop up randomly when needed)
- Be thankful in everything (gratitude is the cornerstone of an unstoppable attitude)
- Write down things you want to think about, and refer to this list when needed - on your phone, in your wallet, whatever
(Some material was borrowed from the book "The 4:8 Principle" by Tommy Newberry.)