PURIFY OUR THOUGHTS

The National Science Foundation tells us that an average person has up to 60,000 thoughts per day, and typically 80% of those are negative. Scripture tells us that our thoughts are full of wrong intent and evil.

• Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?
• Genesis 6:5 Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

No one else has a good view into your thoughts, but you know your own thoughts well, and how much trouble lies within them, and the battles that take place in them.

• Romans 7:21 I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good.
• Romans 7:22 For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man,
• Romans 7:23 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.

We may try to hide it, but God also knows it well, and probably better than we know ourselves.

• 1 Samuel 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?
• John 2:24 But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men,
• John 2:25 and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.

We may deceive ourselves, or ignore the wrongful thoughts and intentions within us, but the Bible lays it out before us. It openly reveals our hearts. The more we read and study the Bible, the more we understand what goes on in our thoughts.

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.

As we study Scripture, we start to see how much of our thoughts are negative, evil, wasteful, and hurtful.

• 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.
• Luke 9:46 An argument started among them as to which of them might be the greatest.
• Luke 9:47 But Jesus, knowing what they were thinking in their heart, took a child and stood him by His side,
• Luke 9:48 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."

Our mind is not consumed with these negative thoughts all the time, but we do spend too much of our time on them. Sometimes our mind is set on the Spirit, and sometimes on what the Bible calls the flesh, or earthly things.

• Rom 8:5 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.
• Rom 8:6 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace,
• Rom 8:7 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

God wants us to focus our mind on the things of the Spirit, not the things of the flesh. We need to get more and more of our thoughts under control, taking them where God wants us to take them. We need our thoughts to be healthy, positive, godly, and beneficial.

As much as you may try, you cannot have one kind of thought life and live a different life. Our thoughts define who we are. The more time we spend thinking about certain things, the more it defines us. Instead of hiding troubling thoughts, we need to fix our thoughts. Who we are on the inside reveals itself on the outside.

• Luke 6:45 "The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.

This means we need to fix out thoughts to be what God wants. He wants them to be healthy and pure. When we fix our thoughts, we fix ourselves. The more our thoughts become healthy, the more we become healthy. Little by little, our regular thoughts drag us down or lift us. It is far easier to be dragged down than to be lifted up, so it is a battle we must fight.

• 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.

There are a lot of forces in society pushing you torwards negativity, and negativity, while destructive, is what comes naturally. Building a healthy thought life takes some work.

Part of the challenge is dealing with emotions. Emotions don't reveal what is going on in your life - emotions reveal what is going on in your thought life. Those who experience more joy don't necessarily have more to be joyful about; they just think differently. This is our goal, to think differently, to think the way God wants us to. Who we become and how that is revealed, often through emotions, will become healthy. The healthier we become, the more we can positively affect the lives of others.

Changing your thoughts takes time. It is one of those things that needs patience and perseverence. What can we do? How to we start to make these changes?

Pray about it. Allow the Holy Spirit to influence you by spending time with God and reading His Word. Let God direct your efforts.

• Phil 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
• Phil 4:7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
• 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"

• Eph 4:22 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,
• Eph 4:23 and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind,
• Eph 4:24 and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.

Think of who you spend most of your time with. Take a look at their world view, and how they talk about God, life, and the world around them. You may have to change who you spend time with. Hang out more with people you want to be like, and less time with those who you don't want to influence who you are.

• 1 Cor 15:33 - Do not be deceived: "Bad company corrupts good morals."

Make the effort to spend time thinking about healthy things. You could set alarms during the day to take 5 minutes to focus on the things of God.

• Phil 4:8 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.

Now think about what you feed your mind with. This includes music, movies, books, shows, or anything that gives you regular ideas. It's not necessary to change all the input you receive, but take a look at it, and realize all these things do affect your thoughts. If you want to change your thoughts, some of that might need to change. If you eat bad food, your body reacts to it. If you eat healthy food, your body reacts to it. 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.

We need to build our thoughts so they can't help but to enrich ourselves and also everyone we come into contact with. We don't have to be a victim of negative thoughts, because there are things we can do to become healthy.