What were you thinking?
A phrase no one wants to hear but that often elicits the response, “I wasn’t!”
But truth be told, it’s most often our thinking that sets us up for a fall. It’s so often in the mind that the battle is won or lost. No doubt, for me, the biggest and most epic battles I face are not squared off against the forces of evil or some worldly opposition. The big-battle is often waged in my own head; the voices of my past, the voices of doubt and what if, the voices of the flesh that rise against the Spirit.
Thankfully, God graciously gives us the answer. Victory is ours as we allow the Lord to change our minds, renew our thinking, and give us His divine perspective on all things life.
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. – Philippians 4:8 (NLT)
A renewed mind is no accident, it’s not mystical, and it’s certainly not magical. It’s not reserved for a chosen few who master some new type of divine meditation. It is simply a matter of making a choice and deciding what thoughts shall have my attention. You can’t control every random thought that pops into your head but you’re not powerless either.
First, you can decide which thoughts you dwell on and ponder. So stop it! Stop allowing negative, impure, unholy thinking to take up space in your head. When those thoughts come in, change the channel.
Second, allow the Holy Spirit to arm you with His righteous weapon, the Word of God. Reprogram that super-computer you’re carrying on your shoulders with God’s truth by reading, memorizing, quoting, and even singing God’s Word. And don’t stop there, find some other good sources of music, reading, podcasts, videos, and whatever else it takes to have positive input.
Paul said it this way, put off the old man that you used to be, let God renew your thinking, and put on the brand new you who is created to be like Jesus.
For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
Galatians 5:1 (ESV)So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, ‘If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’
John 8:31–32 (ESV)
For Freedom,
Pastor Kevin