Do you think good thoughts? hmmm...

podcast: https://www.pastorwoman.net/podcast/episode/df41d515/do-you-think-good-thoughts-hmmm-no-59-acts

Are you a good thinker? Put another way - do you think good thoughts?

The craziness of life can sometimes make us feel like our heads are in a vice--and some days the clamp is getting tighter and tighter. And if we are not careful, our thoughts take us to deep mine shafts where we are not meant to be!

Truth: many of us are held captive by our thinking.  

Fact is, we have within our incredible God-given brains the capacity to think well, dream big and grow far beyond the mediocrity for which most of us have settled. Come on now.

Let's consider once again Paul's forward movement to Jerusalem, warned by 'the church' not to go, told by the Holy Spirit that suffering was ahead. Imagine with me just what his thoughts about all of it must have been like. And similarly our Lord Jesus, walking toward Jerusalem and death... how timely as we are walking toward Jesus' 'triumphal entry' to the golden city, and all we know that awaits him by week's end.

HOW DID PAUL STAY RESOLUTE?

HOW DID JESUS?

They took charge of their thinking,

rather than letting their thinking rule them. Paul and Jesus mastered their thought lives; Jesus and Paul were strong thinkers.

Friends, weak thinking leaves us vulnerable, makes us easily influenced by external pressures, and can tear us right down.  How about you?  Are you easily influenced?    If so, would it be toward the good and right?   Or by the world and its pressures and priorities?  Hmmm . . . requires a little thought, doesn't it?  

So, what do you give priority to in your mind?  Do you manage your thoughts or do they manage you?

It is no surprise that Paul wrote, "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will...__________________ (look it up and complete Romans 12.2. Feeling lazy? It is at the bottom)1

If you are to win in this life, an interview with self may be in order to help you see yourself clearly. What sorts of thoughts are yours?  About what would you say you spend most of your time thinking?___________________________________________

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What thoughts do you have that are pleasing to God? __________________________________________________________________________

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Which thoughts are not?_____________________________________________________

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Do your thoughts control you or would you say you control your thoughts? Is it even possible to 'rein in' thoughts of worry or fear or lust, or secondary thoughts like prejudice, jealousy, or envy? I believe it is.  Paul wrote, 

"we are taking every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ . . ."2 That means it is possible! 

Pray - ask God to renew your mind, clean and refresh it.  Then meditate on God's Word; you will find that verses you have read and studied will run through your mind just when you need them!  It might be you who needs a lifeline, then again, it could be Stephanie, who you met at the alligator store in Florida, or the mama you met on the Tron ride at Magic Kingdom (yes, I am at DisneyWorld) or your colleague on the east coast . . . and just when you need it, the inspiration of a particular scripture rings in your mind to lend encouragement . . .  suh-weet!

Even so, some thoughts are difficult to banish, so I find it more productive, more realistic, to replace them. This exercise has been very beneficial: picture your mind like the shelves in a pantry lined with Campbell's soup cans. Imagine the red and white Campbell soup label - Take down the can of 'Cream of Fear'- your fearful anxious thoughts- and replace with the 'Trust in God' can. Truth from God's Word: Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.3 We have to replace errant thinking with truth.

"Ugh, why am I so stupid? It seems like I can't do anything right!" your mind reels. Replace that lie with 'I am fearfully and wonderfully made...God formed me in my mother's womb.'4 Do you find yourself being harsh and critical of others--often those closest to you?  How about replacing the 'Can of Criticism' for love believes all things, bears all things, and gives the benefit of the doubt.5' 

'Okay, okay,' you say, 'negative thinking is not really my problem.... I just don't think I am growing too much as an individual. Well then, besides getting yourself into God's Word, and letting it get into you, you might consider a couple more things:  

>Learn to ask questions.  Instead of just seeing everything from your limited perspective, you will begin to see life from the eyes of others.  Perhaps it is the reason James wrote, 'be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger.6   Asking questions gives you a valuable portal for understanding and a reason to think beyond yourself.  When you show a genuine interest in someone else, take the time to ask a question, very often, they ask a question in return... and real conversation ensues--the kind that often allows you to speak of Jesus.

And then, these things I bear in mind, Morning by Morning...

Think about it, remember... be transformed! 

listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtQtVifXkmI

Let’s become great thinkers,

Christine

1 - for the blank: Romans 12.2 - 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.

2 - 2 Corinthians 10.5

3 - Proverbs 3.5-6, NLT 

4 - from Psalm 139

5 - 1 Corinthians 13.4-7

6 - James 1.19