Chapter Twenty-four: What to focus on in your thoughts
Let's begin by reviewing a very important Scripture. It's Philippians 4:8 which says, " Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever
is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever
is lovely, whatever is admirable (of good repute)—if anything is excellent or
praiseworthy—let your mind dwell on these things." These are the kind of thoughts that God
would have you replace your negative thoughts with.
The Scripture above listed out certain "types"
of thoughts to think about. Let's look at each of them:
·
Whatever is true. But not only what is true (and not false) but
also is real and is not a lie. We
oftentimes do this to avoid admitting real problems in our own lives. We want to avoid our own limitations,
weaknesses and sins.
·
Whatever is honorable. Is it worthy of honor or
inspire respect? Is it valuable,
dignified, or noble? We are not to have our minds filled with nonsense and
foolishness, although there is a time for fun and games. Our mind is to have a seriousness of purpose
and self-respect. In turn, it inspires
respect from others. Respect has to be
earned.
·
Whatever is right. This means those things that are upright,
righteous and conforms to the principles found in the Scriptures. It means we look at things the right
way--from God's perspective. Is it
consistent with the character of God? Would God think this way?
·
Whatever is pure. This refers to moral purity, nothing that
stains, defiles, contaminates or corrupts, particularly in sexual matters. Impure thoughts, especially of a sexual nature
can riddle one with guilt and shame which are not productive to either
spiritual growth or peace of mind.
Allowing yourself to dwell on any type of impure thing creates a
downward spiral.
·
Whatever is lovely. Is it attractive, pleasing, agreeable? Even sinful things can be attractive and
pleasing, so make sure that you're not being drawn in to sin. Does the thought give you an inner sense of
peace and harmony with God.
·
Is it admirable?
Does it cause us to think and speak highly of others? Our old sin nature
loves to think of others in a bad light and loves gossip as it makes us feel
superior. This can lead to pride and
self-righteousness. However, the real
end result is lack of spiritual growth.
·
Is it excellent?
Does it cause us to dwell on God's glory and the work of His hand? Does it cause you to want to do your best at
whatever you put your hand to? It causes
you to fix your attention on eternal values and not the things of this world.
·
Is it praiseworthy? Does it meet with God's approval? Would He want you to dwell upon the
thought? Would it bring Him glory?
You may think that this is a lot to take in and incorporate into
your thought life, but the bottom line is that most sins you cannot get control
over are a result of your having allowed your mind to dwell on things that God
would never have approved of. God knows
it's so important that He commanded us in 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."
God knows that our inner thoughts and the things we think upon, have a
direct impact on our relationship with Him.
God wants us to learn how to discipline our minds, just as we
discipline our flesh by fasting. Remember, you can't flee from what
you think in your mind. You can't just
make your mind go blank. Instead you
need to replace the wrong thought with a thought that will edify and lift your
soul toward God. It can be a favorite
song, a favorite Scripture verse, spending time alone with God praising Him, or
thanking Him for the good things He's done in your life. Hebrews 12:2 says, "...fixing
your eyes on Jesus...". To fix
means to focus or concentrate. The
primary way to discipline our mind is to learn to focus our thoughts upon
God. The more you focus on Him, the more
you are drawn to Him. We have no excuse for not developing a renewed mind. Victory can be accomplished if we submit to
God, to His Word and His Spirit.
If Scripture tells us to keep our attention
on something, we must be able to do it.
God isn't going to tell us to do something if we are unable to! He has given us the ability to choose what we
dwell on. Other thoughts may come into
our minds, but God has given us the ability to cast them aside--or we can just
allow them to linger. This is where we
have to make the decision. If we make
the correct decision and replace the unhealthy or sinful thought with those
that God would have us think on, then we will be able to protect our thoughts
from the thoughts that Satan or our own flesh will attempt to put in our minds.
One of Satan's goals is to keep us questioning what we're doing, doubting
ourselves and our decisions. He loves to
keep us in a state of confusion.
Sometimes he can try to get you so confused it seems like you don't know
which way to turn!
Many believers, who are sincerely trying to
follow Christ, struggle with ongoing negative, sinful, critical and defeating
thoughts. Scripture reminds us that
without God in his life, man is a totally depraved being, possessing selfish
and ultimately self-destructive thought patterns and behavior. So, if one has Christ in their life, why do
they then continue to struggle? Because
of what they allow their minds to think on.
Good thoughts, ones that are in agreement with Scripture minister
peace and health to your mind. However,
negative, critical or worrisome thoughts
cause distress, which also affects your mind and also your body. When
you feel uncertain or confused, remember, I Corinthians 14:33 tells us, " For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace."
Please be aware that for those people who have really struggled
with their flesh and sexual sin and given into temptation to the point where
they feel they'll never get free from it, renewing the mind may be very
challenging and a lot of work for them.
My writing about it makes it sound simple, but putting it into effect on
a daily basis may be a difficult struggle for some. And if you've tried to and failed, you may
feel disillusioned as to whether this will work for you. I would encourage you
to not give up and to keep on trying. Proverbs
24:16 tells us, " for though the righteous fall seven
times, they rise again." This
Scripture is encouraging God's children to get back up and try again. The main point here is not that we
fall, but that we get right back up and give it another try.
If you decide to start the practice of renewing the mind, and
daily pay attention to your thoughts, you will begin to enjoy spiritual growth
and a closeness with God that you haven't experienced before. You will also put up another roadblock for
the enemy. It will produce mental
stability and mental health because you are now filtering every thought and
allowing only those thoughts that God would approve of to remain.
Psalm 1: 1-3 says, " Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or
stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but
whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields
its fruit in season and whose leaf does not
wither—whatever they do prospers." This is telling us that there is a
direct connection between thinking on God's word and living a fruitful life.
Years ago, when I began my profession as a
mental health counselor, a Scripture that challenged me was Second Timothy 1:7
which says, "For God does not give us a spirit of fear, but of
power and of love and of a sound mind." I wondered what the phrase "of a sound
mind" referred to. As I started
looking into it, I discovered that the words sound mind are the translation of one Greek word which literally
means "saving the mind"...a mind that has been salvaged for its
intended purpose. Therefore, one can presume that to live with fear affects our
mind, affects the way we think and ultimately affects what God has intended for
us. Remember when I said that fear is
one of Satan's main tactics...makes more sense now, doesn't it! If he can keep us caught up in fear and
worry, he knows that we will be unable to be used for our intended purpose. So we have a choice...to allow God's Spirit
to dominate our minds and keep us in a state of
sound mind, or we can allow our carnal, sinful nature dominate our
thoughts and reap the results of confusion and chaos.
By now I hope that you understand how critical it is to watch your
thoughts and what you focus upon. The Apostle Paul told us that our lives will
be transformed by renewing our minds.
What we need to focus upon is the fact that we are children of the most
High God. However, if we don't have a
daily intake of God's Word (just as we need to eat daily), we will begin to
slowly return to where our carnal thoughts run our lives. Renewal of the mind is a continual, life-long process that requires
daily input from God's Word and spending time in His presence. God's Word has
the ability to change your life by the renewing and transforming of your
mind. Proper thoughts result in a
peaceful heart, which is in turn "life to the body" (Proverbs 14:30). Psalm 119: 15,16 says,
"I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees;
I will not neglect your word." Those who learn to control their minds
and their thoughts, will be blessed by God and will not be so easily tormented
by the enemy.
The New Testament makes very clear that the renewed mind
never becomes perfectly renewed in this life, but is in a constant process of
being more and more transformed. Our
minds will undergo this process for as long as we are in these earthly bodies,
as Satan, sin and our flesh will continue to be at war against those things of
God. The good news is that as our minds
are daily transformed, we will be empowered to do His will and more able to
stand up against those things that try to hold us back.
Another translation of Romans 12:2 sums it
up nicely: "Don't let the world around you squeeze you into its mold, but
let God remold your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that
the plan of God for you is good, meets all his demands and moves you toward the
goal of true maturity."
In the next teaching series, we will look closer at what it
takes to grow more spiritually mature.
