Something to Think About

“Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ Jesus.” 2 Corinthians 10:5

Our individual way of life is primarily determined by how we think. A person who believes she can accomplish a task has a much better chance of succeeding than the fellow who sees himself as a failure before he tries. Proverbs 23:7 puts it this way: “For as he (one) thinketh in his heart so is he.” KJV

When we struggle with patterns of sin in our lives, we must put the ax to the root. Beneath our ungodly actions lies a system of thoughts that remain inconsistent with Scriptural living. Romans 12:2 says that we are not to conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but we are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. This act of mental renovation is a process. Becoming born again is an instantaneous experience, but growing in the Lord takes time.

We must learn to monitor our thoughts. When we discover that we are thinking in a negative or sinful way, we must remember to cast those thoughts out of our mind and replace them with thoughts based on Biblical verses that properly address the issue. For instance, I may find myself worrying about finances. The difficult economy has affected many of us. But God promises in Philippians 4:19 that He shall supply all of my needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Notice how I personalized it. A good way to renew our mind is to confess the word of God out loud. Remember, Jesus spoke the word of God aloud when He was tempted by Satan. So, if I noticed that I was becoming anxious about my financial situation, I could say out loud, “Lord forgive me for being anxious. I trust you. I cast down my negative thoughts and I believe that You shall supply all of my needs according to Your glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Amen.”

Besides speaking God's word we can meditate on Bible verses that fit the thought pattern we are dealing with. Joshua 1:8 and Psalm 1:2 says we are to meditate on the word day and night. The word meditate comes from the Hebrew word “hawgaw”. It means to murmur, ponder, mourn, imagine, speak, study, talk, and utter. One helpful method to consider is to take a scripture and read it out loud over and over again. The first time you read the verse speak the first word louder than the rest. Then move to the second word, while reading the entire verse. Do this with every word in the verse. This will help you extract new meanings from the scripture. When we do this, we invite the Holy Spirit to reprogram our thinking.

It is also important that we ask the Holy Spirit to give us revelation knowledge of the Scriptures we meditate on. He will help us to become transformed by the renewing of our minds. He will give us the ability to live out what we are taking in. The word of God is powerful. It is able to change us from the inside out. Let's meditate on the word of God. As we do, we will see results, and we will have the power to obey what we think upon. If you haven't already done so, begin to monitor your thoughts replacing each negative thought with the affirmation of God's written word, and let's take God's admonition seriously to meditate on His word day and night. I hope you enjoyed this short study. I guess you could say that it's something to think about.