I think

I’ve been thinking a lot about thinking. What makes someone think the way they do? Is it genetic or is it learned or is it environmental? Because I’m not a psychologist I can’t really judge, but I can see what the Bible says.

Proverbs 23:7, For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.

This verse is quite clear. If you think negative thoughts you will be a negative person. If you think sad thoughts you will be a sad person. If you think happy thoughts you will be a happy person, etc etc.

Matthew 21:22, And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.

What does believing have to do with thinking? Believing is thinking. How else would you believe? There isn’t a special part of your body that believes, while your brain is not believing. Does that make sense? Let me try to illustrate. If I am sick and I go to an elder to pray for me and once he has prayed, I tell myself in my thoughts or even out loud that I am going to get well, then I am believing. It takes place in my brain. The prompting to believe might have come from the words of the elder or it might have come from a positive affirmation that the Holy Spirit placed in my heart or my mind. It doesn’t matter where the thought originated, if I believe it is what I am thinking. Unfortunately most people tend to listen to and believe the negative thoughts which enter their brains. Those negative thoughts either come from their learned toxic way of thinking, or from the devil. Even though the devil is lying, when someone listens to and acts on what they hear from him, they start believing it. How many of us have been trapped by the belief that we aren’t good enough? That is probably the biggest lie that the devil tells and most common lie that people believe. Once the enemy has convinced you of this you start changing your thinking patterns to incorporate the lie into your being. Everything you do is based on the lie that you aren’t good enough. Every decision you make and every word you say is centred around you not being good enough. Everything you say and do changes and the very person you are changes. Just because of the way you think. You were destined for greatness but some stupid incident caused you a bit of rejection and the father of lies came in and hijacked your thoughts so that you now believe you have something to prove and nothing you do is ever going to measure up.

How can you change it? Can you change it? What if you’ve been thinking this way ever since you’ve been a child?

Romans 12:2, And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

This is the key. This verse tells you that you can start to think differently. You can renew your mind. When you accepted Jesus as your saviour, you renewed your spirit. Now you have to renew your mind because your mind is holding you back from what God has planned for you. The problem isn’t your parents, your spouse, your boss or your environment. Your problem is what you are allowing to go on in your mind. So how do you do it?

Philippians4:8, Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

You have to start thinking good thoughts.

1 Cotrinthians 9:24, Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.

1 Thessalonians 5:6, Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.

1 Corinthians 10:12-13, Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

We have to do it by using self-control and by constantly being aware of what we think, and by selecting the thoughts we choose to keep according to 2 Corinthians 10:5. And when we do this we are reminded that God is always there to help us. He will show us the way we need to walk, and think if we just allow Him to. Starting today, let us start pushing out the negative thoughts and putting in the positive ones until we are totally renewed in our thinking.

 

Confess your sins

I am in the position at the moment where I suspect someone of having done something illegal but I don’t have sufficient proof. It’s a really bad place to be in. It is not affecting the way I am treating the person because believe you’re innocent until proven guilty and I lean toward the side of mercy where there is doubt.

I tried to put myself into that person’s shoes and it hasn’t been that hard. I am far from perfect and I’ve done a lot of things that I’m not going to go around boasting about. If we do things that we have to keep secret it is not good for our souls. There is so much stress because we have to be careful about what we say and do. What if we say the wrong thing and someone realises what we have done? We are going to look bad and will lose face in front of people who think we are good. We could lose our jobs and family and friends could reject us.

1 John 1:8-9, If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

James 5:16, Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

Living with this kind of secret doesn’t only affect your mind and emotions but can make you physically sick. This verse says that you must get the thing you’ve done into the open so that your sickness can be healed. Forgiveness is so strong that it can heal sickness.

The other thing that happens is that we are not in right standing with God because the devil has something he can accuse us of. He can stand in the throne room of God and accuse us of whatever it is we have done and not confessed and received forgiveness for.

Revelation 12:10, Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.

And God cannot lie and say that the devil cannot torment us because we haven’t made right with Him.

Numbers 23:19, God is not a man, that He should lie…

So what do we do to get back to a place of righteousness, or are we condemned for ever?

Revelation 12:11, And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.

Daniel 9:9, To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Him

It is so important to fix everything we have done which can cause a rift between ourselves and God and between ourselves and other people. It is so much better to live in unity with people and to know that when we speak to God we can come before Him with no guilt. Guilt will kill us in the long run. Unfortunately doing one wrong thing often leads to doing something else to cover up the first thing and so on. God does not need to punish our sins, we are punished enough by the consequences to our minds, emotions and bodies.

Once we have confessed and we have been forgiven we need to forgive ourselves. Don’t remember your wrongdoing once you have asked God for forgiveness. Look up, dress up and show up.

Romans 8:31-34, What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.

Straighten you crown and walk with your head high. You are a worthy child of the most high God and you have to act that way.

Reject the enemy

Philippians 4:8 – “Finally brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are  noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things.

The things which you have learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.”

Romans 16:20 – “The God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly, The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you, Amen.”

 

Why does the bible tell you to think about good things? So that the God of peace will be with you, and He will give you victory over the enemy. We need to crush Satan under our feet because it is Satan that lies to us and causes all kinds on bad things to happen to us. Maybe not entirely true. Satan lies to us and we believe him and then we think negative thoughts that cause bad things to happen to us.

Proverbs 23:7 – “For as he thinks in his heart so is he.”

This verse tells you that what you think about is what you become. If you keep thinking that you aren’t good enough you probably won’t measure up, even if it’s to your own standards. If you think you can’t do something I can almost guarantee you that you will not be able to. One of the biggest lies the enemy tells is that you aren’t good enough. Very few people haven’t felt that way in some stage of their life.

 

John 8:44 – “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie he speak from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.

 

2 Corinthians 11:14 –  “ And no wonder! For Satan transforms himself into an angel of light.”

 

1 Peter5:8 – “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”

 

Therefore, if you think negative thoughts, you will become negative in your heart, you will speak negative things and you will be a negative influence on everyone you come into contact with. If you keep thinking these think negative thoughts you are playing into the enemy’s hand. Conversely, if you think positive, pure and good thoughts the God of peace will be with you. When the God of peace is with you Satan will be crushed under yout feet! That’s a victory! If thinking positive thoughts is all it takes to put Satan under your feet that’s not so hard. It’s easy! But is it? If you have been thinking negative thoughts for so many years how can you change now?

 

Romans 12:2 – “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

 

2 Corinthians 10:4-6 – “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of god, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.”

 

Once again, Proverbs 23:7 – “For as he thinks in his heart, so he is.”

What if your circumstances are really hard? What if your spouse cheated on you? Or there’s no money in the bank? What if your doctor gives you a deadly diagnosis? What if the thought that comes into your head is one that says you should get hold of a gun and blow your brains out, or take a whole bottle of sleeping pills so that you do not have to go through the pain? What then? Recognize that thought as one that doesn’t come from God. Take it captive. Isolate it. Reject it immediately.

James 4:7 says, “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you..”

Resist the devil, in other words, do not entertain that thought. Don’t allow it to take up space in your mind. Do not invite it in, it has no place in your life. Those kinds of thoughts do not come from the Holy Spirit. They are straight from the pit of hell and if you take heed of them that’s where you are going to end up together with the one from whom they originate. Please do not even contemplate that God will put thoughts like that in your mind. He is a loving and merciful Father and He loves you. He does not want to harm you in any way. He went as far as allowing His only son to die so that you can have everlasting life. John 3:16-17 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”

Be aware that every thought that you have that will cause harm to yourself or to someone else does not come from  God. Look for good things to think about. Start a gratitude journal and list things you are grateful for every day. Surround yourself with positive people. Just remember that there will always be difficult circumstances but they will change. The only thing that will never ever change is God and the love He has for you.