Think on These Things

Do you have peace? Are you sad? Are you discouraged? 

I know for myself I have spent most of my life in fear and very discouraged about everything when I say everything I do mean EVERY thing. I used the excuses, “well I struggle with this because I have depression, because my personality is melancholy, it’s just the way I am, etc.” 

The last year or so I have been discovering all kinds of things about my thought life. My sister-in-law, Jenny, is the first person who introduced to this whole thought thing. I will forever be grateful to her for that! Then it was further cemented into my mind by a course called, “Daughters of Sarah” by Greater Impact Ministries. 

Did you know that we are responsible for what we think?? Thoughts don’t just happen. Well ok a thought may pop into your head but you have a choice as soon as it does. You can dwell on it or throw it out. Really there is a check list in the Bible that each thought pop should go through. Philippians 4:8 says,  “For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them].” FIX your minds on them. So if my thought isn’t true, doesn’t line up with the truth found in Scripture, if it isn’t excellent, lovable, worthy of reverence, it doesn’t belong in my mind. It needs to be kicked out. 2 Corinthians 10:5b says,  “and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One)”. So each thought must be brought into obedience to Christ. If my thoughts don’t line up with Scripture, I need to get rid of them, replace them with TRUTH. I WILL BECOME WHAT I THINK. Romans 12:2, “Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you].” {If you have any doubts about that just look at media and its influence on modern culture. When stuff is promoted in movies and music– doesn’t it make it easier to accept in modern culture? Suddenly it becomes normal. We become what we think!} 

I began to examine my own thought life. I worried a lot. I thought about a lot of not so great things. Things that might not seem majorly wrong but things that caused me to have an incredibly negative attitude and expectations. The majority of my thought life was not based on the truth of God’s word. I lived in defeat because I was not thinking Gods thoughts about situations, myself, or others. 

I began to replace those thoughts with thoughts that God Himself breathed out. It’s really amazing how much of a difference His Word makes. Honestly, if we really believe the Bible to be true, we have no reason to be discouraged and defeated. That being said hard times are going to come. Depression and experiences can make the battle harder but we have to stop leaning on those crutches and start to depend fully on God. If the Bible is truth–Goodness y’all, it’s time live like it. I know I had a really tiny tiny tiny belief in truth. Honestly the God I had been serving was small. Tiny. He couldn’t do anything, y’all. Not sure where I got that idea cause if you spend any time in the Bible… Well it doesn’t back it up. It has quite a different story to tell actually. 

I now believe with all my heart that there is Power (through Christ) to break EVERY chain! I have seen Him break so many chains in my own life. I think it starts by taking His Word as the eternal, unchanging Truth. Suddenly there are no excuses… I could go on and on and on. But instead I am going to challenge you to figure it out for yourself. Take just one of your sad, discouraging thoughts. Find a promise, a truth from the Bible to replace it. For the next week every time the bad thought comes to your mind replace it with God Breathed Truth. Every time!!!! Say it out loud if you have to. Believe it with all your might.  And see what happens, better yet tell me your story at the end of the week. 🙂 I would love that. My God is big enough for anything you throw at Him. I KNOW something will be different in you because filling your mind with His truth does that. 🙂 

Blessings to you!!

p.s. Be aware that Satan hates for you to believe God and he is gonna fight for your mind. You will have a battle in this whole thing. But Be of good cheer, God has already won the war!!!!