Oh thoughts….you gotta love ‘em…

I think for most of us thoughts can be such a tricky thing and here’s why…

They seem so real!!!!

And they are just there like all the time and we don’t feel like we’re choosing them rather they’re choosing us 

I mean who wakes up and thinks “ today I want to think of all the ways I don’t measure up… or you know what sounds good?!? I’m going to rehearse all the mistakes and ways I have failed in my life in between all the down time in my real life…

Sounds ridiculous and sad but it’s what happens

And because we don’t actually set out to do those examples I just gave, when those things enter into our thoughts we perceive them as truth because they’re there and are speaking to us…

And they sound like they know what they're talking about and even come with hard facts many times to back up their argument.

But here’s the thing…

YOU DON’T HAVE TO BELIEVE AND KEEP EVERY THOUGHT YOU THINK!!!!!

I’m going to repeat that in case you mentally zoned out on me for a minute…

You don’t have to believe or keep every thought that comes into your mind!!

2 Corinthians 10:5 instructs us how we are to handle our thoughts…

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

So what does that mean to make a thought obedient to Christ?!

It means every thought that is not in alignment with the truth about what Christ says must be taken down.

Which means WE HAVE TO THINK ABOUT WHAT WE THINK ABOUT!!

It’s so easy to go through our lives just accepting every thought that comes into our mind. And that is so dangerous. And it’s keeping us from living into who we were designed and created to be.  The enemy knows that if he can keep you distracted by dwelling on lies and things in the past and worry about what the future might hold he wins.

So we have to be so intentional about thinking about what we think about!

I’ve shared before how years ago I was blown away in a study with Dr. Caroline Leaf when she shared how there is an actual place in our brains where when we have a thought we have a choice to accept it into another area of the brain. I mean I knew about this scripture and desired to implement it’s truth in my life but after hearing Dr. Leaf talked about this fact I sometimes literally envision making this choice with thoughts that enter my mind. I see myself taking hold of it and replacing it with the truth of what God says and allowing only truth to remain in my mind.

And here’s the thing...we can be proactive in planting thoughts in our mind!!

This is so helpful if you are someone who struggles with worry and negative thoughts.

Philippians 4:8 helps us with what we can fill our minds with…

It says:

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

There are the 7 things to think about.

If it's not true don’t think about it!! Instead, fill your mind with all the things you know to be true!

Like you are loved. You are chosen.

YOU were God’s idea! There is a reason you are here.

You are here at this moment in time to be co-laborers with Christ and bring beauty out of chaos in the world.

You were not designed to live in fear but you were formed to live full of power with a sound mind.

You are chosen by the creator of the universe to bring Him glory and to love and be loved by him. He reminds you in every morning sunrise of his goodness and mercy and kisses you with every breathtaking sunset reminding you of his faithfulness… to you... for eternity.

Let’s think on these things friend…

Thankful for you…

Talk soon!