by Walter Smith
Here is our thesis – What you choose to think about and dwell on in this life will make or break you as to what type of person you will end up becoming in this life. Scripture puts that thought this way – “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:” (Proverbs 23:7). The key word in this verse is the word “thinketh.” The word “thinketh” is telling you that God is targeting your thought process – what you think about on a daily basis. Interpretation – you are what you think!
You can become what you think! This principle is easily seen in our world today. You can easily tell who is operating on this principle in the way the Lord has intended and who is not. The people who always seem to be upbeat and fulfilled with their lives are the people who have a good sound mind and who are always thinking about the positive things in this life. They choose, with their own free wills, to dwell on the positive side of life.
The people who are always pessimistic and have negative attitudes towards anybody and anything, are choosing to think and dwell on the negative side of this life. Granted, this is a cursed and fallen world in which we all live. Jesus Himself said that we would all have to go through various types of trials and tribulations in this life from time to time. However, there is a flip side to this coin. On the one side of the coin is the darker side of this life, but on the other side of this coin is the good, positive, and brighter side of this life. It is not all death, doom, and destruction. Even in the worse case scenarios and situations, there is always a hope and a light at the end of that storm cloud.
As Christians, we all have God Almighty Himself on our side to help us take on any storm clouds that may come our way in this life. The difference between these two types of people is in their thought life. The people who are upbeat, and positive have chosen to look on the brighter side of things, even in some of the worse case scenarios imaginable. The negative type of people have chosen to think and dwell on all of the bad things that can happen or go wrong in this life.
No matter what good may come their way, they will always think that something better could have come their way. As a result of all of this negative and morbid type of thinking in their thought process, nothing ever makes them happy or content because nothing is ever good enough for them. The Bible is very clearly telling us in the above verse that we can all choose what to think about and dwell on. We do not have to become slaves to negative type thinking. Our thinking and thought process does not control us – we control it! Negative type thinking can be broken.
For many, it has become an actual mental stronghold because they have been mired down into this type of negative thinking for such a long period of time. However, as you will see in some of the Scripture verses below, the Bible tells us that we can actually take “captive” what we think about. We have to bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Jesus. What this means is that we are directly responsible for choosing what we think about and dwell on – and then make sure that our thinking always lines up with the Word of God and how He wants us to think about things.
We cannot blame anyone else, including God Himself, if we have chosen with our own free wills to constantly dwell on the negative and darker side of this life. The Bottom line – we all have to learn how to develop right thinking. Our part is to do the best we can to try and think and dwell on the things that God wants us to be concentrating and focusing on. However, as we all know, most of us only have a certain amount of mental strength in this area. Some will naturally go farther in this realm than others will. This is where the Holy Spirit will really be coming in big time to help you get your thinking process straightened out and grounded in the Lord. This is all part of the sanctification process that God wants to start with each one of us.
This process will not be accomplished overnight. If you have been operating in a negative type of mindset for a long period time, God will start to gradually and progressively move you out of it into a better, clearer, and healthier type of thinking. Your job will be to work very closely with the Holy Spirit once He starts this sanctification process within you. You will see Him start to target specific areas in your thinking where you are really off base. Once this revelation has been given to you by the Holy Spirit, then it will be up to you as to whether or not you will choose to work with Him to get this particular area cleaned up to the degree that the Lord would really like. If He tells you that you are too judgmental and too critical of others – then your part will be to do the best you can to try and cast down these types of negative and destructive thoughts and replace them with more positive and godly types of thoughts.
For many, this will be a very painful process because you will be forced to admit that you have some character flaws and imperfections that will need to be dealt with in your mind, soul, and personality. The Holy Spirit is the Master Surgeon and He will be attempting to do inner spiritual surgery on you to take out what He does not want to be operating in your mind and thought process, and put in what He does want to be operating in it. Your job will be to choose, with your own free will, to work and cooperate with the Holy Spirit once He makes it very clear to you what specific changes He will want to make with you. He will not force these changes on you. He will let you know very clearly exactly what it is He wants to put in your system and exactly what it is He wants to take out.
If you choose to move and cooperate with the Holy Spirit on what specific changes He will want to make with you, then God the Father will allow the supernatural power of His Holy Spirit to truly begin to transform and sanctify you in the way and manner that will most pleasing to Him. Romans 12;1-2: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Ephesians 4:22-24: “That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” II Corinthians 4:16 – “For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.”
Many Christians are not operating with very sound minds. One of the most incredible blessings that we can be given as a Christian, especially in the type of world we live in today, is the blessing of being able to have a good, clear, sound mind in the Lord! For those who are walking very close with the Lord and have your act together with Him, the Holy Spirit will really move to impart this sound mind to you. II Timothy 1:7 – “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” To those of you who are into memorizing Scripture verses, I would highly recommend that you add this one to your memorization list. Proverbs 16:3 – “Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.” II Corinthians 10:5 – “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”
by Walter Smith
Original article can be found at http://theheritageherald.blogspot.com/2013/05/stnkin-thinkin.html