I used to think my thoughts were something that just happened to me, as if they flew into my mind like birds into a tree and I could not control them. It wasn’t until I received the Lord and saw what the Bible teaches on the subject that I realized we can take charge of our thoughts. In fact, we are instructed to do so.
You may not be able to control every thought that flies into your mind, but you can control how long it perches there. You can decide whether that thought is just passing through or it’s nesting. Your thoughts affect your entire life. That’s why you must take charge of them and not allow any birdbrained ideas to control you.
The enemy of your soul will do whatever it takes to get inside your mind with his lies. He will plant a thought, a fear, a suspicion, or a wrong idea and torment you with it. It is meant to wear you down. And it works. We must learn to recognize his deception before we can refute and resist it.
The only way to fight his lies is with the truth of the Word. “The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light” (Romans 13:12). We can put on the armor of light by speaking the Word of God out loud. We can pray out loud using Scripture in our prayers. And we can speak and sing words of worship and praise to the Lord.
We have control over our thoughts. We can ask ourselves, What am I letting into my mind? What is the fruit of the thoughts I am thinking? Do my thoughts produce positive and uplifting results? Or do they make me feel bad, sad, anxious, fearful, depressed, or angry? Are these thoughts from the Lord? Or do they seem more like something that comes from the enemy? When you have God’s Word in your mind, you will recognize anything that does not line up with it.
You Can Always Change Your Mind
Paul said to the Corinthians, “I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:3). When things start becoming confusing or vague—or your mind is anxious, fearful, doubt filled, stressed, or overwhelmed—that is not from the Lord. It never is. The simplicity in Christ is crystal clear, positive, peaceful, faith filled, and calm. Don’t settle for anything less. “God is not the author of confusion but of peace” (1 Corinthians 14:33).
Your mind can be renewed. Paul said to the Ephesians, “Put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind” (Ephesians 4:22-23). We can decide to put off wrong ways of thinking or acting—the old self that attracts deception and lust like a magnet—and deliberately be renewed in our mind.
The more you know God—by reading His Word and spending time with Him in prayer and worship—the more you can discern what thoughts are of Him and what thoughts are either from your flesh or the enemy. For example, if you find yourself thinking a thought such as, I would be better off dead, you will be able to recognize that this is not God giving you revelation for your life.
This doesn’t mean that you deny having undesirable or wrong thoughts. Nor should you push them down and repress them. It requires examining what is going on in your mind in the light of Scripture to see if your thoughts line up with what God says in His Word.
The truth is, your thoughts will either serve your flesh or the enemy or the Lord. And the decision is yours. Paul said that evil caused his flesh to war against his mind. He asked who would deliver him from this, and then he answered his own question, saying, “I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin” (Romans 7:25). Jesus is the Deliverer who sets us free from our own ungodly thoughts.
Because of Jesus, you can change your mind!
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Becoming a Woman of Prayer, by Stormie Omartian, contains 30 concise chapters exploring what it means to sustain a vital connection with God in every circumstance. You’ll read about living free of guilt and fear, receiving and extending forgiveness, stranding strong in the face of temptation, experiencing God’s love, and so much more. As you learn the simple steps to powerful prayer, Stormie helps you find the freedom, wholeness, and success that result from drawing close to God and communing with Him.
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