For as he thinks in his heart, so is he… (Proverbs 23:7).
Our thoughts determine the course of our life. So we must be careful with what we allow ourselves to think about. Here’s a great question to ask. Would I want the last twenty four hours of my thoughts to manifest in my life? If not, then I need to change what I’m thinking!
Jesus said in Matthew 12 that a good man manifests in his lifestyle what he thinks about, and likewise the thoughts of an evil man manifest in his lifestyle.
Satan knows how powerful our thoughts are and continually seeks to invade them. We must choose to keep our thoughts on godly things, and not allow them to dwell on fleshly things.
Notice the admonitions from the New Testament encouraging us to watch our thought life: Be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:2); Be renewed in the spirit of your mind (Ephesians 4:23); Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth (Colossians 3:2); Gird up the loins of your mind (1 Peter 1:13); Pull down strongholds and cast down vain reasonings, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:4-5); Whatever is true, honest just pure lovely, of good report, virtuous, and praiseworthy – think on these things (Philippians 4:8); We don’t allow Satan to take advantage of us, for we are not ignorant of his mind games (2 Corinthians 2:11); Be free from mental intoxicants, be mentally alert and on guard (1 Peter 5:8)
Here are some quotes I’ve gathered over the years that will encourage you to control your thought life:
A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner, so if one’s life is cold and bare he can blame none but himself. You have a chance to select from some pretty elegant furnishings (Louis L’Amour).
Make not your thoughts your prison (Anonymous).
The quality of our lives is closely related to the quality of our thinking (Gary Collins).
You can’t keep a bird from flying over your head. But you can keep him from building a nest in your hair (Kenneth Hagin).
A man’s life will be as the character of his thoughts. If he thinks evil, he will be evil. If he thinks holy, he will be holy; His outward life will be as his inner impulse is (John G. Lake).
You live the way you think – so what the mind feeds upon becomes the most influential force in your life (Tim Lahaye).
The devil knows that if he can capture your thought life, he has one a might
victory over you…I come across people everywhere I go who are held bound by deceptive conditions and these conditions have come about simply because they have allowed the devil to make their minds the place of his
stronghold (Smith Wigglesworth).
You cannot have spiritual power without purity of mind (Lester Sumrall).
Sanctification is having the mind of Christ, and all the mind of Christ (John Wesley).
The soul must be conquered before the spirit can be free (Lester Sumrall).
Guard your thought life today!