It Matters What You Think!

It Matters What You Think!

 “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.”

2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV

Call me strange, but I believe that a person’s thoughts shape his or her character. The inner anatomy of a person’s soul reveals a person’s true spiritual condition. There are those who would say, “My thoughts are private. No one gets arrested for thinking evil. The domain of the mind is private turf. As long as I act civilly, no one can charge me with wrong behavior.”

My friend, that line of thinking is very deceptive. It’s a tragic delusion of the mind. It leads to a “do as I say, not as I do” kind of mentality.

But Jesus said there’s a link between thought and action. “You have heard it said, ‘You shall not commit adultery; but I say to you, that anyone who looks on a woman to lust for her has committed adultery with her already in his heart’” (Matthew 5:27-28). He was saying that the thought is the same as the act.

The Bible places blame for s sinful thought life on the fact that our minds have been blinded by the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4). Satan is the great deceiver who is always trying to attack the human mind. In fact, the more I think about it, the more I think the mind may be the real battleground where spiritual warfare happens.

God can’t be fooled by external conformity to right morality and social custom. Psalm 94:11 says, “The Lord knows the thoughts of humankind.” He calls for us to renew our minds. Even though we’re often blinded by sin and tainted by the fall of Adam, our minds can be transformed by the saving grace of God. Staying true to our faith in Christ can help us bring our thoughts under the lordship of Jesus.

For most of us, it’s a daily battle. The apostle Paul writing to believers in Corinth said, “We’re taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). The battle of the mind is won by a daily surrender to Christ. That’s the only defense against the dirt this world tries to shovel into our minds.

But there’s also a very practical way to capture our minds. We’re given a great tool in Philippians 4:8: “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.”

What will YOU be thinking about today, my friend? If you want your thoughts to be acceptable in God’s sight, think about things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy! You can’t go wrong thinking about those kinds of things!



Thanks for reading Pastor Dale’s Mid-Week Encouragement.  If you’re a regular attender or member of the Mt. Laurel Church of God, you might want to consider reading Jeremiah 1:4-10 to get yourself ready to hear God’s message through Pastor Dale this coming Sunday, August 24.

Called to know the Way, go the Way, and show you the Way,

^{Pastor Dale}

Pastor Dale (PD) and Pamela his wife are honored to serve the Mt. Laurel Church of God. If this Mid-Week Encouragement has helped you, perhaps it may encourage someone else. Feel free to share this message with anyone you choose. And if you'd like to receive PD's Mid-Week Encouragement, just send an email to (kingdomguy@gmail.com) and I'll accommodate your request.