Tuesday, June 21, 2011

#197 - Thoughts Matter

Good morning! It already feels like a warm day here in Columbia, we may have to hit up the pool for a bit. Well, let's get started in to the Word.
Proverbs 21:5 - The thoughts of the [steadily] diligent tend only to plenteousness, but everyone who is impatient and hasty hastens only to want.
Proverbs 31:27 - She looks well to how things go in her household, and the bread of idleness (gossip, discontent, and self-pity) she will not eat.
As I sat reading in my journal and reading through today's Proverbs, I couldn't escape the concept that "Your Thoughts Matter." Yesterday as I sat, listening to what I felt the Holy Spirit was telling me, here were some of the things I got from it:

    • You are not subject to your circumstances. When you do things God's way, your circumstances are subject to YOU!
    • Your expectation and believe DOES matter!
    • People SEE your beliefs by how you live. 
Then as I sat down this morning, I felt like with the theme of "A Journey of Belief" or "A Journey of Faith." Have you ever felt like you were on a journey in your spiritual walk? One day you believe, another day you may be a bit down, the next day is better... and on and on the cycle goes. Ultimately you want to be rooted in faith and rooted in belief, unlike the person in James chapter 1 who is like a wave, tossed to and fro in the sea, wavering, unstable in all his ways.  Thankfully, being in the Word on a consistent basis has a way of keeping one grounded. Keeping one emotionally stable and headed in the right direction, though my question yesterday was this: How does someone steer clear from doubt or discouragement? 


The gist of the answer was something like this: Have a clear vision. Have the stories of faith and victory, a plan, the vision, the pieces of the puzzle INGRAINED in your mind and on your heart. Have it SO ingrained there that you know it like the back of your hand. So ingrained that every bit of it is real to you. Continue to RENEW your mind to THAT story, that vision!

This is where your thoughts come in. Your daily thoughts matter. Down to the minute, those things that you allow your mind to dwell on really matter! One thought can lead you down the path of doubt & discouragement, or one thought can lead you down the path of faith, belief, victory and favor. One thought! The Bible does not say that "doubt" won't come. For a believer, it most likely WILL come. The enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy (Jn 10:10), and if he can steal your faith and belief, he has won! As believers, we need to be PREPARED when the enemy comes, when he tries to plant thoughts in our mind. We need to know HOW and WHAT we are going to do when that happens. It's not a matter of IF it will happen, it's a matter of WHEN it will happen. How are you going to stay on the path to hope, faith & belief? How are you going to keep from getting discouraged? The vision, needs to be there, firmly. We need to be able to QUICKLY look to something, an idea, story, vision, plan, promise, scripture, whatever it is for you, but we need to be able to IMMEDIATELY access those thoughts and dwell on them. When the enemy comes, we need to be able to take EVERY thought captive and put it under the obedience of Christ Jesus. BUT, with the thought that Satan tries to plant, we need to be able to replace it with something else. Replace it with a thought of victory. Replace it with the picture or idea, the story of victory that we've ingrained on our minds and heart. If we are scrambling for that vision, unclear of how or what to think on, we are headed down a road of doubt and disbelief.

Thoughts matter. Today, take the time to PLAN your thoughts. Be ready when the enemy comes. KNOW what your thoughts are going to be! Know what you are going to think on . Philippians 4:8 reminds us to,  Think on THESE things, "... whatever is pure, lovely, of good report....meditate on these things." 


Your thoughts matter.

1 comment:

jburton said...

Yep, get the Word ingraned in your heat and mind...be a Boys Scout...be ready! Thanks for your THOUGHTS!

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