The Source of Our Thoughts
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.
Proverbs 4:23
The Lord looks at the heart, which is revealed by our thoughts. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7). Our thoughts come from our spiritual mind, which is separate from our physical brain. Our soul and mind are spiritual and eternal, and our thoughts are programmed in our temporary physical brains. The mind normally reflects the information and emotions wired in our brains. The mind can be controlled by God through the Holy Spirit, or it can be controlled by the world through the flesh. These are the two sources of our thoughts, and it is the spiritual battle we fight every day.
Satan’s goal is to control our thoughts, so our brains are programmed to the sinful ways of the world. God controls our thoughts, so our brains are programmed to the ways of God. What we think about the most takes the most real-estate in our brains. We are basically our own brain surgeons, changing the wiring in our brains by the source of our thoughts. For as he thinketh in his heart so is he. (Proverbs 23:7) The more we think on the things of God, the more the brain wires Godly thoughts, and the less we think about worldly things, the brain unwires sinful worldly thoughts.
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. (Romans 12:2) This scripture says renew the mind which we do by renewing our thoughts. This is a process that God will continue to our last breath, making us more Christ-like in our thinking. Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (First Corinthians 2:16). We are destined to have the mind of Christ, which means our thoughts are Christ-like.
We renew the mind by controlling our thoughts. We do this by capturing every thought and making it obedient to Christ. 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. (Second Corinthians 10:5). This may sound difficult but the more we live to reflect Christ, the more we see the power in controlling our thoughts and emotions. God gives us victory through the Holy Spirit, although we cannot perfectly fight the spiritual war at the thought level, we can virtually eliminate sinful words and actions.
When we control our thoughts and emotions through the power of God, we have essential overcome the world. Any information coming from the world is first filtered by the Holy Spirit, giving us a Godly thought and a Godly response. If we can control our thoughts and our emotions, then to great extent we can control how we feel and our health. Research is proving more each day how our health is closely related to the way we think. We are created for mind of love and hope, which actually heals the brains, and thoughts of unforgiveness, anger, anxiety, or fear; are toxic and can cause physical problems.
Today keep your thoughts on love and hope, and walk with a heart filled with peace, and joy from the Spirit. Remember to be a light for Christ because this will help keep your thoughts on the Spirit’s guidance. As we gain control of our thinking we also gain control of our emotions, and the result is that we have the power from God to help us control how we feel and our health.
Prayer: Lord, fill my mind with your thoughts of peace and joy, with a heart reflecting your love. Erase any thoughts of fear, unforgiveness, anger, frustration, or anything sinful, and replace it peace. Thank you for guiding me as your servant to be light in this world, and to point lost souls toward eternal life. In Jesus name, Amen