Tuesday June 7, 2011

Read Philippians 4:8-9;  Psalm 139

If what we said yesterday was true then today’s passage is absolutely vital to know and to put into practice.  We must be filling our minds with thoughts that please God.  Part of the equation means accepting and agreeing that certain thoughts are sinful and unacceptable because God has deemed them as such.

We also need to accept the truth that God cares very deeply what we think about, fantasize about and what we allow to meander through our minds. It’s very acceptable, for example, for non Christian men to adhere to the adage “You can look but don’t touch”. When a nonChristian bloke is brought to repentance that adage has to be abandoned. Why? Because Jesus taught that even lusting after a woman is adultery.

You are equipped by the Holy Spirit to fill your heart and mind with good things that please the Lord. You have the God-given power to consciously take ungodly thoughts captive and to replace them with thoughts that are noble, good, pure, right and lovely and even admirable. Personally I find the best way to do this, when my mind wants to wander off into sinful pastures, is to recite or sing Scripture in my mind. By doing this I am wielding the Sword of the Spirit and I am actively fighting off the temptations thrown at me by the evil one.

To help you understand all this, do this experiment. Take a note pad with you everywhere tomorrow. It can be pencil and paper or electronic. Commit to listening to your thoughts for the whole day. As you have a thought, write it down. At the end of the day, just before bed, read what you have written down. Which of your thoughts were Godly? Which ones would you be embarrassed about if God were to see them? Which ones would you never show to your spouse. These ones are probably the ones that are sinful and need replacing.

Remember, God knows your every thought and yearns for you to be filled with good things.

Prayer:-

V Pray that you will be set free to be a true and genuine disciple of Christ Jesus.

V Pray that you will see sin minimised in your life and pray this for others in your congregation.

V Pray that God will bring healing and wholeness to those in the congregation who are suffering.

Developing Godly Habits #1

To capture your thoughts and to make them obedient to Christ, you need to start listening to what’s going on inside your mind/thoughts. As soon as you find an ungodly thought (lust, coveting, selfishness, unforgiveness etc) you need to remove that thought and replace it with something godly.

A great godly thought to have constantly in your head is to remember Scripture either as a verse or as a song. There are many artists in the world who put Bible verses to music. Learn some and sing them to yourself constantly throughout the day.

What will happen? Rather than thinking about lusts, covetings, revenge etc you will be focussing on Christ. Victory will be coming your way more often.