The Importance of our Thoughts

The key to victory in our lives.

For many years I’ve heard ”many” sermons talking about the importance of our thoughts. The Bible talks about it.  Psalm 139:23 “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:” Matthew 15:19-20, “19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: 20 These are the things which defile a man:”

Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

There are many other Scriptures about our thoughts and God’s thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9, “8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

God tried to tell me this years ago, but being dull of hearing, or just not wanting to hear, I didn’t “get” what He was saying. And I’ve paid the price for it. I believe I stayed in bondage a whole lot longer than I needed to because of it. Not making excuses. It is what it is. Because the devil had free reign in my life from the beginning, I believed his lies. Unfortunately, I believed his lies over God’s truth. I pray for those reading this that you can understand the importance of what I am saying. I’ve learned from experience, and I pray it saves you years of constant battling to get right with God and get out of bondage from the devil!

God tried dealing with me about my thoughts. While being abused most of my life, my thoughts were full of hate, anger, bitterness, jealousy, lust, resentment and of getting even with those who have hurt me. As the spirit of rejection caused me to feel unwanted, unloved, unlovable, unworthy, so the spirit of rebellion has caused me to hate those who hurt me. It has caused me to want to make myself feel “better” and of more importance than others. It has caused thoughts that kept me in bondage for years.

These kinds of thoughts plagued my mind. I wanted to be a godly woman, and I wanted God to use me to help others. He spoke many things into my life, but none of it was happening. You can’t have thoughts from the devil plaguing your mind and wanting a pure heart. Our mind and heart, our thoughts are connected. The Bible says that which is in our heart will come out of our mouth.

For God to use me I had to learn to stop the way I was thinking. You can’t have compassion on people if you are judging and condemning them. When God started talking to me, giving me promises of what He could and would do in my life, I was so excited. No one ever loved me and encouraged me and told me I was worth something like God has. He made me feel like gold instead of trash, diamonds instead of raw sewage.

Finally, He gave me one last shot. Get it or lose it all. So, how do you do this? The secret is believing what God’s Word says and comparing it to your thoughts. If hate or lust or unclean thoughts are filling your mind, those thoughts are not of God.

Philippians 4: 8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Obviously hate or thoughts of revenge or lust are not according to God’s Word. We all have “thoughts”, millions of them. But I’m talking about thoughts that are controlling your mind and controlling who you are, controlling your actions and what you do. Thoughts that are keeping you bowed down to the enemy.

So, what do you do now? The key can be found in 2 Corinthians 10:5 “Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ”.

Casting down: with the use of force: to throw down, cast down, to refute, to destroy. This is a process that cannot be rushed but must be of prime importance in your life if you really want to defeat the devil and be set free.

Cast down. Make yourself think about what you are thinking about. If it doesn’t line up with God’s truth, stop thinking about it. Fight the devil if you have to, in Jesus’ Name, telling the devil he is not in control of your life and, you do not have to believe his lies.

He is going to fight you, especially if he has been allowed to get a stronghold in your life and if it has been going on for a long time. But you can overcome. Instead of being overcome by the devil, you can overcome all that he has tried to do in your life to defeat you. No, this isn’t easy, and it isn’t a one-time occurrence. You have to fight to win.

After casting down those thoughts in your life that don’t line up with the Bible, bring it into captivity. Subdue it, take it prisoner, by not allowing it to continue.  Again, this is not a quick fix. If it took you years to get where you are, you are not going to be able to overcome this in an afternoon.

Now the most important part, submitting your thought life to God. When a thought of hate or jealousy or bitterness or lust or even thoughts of low self-esteem and not feeling worthy, comes to mind, even if you have to say it out loud, tell it to stop. Pray and ask Jesus to help you. Read the Bible and find Scriptures to think upon. Out loud speak and tell yourself that God loves you and He died on the Cross to give you victory over the hold the devil has had on you.

I want God to use me. I thank God for letting me know He loves me. ME! He loves ME! That means I am lovable. I am worthy of being loved. I am wanted. For years I believed I was trash and had no value. Satan told me that over and over. It took me a long time to trust God enough to believe His Word and to overcome the lies Satan fed me daily, throughout the day.

The Bible says God created us, He saw all that He had made and said it was very good. He didn’t create trash. He didn’t make a mistake. But we have trampled others in order to make ourselves feel good. We have run roughshod over others because of the hurt done to us. We have tried to get even and hate those who hurt us.

The last days are here. If we don’t change our thinking and seek out God’s thoughts and His ways, those “others” could be spending eternity in Hell because of us. We could also find ourselves there right along with them.

If God thought I was worthy enough for Him to send His son, Jesus to the cross to die for me, then I want Him to use me to love and encourage someone else who has been held captive by a lying devil, to tell you that God sent His son Jesus to die on the cross for you too. The goal is to be like Jesus, to think His thoughts and not those of the enemy. Fight back. You don’t have to cower in a corner, afraid of your own shadow anymore. Take back the life that Christ died to give you. Overcome. Shout hallelujah to God and thank Him for the victory.