Many give little attention to their thought-life. I recall during my emotional affair, I reasoned my thoughts away. As long as I wasn’t doing anything and just thinking about it, there were no ill effects. How wrong I was.
Those thoughts, played on repeat, led to a desire and temptation to act them out. James 1:13-15 says it like this:
When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their ownevil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin;and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
Your thoughts, when unchecked, are desires that lead to death.
Proverbs 15:26 tells us wicked thoughts are actually detestable to God:
The Lord detests the thoughtsof the wicked,
but gracious words are pure in his sight.
We would be wise to mind our thoughts.
Challenge: Take stock of your thought-life. Are you replaying something in your mind someone did against you and it’s making you more angry with every replay? Are you dreaming about the guy at the office? Are you picturing that beautiful woman from the gym? Are you replaying in your mind all the ways your friend has everything you don’t? Are you scheming of ways to hurt someone? Check your thoughts and redirect any hurt, anger or jealous to prayer before it is full-grown.
This post is part of The Nester’s 31 Days Series
This is another hard one. 2 Cor 10:5 says, “…we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” I like the Message version; “…fitting every LOOSE thought AND emotion AND impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ.”
(emphasis, MINE) I can just picture all my thoughts running around loose and I don’t know about anybody else, but I have a LOT of loose thoughts. Just need to be reminded that God is God of my thoughts as well as my actions.
Denise, what a great verse. Now I wish I’d thought of that to include in the post!