How to Get Control of Your Thoughts

Have you ever, like me, had thoughts pop in your head that you didn’t know where they came from?  We can’t necessarily control what thoughts enter our stream of consciousness. But we better control what we do with them after the pop up.

thoughts

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The Bible teaches that we reap what we sow, (Galatians 6:7-8) and that reality is definitely evident in our thoughts.  What we think directly influences what we do and who we become.  Solomon challenges us to protect our hearts diligently since all of life’s issues flow from it. (Proverbs 4:23) When the Bible refers to our heart, it speaks not just of our feelings, but our thinking and our will.

 

The Secret to Successful Thoughts

Consider the admonition of Paul.

“We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.” – 2 Corinthians 10:5

“Take every thought captive.”  We should have thoughts rather than letting thoughts have us.  We have to ask the question, “who is in charge here, me or my mind?”  I like to put it this way: think about what you think about.

So the secret to successful thoughts is to be both intentional and protective of our thoughts.

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3 Lessons I Learned from a Day of Eavesdropping

I took my wife’s vehicle in for an oil change Friday morning, never expecting that a visit to the Wal-Mart Auto Center would initiate a daylong spiritual reflection.  As I sat in the waiting area, I was forced to listen to two different conversations of people I did not know. I decided to pay more attention to what people around me had to say, and by listening, I came to three conclusions.

Conclusion #1: We need to be careful with our words.  One of my greatest challenges in life is discerning the times and seasons of Ecclesiastes 3:7 – a time to keep silence and a time to speak. Be mindful that ears are everywhere listening to what we say.

Conclusion #2: People are generally negative.  Most of Friday’s conversations involved complaint, criticism, and condemnation. I want to make a more conscious effort for my words to be positive and uplifting.

Do all things without grumbling or disputing.  Philippians 2:14

Conclusion #3:  People are hurting. We live in a hurting world, but we have the greatest message of hope – Jesus loves so much that He gave His life, and all who trust in Him can have meaning and purpose.  I must consciously choose words that build up others and point them to the hope that is found in Jesus.

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. – Ephesians 4:29

Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. Colossians 4:6

Let’s be more intentional with our words.  Let’s choose to speak grace and not grumbling.  Let’s build up and not tear down.  Let’s point people to Jesus and the hope that is found in Him.

The Biggest Challenge for the Next Generation

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What are you passing on to the next generation spiritually? Eyes are always watching us, and we are constantly being scouted and imitated. We ALL influence somebody. Our children and other kids are watching what we do, hearing what we say, and noticing how we think.

I have heard it said that children do in excess what they see their parents do in moderation. Words, attitudes, and actions that to us may be incidental become building blocks for the personalities of children.

Unfortunately, I have seen parents who displayed a lack of respect for authority raise children who didn’t respect them. I have seen parents criticize people in the church and then wonder why their kids, when old enough to choose for themselves, wanted nothing to do with the church. I have seen parents who considered their commitment to things spiritual to be optional question how their kids could walk away from the things of God.

Part of living an intentional life is realizing at every moment we can make a conscious effort to build positive traits into the lives of people around us.

Be mindful of your own words, attitudes, and actions. Think about what you are saying and portraying.

Talk less. Laugh and smile more. You will be amazed at how something as simple as a positive outlook on life positively affects our children.

Be honest and authentic. Your kids see your faults. Admitting them and striving to overcome them sets an example for a generation of honesty and integrity.

Gladly take on the mantle of ROLE MODEL. You are whether you want to be or not. You are leading by example . . . good or bad.

Become the kind of person who can say with Paul:

Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. – Philippians 4:9

The next generational will be “us plus.”

Do You Stink?

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I once heard of a prank perpetuated by some kids on their grandfather. He took daily naps on the sofa, naps that were so deep nothing would awaken him. During one nap they smeared some Limburger cheese on his mustache and waited for him to awaken. Soon he did, with a sniff, and declared, “This sofa stinks!” He then moved to the LazyBoy where again he declared, “This chair stinks!” He tried every room in the house only to find that they, too, stunk. Finally, he went outside to get some fresh air, and when he took a deep breath, he declared, “The whole world stinks!”

Unfortunately, that story repeats daily in the lives of some people, only figuratively. With bad attitudes, they declare that everything in the world stinks – their job, their circumstances, their church, their pastor. They view a situation or person as bad, yet others see it differently. All the while, the stink was actually right under their nose, following them everywhere they go. They ARE the stink.

Our attitudes determine how we view the world around us, and the good news is we control our attitude – it is a choice. Proverbs 23:7 tells us as a man “thinks within himself, so he is.” Our attitude actually BECOMES our reality. So, how can we change our attitude and thereby change our reality?

First, we need to change the contents of our thoughts. If somehow Limburger cheese is under our nose, we need to wash our face. Philippians 4:8 teaches us to fill our mind with the right kinds of thoughts and leave no room for the negative thoughts. We can change the way we view our reality by changing WHAT we think.

Additionally, we need to change our influencers. The people around us either lift us up or bring us down – and the direction we are going is often deceiving. Sometimes we think people are making us feel better by commiserating with us, but in the end, they are only helping us dig deeper into the pit of negativity. 1 Corinthians 15:33 teaches us that “bad company corrupts good character.” If your friends are negative, chances are you will be too. If your friends are positive, they will lift your spirit and help you attitude.

If we change what we think, and change who influences our thoughts, chances are we will begin to see our reality in a fresh new light. Things are not as bad as we think they are, nor nearly as bad as others try to tell us they are. So, wipe the stinky cheese off your face and face the world with a new attitude.