The statement: “As a man thinks in his heart so he is,” describes what is accepted as characteristic of any person – you are what you think. As much as a plant is a product of seeds, so a man is a product of his thoughts, that is what James Allen would have said, a British philosopher of the 1800’s. He also said: “A man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of all his thoughts.”
I heard it once said that “we choose our thoughts, our thoughts determine our actions, our actions form our habits, our habits make up our character and our character creates our destiny.” We are, where our thinking has taken us, our circumstances are a product of our thoughts.
So, it follows that if you can change a person’s thoughts, you change everything about them and touch their circumstances. If our thoughts are the origin of everything; what better place for the devil to start? If he controls our minds, he controls everything about us.
So when 2 Cor 10:3-5 describes our spiritual battle, it does not describe a battle like we would know here on earth, but one where the battle is taking place in the mind. Where the goal of our weapons is to “demolish arguments” (rational thinking, theories and reasoning) and “every pretension” (irrational thinking) or imaginings that “set themselves up against” knowledge. Knowledge of what? Knowledge of the truth of God.
The battle for your mind is on. Thinking produces thinking patterns, some of which become thinking habits, these translate into motivations, which result in actions and words that shape our lives. Motivations give rise to emotion, which combined with daily events result in yet more thoughts and thinking patterns. As our thoughts spin around in our heads, the devil waits for an appropriate foothold that we provide him. Then he takes his lies, his half truths and bends them to suit his purpose, shaping our thoughts for the purposes of destruction. 1 Peter 5:8
“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
Which is why, the Lord warns us not to conform to this world and its thinking, but to be transformed by the “renewing of our minds” (Rom 12:2)and why we as believers “take captive every thought that sets itself up against God’s truth” (2 Cor 10:5)
Jesus tells us in Matt 12:34 and Luke 6:45, that if we want to know what is in our hearts (in other words, what we really believe and don’t just give intellectual assent to) it will be revealed by what comes out of our mouths. Furthermore, that the good planted in us, will bring forth good and evil planted in us, will bring forth evil (Matt 12:33).
From thought life follows our actions; motivation; belief and purpose in life.
Being circumspect, is also considering my thought life. What is my thought-life based on? Scripture actually tells us what to think about:
Phil 4:8 “Finally brethren (sisters), whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy – MEDITATE ON THESE THINGS.”
Have you ever spent time thinking about your thinking?- Have you ever considered that your mouth reveals how you actually think and believe?
- Have you ever considered that who you are and where you are in life, is shaped by how you think?
- Have you ever considered that your mind can be the most vulnerable place for spiritual attack?
Father, thank you that Your Word reveals truth to us. Help me to be mindful of how I think and what I think in order to identify wrong thinking. Reveal to me what I really believe in my heart so that I can correct my thinking according to the truth. From this day forth, I declare that I will meditate on truth and allow truth to guide my thinking processes.
If you enjoyed this post, also read:
Seven Mistakes that Undermine Spiritual Stability
Four Benefits of Being Circumspect
Thankyou for your words of wisdom.It was an eye opener to me,of how ones thoughts shape your life.
I need to meditate more on Gods promises than on the situations around me.God bless you as you reach out to a lost world..
Thank you Michelle for the blessing that you are, the renewal of our minds is so important and now especially in our current situation of lockdown. The Word of the Lord brings Truth and set the captives free and the only way to live a life free of the hardships what the world is about is to set your mind on things above and not the world, and things above can only be found in the Word.
Have a blessed day sister in Christ
You are so right Madelaine, I have been so challenged by right thinking at the moment. Changing our thinking to be based on the word of God, is life changing as it breaks down fundamental habits of thinking that we have grown up with. Thank you so much for chatting and making contact. I love hearing from my readers. Michelle
Hey Michelle
Good post today thank you! Gives us all motivation to keep our thoughts pure and in line with God’s will!
Thanks for taking the time to bring and share the word with us all
Luv Lesley xx
Thank you Lesley. The way we think and what we think has so much to do with God’s will. God’s desire for us is to live His way, according to the truth, to bring about life. Thank you for giving me feedback, it is great to hear from my readers.
Love in Him
Michelle