Think On These Things

When I learned that we should take the thoughts we think captive to the Lord; I began to pay attention to what I was thinking about myself. I’ve heard we have 30,00 to 50,000 ideas a day. And while I don’t sit around thinking about these thoughts, our word is to think. Think is in the Bible 71 times, and to think means to have a particular opinion, belief, or idea about someone or something or direct one’s mind toward someone or something; use one’s mind actively to form connected ideas.

Thoughts

My thoughts sometimes run away with condemnation, or I have poor thoughts of myself. But, quite honestly, we can have poor ideas of ourselves more often than we think poorly of someone else. The saying, “we are our own worst critic,” is very true. We are the judge and the jury of our thoughts on how we live every day.

I think the Apostle Paul must have struggled with his thoughts. He gives us this recipe found in Philippians 4:8.

Instructions

Paul also instructs us in 2 Corinthians,

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. ⁴ For the weapons of our warfare are not ^[a]carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, ⁵ casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. 2 Corinthians 10: 3-5.

God pulls down strongholds, and a stronghold starts in our minds. We think a thought, and if we do not stop thinking that thought, the idea can become a stronghold.

Today, I don’t struggle with stinking thinking as I used to; when I start thinking poorly of myself, I am reminded that God loves me with an everlasting love. In addition, His thoughts of me are as numerous as the sand on the seashore.

How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand Psallm 139: 17-18a. 

Beloved, we can take our thoughts, the very thing we are thinking, and take it captive to the Lord.

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Prayer

Father God, you created our minds. Thank you that we can take our thoughts captive to you.

What reoccurring thoughts do you struggle thinking about daily?