Did you know that no matter where you go, you have an entourage that follows you 24/7? They are close, constant companions who easily influence the words you speak, the places you go and the things you do each and every day. They can be subtle and gracious, or all consuming and merciless. They fill your head, dictate emotions and try to lead your every step. These constant companions are your thoughts.
As a young christian, I still remember when I first became aware of how powerful an undisciplined thought could influence my reaction when something unfavorable took place. Set in a series of difficult trials early on in my faith, I now see how God used that time to teach and grow me in thinking biblically. I was learning first-hand that I had an old sinful nature inside me and that there was a fierce battle for how I was going to think. Gal. 5:17
A battle was to be fought and a trained warrior was needed.
It’s not enough for us to be women who know we are daughters of the Most High, but we must also know that we are called to be warriors. We must learn the skill of fighting with a sword (the word of God) on a battlefield that first begins in our own minds. The Lord calls us to fight back negative, adverse thoughts by learning how to handle His word. An expert swords woman will know how to pick it up, hold it and more importantly, use it. But here’s where often most of us fail, we don’t even pick up our swords. We go into so many battles without a weapon.
Are you grappling with your thoughts? Have they taken you places you didn’t want to go?
Let’s learn from Psalm 1, on how to fill our minds with good things:
“…his delight is in God’s law and on His law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in season. And its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.”
The psalmist introduces the discipline of thinking deeply and daily on God’s word. It’s a lifestyle. It’s an every day choice to replace wrong thinking with the truth. A steady intake of God’s word is what will produce a fruit-bearing life that glorifies God.
How would your life change if you began to meditate on God’s word day and night?
What relationships might be greatly impacted by this?
What current decisions would benefit from hiding God’s word in your heart?
I wish I could say after many battles fought that I have arrived at the place of perfect thinking, but I haven’t. New unpredictable situations bring forth new thoughts that have to be filtered daily through His word. Instead I’ve learned to see this as a beautiful reminder of God’s grace that I desperately need Him. And I need His word, my sword, with me always, battle ready.
Let’s train our thoughts to think rightly by reading and meditating on God’s word daily.
2 Corinthians 10:5
…and we take every thought captive to obey Christ.
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