Did you know that the thoughts you allow yourself to dwell on are vitally important?
Thoughts are shapers. They produce emotions which produce decisions, actions and habits. If you are constantly thinking negative thoughts, you will make wrong decisions, which will cause you to take inappropriate actions and eventually develop bad habits.
Martin Luther once wrote, “You can’t stop the birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from building a nest in your hair.”
You may not be able to keep a thought from entering your mind, but you certainly can keep it from staying there. How? You must do exactly as the Word says – cast it out! (2 Cor. 10:5).
Never allow a thought that is in direct opposition to God’s Word remain in your mind.
Instead, keep your mind “stayed” (fixed, firmly established) on the Lord, then He will keep you in perfect peace!
Isaiah 26:3 (NKJ) says, You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.
So, how do you know if you’re thinking a wrong thought?
When a thought comes into your mind, you must first determine where it came from. Was it a “God” thought? Did it minister life or faith or peace to you? Or did it minister fear, worry, dread, doubt or unbelief? If it is one of the latter, then that thought is from the enemy and must be cast out.
Another method for determining whether or not a thought is from the Lord or from the enemy is found in Philippians 4:8:
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
This verse gives you a “checklist” for which thoughts you can think on and which thoughts you can’t.
Thought Checklist:
- Is it true?
- Is it honest (honorable)?
- Is it just (right, fair)?
- Is it pure (clean)?
- Is it lovely (pleasing, agreeable, friendly)?
- Is it a good report?
- Is it virtuous (excellent)?
- Is it praiseworthy (commendable)?
If the thought lines up with this list, then it’s okay to think on it.
Love thoughts, faith thoughts, peace thoughts, joy thoughts – those are the thoughts that you should continually dwell upon. Those are the ones you are to think about.
Think about God’s Word (His goodness, His faithfulness, His grace, His mercy, His healing power, His provision). Meditate on it continually.
When you train your mind to think on the Lord, when you learn to keep your thoughts fixed, or “stayed” on Him, you will have His peace that passes all understanding.
Hello….just read your article….I’m visiting from http://www.aheartforthehome.com Great post! I’m reading your post from A Mama’s Story! Blessings to you!!!
Thank you for visiting, Jennifer. Blessings to you & your family!
Keeping our thoughts in check is such a vital element to our walking the surrendered life! They can either build us or tear us down and are the key place for attack from the enemy. Great encouragement.
You are exactly right, Kate, extremely vital — especially if we’re going to win the good fight of faith! Blessings to you, Alisha
Thank you so much for this lovely reminder about how important it is to keep our thoughts in line with God. Philippians 4:8 has been my go to verse over the past two years, and I can honestly say that God has done a miraculous work on my thought life!
Thanks again for the super reminder!
Take JOY!!
Sarah
That is wonderful, Sarah. It’s amazing how things fall into place when we’re obedient to His Word. He is so faithful!
Yes! What you dwell on is so important. Early in my marriage I spent lots of time thinking about all the things I didn’t like about my husband and then wondered why I couldn’t be nice to him! 🙂 “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks!”
Lol! Exactly, Esther! Young wives (& husbands) need to learn this lesson early on so that their marriages will be like “heaven on earth!” Blessings, Alisha
Oh Alisa! It is always such a joy to read your blog! Your words are so inspiring and filled with hope & joy. Loved today’s posts & truly made a difference on what I’m thinking & our my thoughts filled with God’s promises or Satan’s lies?
Thank you, sweet Kim! I’m still learning to keep my thoughts aligned with God’s Word. But using this “checklist” really helps me — especially when my thoughts start down the worry/fear path. I realize that I need to get my mind back on the Lord so that He can keep me in perfect peace. And He is always faithful to do so!
HI there! You are neighboring me over at Time Warp Wife’s Ultimate Link Party. I really needed to read this, so glad you were a neighbor 😉
Thank you for visiting, Michelle. Blessings to you!
I love that list! What a great resources for sorting out our thoughts! Thanks!
Thank you, Helene. Blessings to you & your family!
Great checklist for measuring thoughts. I came your way from cornerstone confessions and have been dealing with some worrisome thoughts, your blog post is a great reminder for me of what to do with them. Very timely read for me. Thank You.
Thank you for visiting, Jo Lynn. God is so good to help us & keep us in peace when we keep our minds & hearts fixed on Him! Blessings, Alisha
Great post! Curious if anyone has any “go to” thoughts or scriptures, or other tricks for casting out the bad thoughts?
Hi K. The scriptures in this post are an excellent place to start: Isa. 26:3 (keeping your mind fixed on the Lord); Phil. 4:8 (thinking thoughts that align with this “checklist”); 2 Cor. 10:5 (casting down thoughts & imaginations that don’t agree with the Word).
And then there’s Col. 3:15 (AMP) “And let the peace from Christ rule in your hearts deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds…” If it doesn’t minister peace to your mind then refuse to think on it.
One way to get rid of a thought is to speak God’s Word. It’s hard to dwell on the negative if you’re thinking about & speaking scriptural promises. But the enemy is tricky. He’ll keep bringing certain thoughts to your mind. That’s when you just have to continually fix your thoughts on a certain Bible verse & speak it forth. God’s Word is powerful! Blessings, Alisha
This is one of my favorite verses because I have a tendency to think negatively. Thanks for this reminder to think on what is right.
I wrote it as a reminder to myself, too! We all need to be more diligent with guarding our thought life. Thank you for visiting! Blessings, Alisha
Wonderfully presented – and a valuable reminder. It’s a constant battle to keep focused on the positive, on Godly thoughts instead of the garbage Satan wants to distract me with. I appreciate the different perspectives you built upon – yet all had the same focus.
Thank you, Lori! Blessings!
What a beautiful post! A great reminder for all of us. I know this is something I definitely need to work on at times. Thank you for linking up with me!
Me too, Sarah. I am constantly working on keeping my thoughts fixed on Him. But it sure makes for a more peaceful & joyful life when I do. 🙂 Blessings to you & your family!
Thank you for the good reminders. Great article. I love your helpful check list. I’d love for you to link up with me over at http://www.HomeEducatorMom.com. Blessings to you!