Photo by Simeon Jacobson on Unsplash
In part 1, I had said that the condition of your life today may be a product of your past thinking patterns, also that your life could become more meaningful and productive if you allowed God to help you change the way you think, through His Word.
Your thoughts determine your words and your words your actions. Eventually, your actions turn into habits, and habits build your character. In The Book, (you know there are books, and there is THE BOOK), the Greatest Teacher of all time (Jesus of Nazareth) is quoted as saying:
A tree is identified by its fruit. Make a tree good, and its fruit will be good. Make a tree bad, and its fruit will be bad. For whatever is in your heart determines what you say -2 Matthew 12:33-34, NLT.
How do thoughts get into our hearts? How is your attitude shaped? Primarily, there are three gates to your mind: the eye gate, the ear gate, and the spiritual gate- what we call inspiration. Thomas Edison put it the best way he could when he said, “Ideas come from space”.
The influence of these gates is further entrenched by what I call the association effect. By the association effect, I mean the changes that take place in your life as a result of the people you hang around with.
You may have at one time or the other made a “New Year Resolution”. You promised yourself to stop certain habits that are harmful in your life and to turn a new leaf. “This short temper I have is messing up my relationships with people.” “My smoking and drinking are killing me.” Resolved, you said, “Enough is enough, I’m out of this.” And to be fair, you meant it. But in a few weeks, after a protracted struggle, you were back to square one.
You promised your wife never to hit her again: it’s your New Year resolution. But on fateful February 13th, it’s a bad day for you, and you are rushing her to hospital with tears in your eyes. She has been battered, not by your neighbour’s troublesome wife. The culprit is your own hands.
How do we take control of our minds? You must be conscious of the thoughts that come to your mind. Never allow your mind to be in auto-pilot or cruise control. Take charge and be deliberate about what you permit to stay in your mind.
Pass the thoughts that come to your mind through the filter of God’s Word. God’s Word is the effective filter that sifts the wheat from chaff and truth from lies, and it becomes more effective as you spend more time reading, studying and meditating on a regular and consistent basis.
Read your Bible daily! The enemy does not relent in attacking our minds to establish strongholds there. Make sure you do not cave in!
There were some teachings and ideas about global issues that were flying around in the recent past. I saw many believers of good standing on social media, shouting from the rooftops of their pages, “I stand with the pastor so and so!” “I align with bishop so and so.” I was alarmed! These brethren (precious souls) were doing nothing to check God’s word to “see if these things were so.”
As a believer, especially if you are a minister of the Gospel, periodically check your belief system to find out if ‘false truths have formed strongholds in your heart.
If you would look back a little, you would discover that there were some things that you believed strongly in, that mercifully you were brought to the place where you came to realize that they were not true.
There are many ministers that God brought such realizations to their hearts, but for different reasons, they would not repent of believing the devil’s lies. In due course, they crashed, their lives and ministries destroyed. It all began in their thinking.
You may have heard that the most powerful computer ever created is the human brain and by extension the human mind. I did a short computer course some years ago. I was taught that the basic principle in computing is G-I-G-O, (pronounced GIGO), meaning garbage in garbage out! You make your mind good or bad by what you allow into it. What you put into it is what it produces for you. It’s like planting a seed, and when the tree is mature, you reap its fruit.
What do I mean by the ear gate and the eye gate? The things that you constantly listen to, the things you are always reading and watching, form a subtle meditative process in your mind that is stronger than willpower. Take note of the word “always.” There is consistency in the process. And it pulls your life in a direction that is less than or otherwise better than what you hoped for.
There are a hundred and sixty-eight hours in a week. But is it not interesting, we go to Church on Sunday, spend an average of three hours a week listening to “good talk” but for the rest of the waking hours some youth are watching Channel O, listening to suggestive music and cannot seem to get immoral thoughts out of their minds. You read magazines and books that have no positive effect on your personal development, and even though you mean well, you wonder why you are not improving. Have you been thinking?
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things -Philippians 4:8, NIV.
Keep your thoughts continually fixed on all that is authentic, honourable and admirable, beautiful and respectful, pure and holy, merciful and kind. And fasten your thoughts on every glorious work of God, praising Him always -Philippians 4:8, TPT.
Guard your heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life.
Thank you. Do not forget to keep living, loving and learning.
