I am certain that no one realizes how many thoughts pass through their minds. Studies have shown in varying degrees the number of our daily thoughts. From the moment you wake up until you close your eyes to sleep (and sometimes, long after that), you’re generally thinking about something.
Oftentimes, it is whatever you are dealing with that directs your thoughts. Proverbs 23:7 (NKJV) says, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” The enemy loves to constantly bombard your mind with thoughts like, “You are a failure. You will never amount to anything.” To fulfill your destiny, you must have a firm grip on your thought life.
You are faced with a choice. Either you can listen to Satan’s lies, or you can listen to God’s Word that says, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Phil. 4:13). I like the Amplified Bible, Classic Edition, which states, “I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency].”
From my childhood, I have relied on Proverbs 3:5–6 (NLT), “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”
As I prayed and asked God to guide and direct my life, He would give me assignments I knew I did not have the ability to do. At those times, Satan would harass me with negative thoughts. He would say, “You know you don’t have the talent to carry out that assignment.” It’s amazing how loud his voice can become in your mind. The more you listen to his lies and deception, the more he will build strongholds in your mind. In fact, his voice can become so loud it can be hard to hear God’s voice.
"You are faced with a choice. Either you can listen to Satan’s lies, or you can listen to God’s Word that says, 'I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me' (Phil. 4:13)."
Second Corinthians 10:5 tells us to “[bring] into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” To combat Satan’s thoughts, I realized I needed to scream the promises of God in his ear. When Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness, how did Jesus resist those temptations? By quoting the Word. Jesus’ response was, “It is written.”
I can still hear my father-in-law saying, “Always stay on the positive.” Do you realize that Satan always brings negative thoughts to you? God’s thoughts are always positive. John 10:10 (AMPC) says, “The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy.
I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).”
Remember the account of Moses sending the 12 spies to spy out the land of Canaan that God had promised to give to the children of Israel? Ten of the spies returned with a negative report. They said the people in Canaan were stronger than the Israelites. They reported, “We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak. Next to them we felt like grasshoppers, and that’s what they thought, too!” (Num. 13:33 NLT).
These men were spies. If you are a spy, you do not let the enemy know who you are. They had to have imagined that was how the giants viewed them. That is what the enemy does to your thought life. He brings imaginations that are not even a reality.
But two of the spies, Joshua and Caleb, had the thoughts that God desires us to have. It is recorded in Numbers 14:7–9, (NLT): “They said to all the people of Israel, ‘The land we traveled through and explored is a wonderful land! And if the Lord is pleased with us, he will bring us safely into that land and give it to us. It is a rich land flowing with milk and honey. Do not rebel against the Lord, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land. They are only helpless prey to us! They have no protection, but the Lord is with us! Don’t be afraid of them!’ ”
We need to continually think God’s thoughts. Philippians 4:8 says, “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.”
Author
Lynette Hagin
Share this Post