[Faith-talk] Daily Thought for Thursday, May 16, 2013

[Paul]

Hello and good day to you all.  I hope and pray that, by the time of you read this message, that your day is going well or went well.

We return again to the writings of the late Dr. Ralph Montanus (1919-1986) with his article entitled "Guarding Your Thought Life," rendered as follows:

"Keep thy heart with all diligence:  for out of it are the issues of life" (Proverbs 4:23).

We are exhorted again and again in the Word of God to watch and guard our thought life.  We are told to keep our thought life under control because God states specifically, "As he thinketh in his heart, so is he" (Proverbs 23:7).

If you do not control your thoughts, then your thoughts will control you.  If the latter is the case, there is no telling what endless difficulties and troubles will be yours.  It is an irrevocable law that thought produces feeling, and feeling in turn will express itself in word and deed.  For this reason, it is absolutely necessary for a child of God to guard his thought life with all diligence.

How may you influence your mind to think the right kind of thoughts? The answer to this is found in Philippians 4:8, where we read, "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."

>From this, you can plainly see that the Spirit of God desires us to meditate upon wholesome thoughts so as to have wholesome feelings, which will automatically produce words and deeds conducive to Christ-like character.  If you think disagreeable, mean thoughts, you will feel mean, look mean, act mean and speak mean.  On th other hand, if you think happy thoughts, you will feel happy, act happy, and radiate happiness wherever you go.

Now I know what someone is saying, "This sounds fine, and I can see that it is God's will, but how can I bring my own thoughts into obedience with the will of God?" The answer will be found in II Corinthians 10:5, "Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ."

Someone has said, "You cannot stop the birds from flying overhead, but you can prevent them from making a nest in your hair." Similarly, our thoughts are forever flying in a ceaseless stream, but we are able by an act of our wills to catch them, scrutinize them, and weigh them in the light of obedience to Christ.  We can bring them into captivity of the obedience of Christ.  This is done by asking ourselves, "Would Christ think this thought? Would Christ have me dwell upon the suggestions these thoughts produce? Is He pleased with the emotional feelings which will lead me to works and acts?"

The apostle Paul tells us in Romans 12:1-2, "I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  And be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God."

Oh, Christian, will you, from this moment on, endeavor to discipline your thought life, to guard your thoughts with all diligence? Will you take the advice of God's Word, and bring every thought into the obedience of Christ? You will then testify to the fact that, when your mind is stayed upon the Lord, perfect peace will result.  "Thou will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee" (Isaiah 26:3).

Keeping one's mind on the Lord is another way of saying, "Walk in the Spirit." A well-guarded thought life produces proper emotional balance, which, in turn, leads to victorious Christian living.

Try it from this moment on.  The result will be perfect peace, joy and rest!

And there you have some wise words from a godly man of God.  This and other archival material reminds me of that verse in Hebrews 11 which states that "He who is dead still speaks." I'm sure you know of others who have gone home to be with the Lord:  J. Vernon McGee, Oliver B. Green, Adrian Rogers and countless others, including one whom many of us have grown to love over the years, Pastor Karolyn Phillips, the God-led founder and God-led guiding spirit of Seasons of Refreshing Fellowship.

And now may the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob just keep us safe, individually and collectively, throughout this night or day and especially in these last days in which we live.  Your Christian friend and brother, Paul