Do you have thought problems? Most people I know do. If it is not about hatred for someone and how they are affecting your life (or "destroyed it," so you may think), it's about outside influences like porn or magazines, or maybe your neighbor or a co-worker who fills your mind for hours at a time, when you should be thinking on your own priorities, like your spouse, children, your job, or your ministry that you are
supposed to focused upon.
Maybe you worry about your future or the future of your country. That would of course affect the future of your children or grandchildren and their living conditions. Do you worry about your kids? Your church? The fact that some people you love don't go to church? Are you concerned of what others think of you? How you look, or think, or talk? Maybe you know someone who is mad at God. Do you worry
about their salvation? Do you worry
about your salvation?
The Bible has a lot to say about controlling your thoughts. You may have heard, "you are what you eat." Well the same can be said about your mind: "you are what you think you are." If you eat junk food, you feel like junk. If you think on bad stuff, you feel like bad stuff all over! It is a lot easier to stay away from food that makes you feel like junk than to stay away from thinking junky thoughts. Some, as you know, can't stay on a diet to save (literally in some cases) their lives. Thought control can be a lot harder, if you try it on your own. Good news! If you do it God's way, you can be successful. Actually, if you do what God tells you to do, you
will be successful. God never fails. And, bonus alert: If you think of what God wants you to think upon, you will have His peace! This is a promise from God.
Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Philippians 4:6 NLT
There are tons of other passages that support this verse — Matthew 6:25-34, 1 Peter 5:7, Psalm 55:22, and Proverbs 16:3 are but a few. God has made you a promise. Actually, in the context of Philippians, He has given you multiple promises that if you obey Him and do as He commands, you will have peace. That's not opinion; it's a promise from God, your Creator!
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7 [Emphasis added]
He knows you better than you can possibly know yourself. He created you and knows what is best for you. He knows your struggles and successes. He knows what you are capable of doing, both good and bad. In spite of all that, He still loves you!
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
Mind boggling isn't it? And He knows what you need. Not only that, He promises to never give you more than you can handle and that with every trial that He allows your way, He will give you a way out of that trial.
No trial has overtaken you that is not faced by others. And God is faithful: He will not let you be tried beyond what you are able to bear, but with the trial will also provide a way out so that you may be able to endure it. 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NET)
Now, you may think that this verse is isolated and I am reading into it what I want to believe. However, the Holy Spirit told Paul to keep writing on the topic. So, we continue the train of thought — the context — and go onto verse 8:
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
Which again, promises that if you do as God commands, you will have peace. See verse 9:
Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me — put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:9 [Emphasis added]
Since God wants you to have peace — His peace — try out this assignment:
Read Philippians 4:8. There you will find 8 items that God wants you to think about. I will bold them to help you find them:
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
Now take a 3x5 card and write down the eight words that you are to think about. Under each word, list five things that either describe God or what God has done for you that can be characterized by that word. Once completed, you will have 40 words of "think about such things" to think about.
Why do all this? So that you can claim peace that God promises you in the very next verse:
Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me — put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:9 [Emphasis added]
Carry this 3x5 card with you (at least until you have the 40 words memorized). When you find yourself having intrusive thoughts, pull out the card, pick one of the 40 words that you have previously jotted down, and meditate on them. If you run out of thoughts on that word, pull out the card and pick another word. The object is to force your brain to think on the things you want to think about and not allow it to randomly select junk for you to dwell on. When you see a person or distraction of some sort that used to trigger these thoughts, don't shy away from them. Begin to build a new "friendly" library in your brain of good things.
Think on the things that are good and the intrusive procedure will subside and eventually go away!
You can't think on more than one thing at a time. Oh you may be able to walk and chew gun, but you can't multiplex multiple topics at a time. Case in point: The other night, I woke up around 3 am. I began to pray for folks and the multiple needs they have. All of a sudden, I heard a gunshot (we live outside of city limits). Do you think I could go back to prayer? I was up and going from window to window, wondering what was going on outside. My thoughts of the previous several minutes were gone. I was now focusing on new thoughts that wouldn't go away until my curiosity was quenched. Think on God, and you will be at total peace. Think on gunshots and your sleep is over.
You may be asking, "How can we 'think about such things'?" Man's inventions have created chaos in the brain: radio 1895, TV 1925, computers 1941, internet 1982, Bluetooth ear buds 1994, chat rooms 2007,
not like 100 years ago. Turn them off! (at least for a few hours). Seldom do people sit and think anymore. Get back to basics. Get back to God, and enjoy His peace that He wants you to have. You will have to work at it as satan (small s intended) wants your attention. He wants your body and your brain (see Ephesians 6:12). He can't have your soul (see Romans 8), but he will try to render you useless in this world, to shut you down.
Ministry is priority #5 for you in this world. Don't let satan take your ministry away. Think on good things, and you will be a shining light to those around you — your family members, your co-workers, your neighbors, fellow church folk, etc.
Happy thoughts? Happy life. People will want what you have. Tell them about Jesus and what He is doing for you. That's your ministry — at least, one of them.