As we think on things, our minds bring those topics up later in life. The more often we dwell on a topic, the more permanent it dwells in our brain & stays longer. Often times the things we want to remember least, stay w/us the longest meaning dwelling on spiritual topics is even more important. Paul makes a plea for peace in the church body. By God's grace & Holy Spirit, He's provided the road map for our thoughts in His word. His grace allows us to take control of our thoughts. We have to be careful w/what we place in our minds & we must be intentional about what we *dwell on. We must discipline our minds to think on what is good(true, noble, right, just, pure, lovely, good repute). We're to dwell on anything that's excellent & worthy of praise; keep our thoughts captive. This isn't a suggestion, it's a command. Our mission as believers is to reach souls & build lives but if we're not careful our thoughts can distract us from the mission. This requires a Spiritual & Mental discipline. Uncaptured thoughts create a victim mentality in our lives which slows us down in our spiritual walk. GOD is the remedy to not following Him. Only He can keep us on track & focused on Himself. A key to contentment in your life is rejoicing in the lives of others. One of Satan's favorite weapons in the life of a believer is discouragement. Rom. 8:5, 12:1-2. Christ gives us examples in the Bible of how to follow His commands. Find one & follow it. Don't let your mind focus on the world if your citizenship is in heaven. We are given the freedom to decide what our minds will dwell on. Build a wall around your heart against evil thoughts using God's word. Use those verses as building blocks. |