by Robert J. Kurz, M.A. Counseling

How important is our thinking?  The Bible says, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” In other words, we actually become what we think. We cannot separate our behavior from the way we think. Consider some of the following scriptural principles which stress the importance of what goes on in our minds:

• The Lord spoke to Joshua and said, “Do you want to be successful and prosper in all you do?  Then fill your mind with God’s law day and night.”

• David, the Psalmist said, “If you want to be blessed, you have to delight yourself in the law of the Lord, and meditate on it day and night.”

• David was concerned about his thinking and his speech. He said, “May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord.”

• Paul said we are to, “Set our minds on things above, not on things of the earth.”

• James said if we give our thoughts and affections to the things of this world we would make ourselves enemies of God.

• Paul instructed us to refuse conformity to the world, so we could be, “Transformed by the renewing of our minds.”

No one can control all of the circumstances of life, but we can control our attitude. We can control how we think! In fact, we must, or we will be destroyed. In Proverbs 25:28 we read, “Whoever has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down, without walls.” The writer’s meaning is clearly understood. If we cannot control our thinking, we will be left defenseless.

The only way to ensure that our thinking is right is to fill our minds with truth.  Truth will guide our steps daily and direct our thoughts in a way that is pleasing to God. Meditating on God’s word is a mental discipline that produces abundant spiritual life. It is not a spiritual game we play. We are not trying to make something good happen by thinking positive thoughts, rather, we are acknowledging what God has already promised in His word.

The law of sowing and reaping teaches us that we will always reap a harvest in accordance with what we have planted. The human mind is like fertile soil waiting to receive seed. It will grow whatever is planted, whether good or bad, positive or negative. Each individual decides daily what he or she will plant in their minds. The mind begins to grow in accordance with the eternal law of sowing and reaping. It cannot do otherwise.

God has given us personal freedom to choose how we think. He will not force His Word into our minds. Many famous writers have realized the tremendous power of choice.

• William James said, “The greatest discovery of this generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitude.”

• Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can, or think you can’t...you’re right.” 

• Martha Washington said, “I am determined to be cheerful and happy, in whatever situation I may be; for I have learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances.”

• Viktor Frankl wrote, “We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms -- to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way.”

If you are not filling your mind with God’s truth on a daily basis, I pray you would make it a priority beginning today. There is no greater way to enhance every area of your life.