(Written by Rudi Swanepoel)

Jesus is not only interested in our souls. While it is true that He saves souls, He also places a premium on our minds. It is important what we think, how we think and what we do with these thoughts. The Bible is surprisingly vocal about our thoughts:

We read in Proverbs 23:7: “As he thinks in his heart so he is”. The Hebrew word used here for “think” means “to open / as a doorkeeper”. Your thoughts are the doorkeepers of your heart. They allow positive or negative things like emotions, motives, and eventually actions into your most sacred part. The Biblical concept of your heart is much more than the organ in your chest. Scripturally your heart is the center of anything in your life. It defines the real you and points to you core being; your spirit. The door to this spirit is your thoughts. The way you think determines who you become! As you think in your heart so you will be. If you entertain thoughts of inferiority you will struggle with real inferiority issues. If you entertain pride, pomp and arrogant thoughts, your head will be bloated to unhealthy proportions. If you flood your thoughts with healthy, godly thoughts of destiny, guess who you’ll become?

Let’s look at the Bible for some potent examples:

First we’ll look at Job. We find Job in chapter 17 to be a man at the brink of death. He has nothing to live for. He lost his family, his home, his livelihood, his dignity. He has seen loss for so long that it affected His thoughts concerning his life. We read in Job 17:1 KJV “My breath is corrupt, my days are extinct, the graves are ready for me.” The Hebrew words used here tell the true story. Ruach is used for breath and can also be translated spirit. The word for corrupt is chabal and literally means to wind tightly, to bind, to pervert, to destroy. Job is saying that his spirit is wound tightly (makes me think of intense stress); that his spirit is bound and perverted. He goes on to declare that as far as his thoughts are concerned his life is over. He is already extinct. He feels like he ceased to exist even though he is still breathing. He continues in verse 11: “My days are past, my purposes are broken off, even the thoughts of my heart”. His purpose for being has been broken off along with the thoughts of his heart.  Have you ever felt like him? Is life getting to you? Has circumstances invaded your mind with contaminating thoughts of despair, defeat and surrender?

Job’s declarations of despair may have been exactly how he felt, but they could not be further from God’s plans, thoughts and purposes for his life. In fact, we know that God restored Job to a place of prominence, destiny and victory. In fact the end of the book of Job is clear: he became twice the man he was before. The Lord restored him and blessed him. In Job 42:1-2 we read: “And Job answered the Lord and said, I know that You can do all, and not any purpose is withheld from You.” In verse 5 and 6 we read: “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; but now my eyes has seen You. Therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes” And in verse 10and 12: “And the Lord turned the captivity of Job when he prayed for his friends. Also the Lord added to Job all that had been his, to double. And the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than the beginning.” Verse 17 ends with “and Job died, being old and full of days”. I’m so glad that Job’s thoughts about himself in chapter 17 did not materialize. God added 25 more chapters to his life. Job’s thoughts limited his life to a mere 17 chapters while God’s thoughts for his life extended to 42 chapters!

You must flood your minds with the thoughts of God for your life! Jeremiah 29:11 is clear: “For I know the thoughts and the plans I have for you, says the Lord. Thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a hope and a future.” When you realize how God thinks about you and you align your thoughts with His thought about your life, then His peace will enter your spirit and your hope will be restored. You’ll see His future for you and rest in Him because you know He’ll accomplish His will for you as long as you align your life with Him. What really blesses me here is verse 12 and 13: “Then shall you call upon me, and you shall pray to Me and I will hear and answer you. And you shall seek Me and  find Me when you seek Me with your whole heart.” Knowing God’s plans and thoughts for your life and flooding your mind with them makes your prayers more productive! When you pray from a position of positivity in accordance with God’s will for your life, then you have God’s promise that He will answer your prayer! What is more, you will seek more of Him in your life and be led on a divine discovery that will change your life.

No wonder the Apostle Paul is so adamant when it comes to our mind and our thoughts. We read in Col. 3:1-2: “If then you have been risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sits on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” We simply must elevate our thoughts. The Greek word for affection here is phroneo and means to exercise the mind. We place a lot of focus on exercising our bodies to stay in shape or to get in shape. The Lord wants us also to exercise our minds; to train our thoughts to be on His level and not below par.

So Rudi, what if I have been flooding my spirit with negative thoughts? What can I do to change them? I’ve got good news for you! The answer is in Romans 12:2: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, so that you may know what is the perfect and acceptable will of God.” True change starts with a right mindset. The word transform describes a metamorphosis, something similar to what a caterpillar goes through to become a butterfly. Such change is more than tweaking. It is total and permanent. It ushers in a new lifestyle, new appetite (from leaves to nectar), a new mode of transportation (from walking to flying). A butterfly’s world is much larger than a caterpillar’s. Some butterflies are known to migrate, flying thousands of miles to lay their eggs. My point is this: True transformational change in your life is initiated by the renewal of your mind. The Greek word for renewing here can be translated renovation. It is an “out with the old, in with the new”; a total makeover of your mind. 

Allow the Holy Spirit to cleanse your thoughts and sanctify your mind. Fix your gaze towards Jesus and focus your thoughts on His plans, purposes and thoughts for your life. What are you thinking? It will determine who you become!