Whose thoughts are you thinking? Seriously. Are they yours, or do they belong to someone or something else?
Look. Each of us is given a bit of real estate at birth: a body. This is the house for our heart our soul and our minds. Right?
Who is responsible for them?
To answer that question another question must be answered.
Who do they belong to?
If my heart and mind belong to me then I am responsible for both.
So, whose thoughts are in my heart and mind? Do I know? Shouldn’t I know?
More importantly who permits them to be there?
I do.
So when someone, anyone, tells me that something is true, its up to me to determine IF it’s true, HOW it’s true and WHY it’s true before I accept and permit it to stay in my mind.
If I neglect this process and choose to do nothing then I choose by default to indiscriminately and promiscuously accept any thought planted there from any source. But is that safe? Is it smart? Shouldn’t every thought in my heart and mind be subjected to uncompromising, intense and vigorous scrutiny to insure it’s true and good?
Because when someone says something is true that doesn’t make it true.
And because truth is exclusive by definition conflicting thoughts must be refereed and the false discarded.
Whose responsibility is it to decide?
Mine.
Do your thoughts belong to you or were they planted there by another? Are you a second-hand person controlled by the mind of another? Are you a puppet or marionette? Or worse, is your mind a host for the thoughts of predators that would use YOUR mind for their own agenda? Have you allowed yourself to be rendered a zombie by doing nothing?
How would you know?
By taking fierce responsibility for each and every thought in your heart and mind.
The thought life! So important! As Jesus says: for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
This verse has been so powerful in my thought life (duh):
2 Corinthians 10:4-5
4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
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;
The real estate we’re given.. yes!
I recall Ravi Zacharias saying something awesome. He was recalling the verse where Jesus asks who’s image is on the Roman coin, they say “Caesar”, and he says give to Caesar that which is Caesar’s. Ravi then said something to the effect of “who’s image is on your face? God’s. Then give to God that which is God’s.”
Us, being a temple of the Holy Spirit and the Salt and Light in the earth, our thought life is so important, or at least, has been for me for many reasons. There’s many verses that I go to for prayer like:
Psalm 139:23-24
23Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Gotta keep our minds stayed on Christ!
God bless, and thanks for your site Marc!