WHAT ARE YOU THINKING? 12/26/02
Proverbs 23:7
There are many sayings about thinking. “Who do you think you are?” One of Hopes favorites to the boys and myself is, “What in the world were you thinking?” (Example, Seth and the egg and the shower)
In the dream world, have you ever had something or someone one on your mind and then had a dream about it? Your mind is acting out on your thoughts.
What you think affects your attitude. When Zach was playing football this past year, I encouraged him to think no matter what the record of the other team, no matter what happened last week, to go in thinking that they could win the game. And with their record and their player’s talents, this didn’t always add up in Zach’s mind. But if they go out on the field thinking that they don’t stand a chance then they are defeated already.
When you think about it, what you think has a lot to do with your actions. Our text indicates that as a man thinks in his heart, so is he. So in essence, what you think is what you are.
James 2:14-15, “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire is conceived, it give birth to sin; and sin, when full-grown, brings forth death.”
Where do those desires come from? Satan puts on the bait; then we start thinking how good it could be and then our thoughts without proper direction become our actions.
So the question I ask you today is what are you thinking? What is on you mind that is reflecting your actions?
Good things can come from what you are thinks as well as bad things can happen from what you are thinking. So do you want the good first or the bad? Let’s start with the bad and end on the good note.
Bad thoughts. We all have them form time to time. Sin is a result of our bad thoughts.
Adultery
If I were to ask for a raise of hands of people who have committed adultery; I don’t think there would be very many hands go up. But in Matthew 5:28, “ But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart”.
The misinterpretation here is the looking is the sin. It is the lusting that is the sin. When you look at that person and you start thinking impure thoughts that is what the sin is. Now it starts with the eyes and the verse after refers to plucking out the eye to keep from sinning.
Pride
Who do you think you are? Pride is a sin. Thinking that you are really something when we are nothing. Satan will use pride as a weapon to make us think that we are something else. You do something and receive a few complements and bam, he goes to work.
Galatians 6:3, For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.
John 15:5, I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
Our Mouths or rather what comes out of them
We think a lot of times and say things we shouldn’t because we fail to gather the facts. Have you ever falsely accused someone only to have to stick your foot in your mouth afterwards?
We think that someone has wronged us and we hold a grudge and think badly about that person instead of going to that person in a loving way and making things right. You will go around and talking to everybody else about that person instead of talking to the person yourselves.
I wish that I could have a screen and could preview every thing before it comes out of my mouth. Hope also wishes I had one too.
All sin is a result of our bad thoughts. The saying, “I don’t know why I did it, I wasn’t thinking”. The truth of the matter is that you were thinking, just not thinking properly. The brain is triggered by what we think thus causing our actions.
We might think that we have more time. If you are here today and have not accepted Christ, then you may be thinking someday. If you are here today and are a Christian but you are not committed to Christ, you might be saying when I get older or after I get my career going. Thinking you have more time is wrong, today is the day of salvation, today someone you know could be their day of salvation. We don’t have any assurance of tomorrow. We need to make things right with our creator today.
We could think of excuses of why not to do something for the Lord. We think someone might make fun of us. We think we will be accused of being a Bible thumper. We could think that we can’t live up to people’s expectations of what a Christian is or should be.
When we think anything without putting God in our thinking we are thinking wrong.
Psalms 10:4, The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.
So now that I told you about the bad thoughts now let’s talk about the good thoughts, but don’t do a Peter Pan on me.
Philippians 4:8, Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
What Paul is saying to the church is to think about what is good and pure. Run these things over and over in your mind so that you will not conform or yield to the evil habits of this world.
Romans 12:2, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God”.
You cannot think about the things of this world and expect the things of God to come out of you. When you plant beans, don’t go out to pick the corn. You don’t open up a can of corn and think you are going to be eating green beans.
When you go places you shouldn’t go, when you hang around the wrong crowds, when you watch the wrong TV shows or movies, when you listen to the wrong music, nothing good will come out of it.
If you don’t believe me then go watch a bad movie with the wrong crowd and listen to the wrong music on the way and stop a the club on the way home and have a nightcap. While you are doing this, try sharing your faith with the crowd or saying a prayer while your out.
So what can we do? How can we think that will glorify God?
The first thing and the most important is WWJD. In every decision we make we need to be thinking, what would Jesus do in this situation? So often we charge ahead and make wrong decisions because we did not consider what Jesus would do in that particular situation.
We need to think about the good in people instead of focusing on the bad. We often tear others down by thinking only on their bad when we need to think of the things that they are doing good and use them as the foundation to lift them up.
We need to think of others. Put others feelings before our own. We need to think about those hurting around us. We need to be thinking about those who have lost a loved one or is going through some tough times.
We need to think outside the box. To often we try to put God in a box. It’s not what we can do; it is what he can do through us. We need to have the Philippians 4:13 attitude.
We need to think positive. No one wants to be around anyone who is negative. Christians should be the happiest, most upbeat people on this earth. The lost should look at us and say, “I don’t know what they (Christians) have, but I want to be like that. When life hands them a lemon, they make lemonade”. They should see Jesus in us. I believe that Jesus was a positive person and we should be too.
Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.
