You Are What You Think
Whether you realize it or not your thoughts can influence the course of your life
Proverbs 4:23, GNT Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts.
As someone who has battled depression and anxiety for many years of my life I have missed out on a lot of good things allowing my thoughts to influence my mood for the worst.
Many times I missed out on many opportunities because I failed to believe in myself and thought I was worthless, ugly, and incapable.
It’s discouraging to feel like I missed out on exciting life experiences because I didn’t have the self-confidence to go after those dreams and open doors that met me at certain road stops in my life when I had the opportunity to open those doors.
But Jesus believed in me and showed me to manage my thoughts in Him
Above all else, guard your heart,
for everything you do flows from it. Proverbs 4:23 NIV
I had to learn how to be careful with the way I thought about life. I should be careful with the things I watch on tv, the music I listen to1, and the topics we talk about because all of this nourishes I heart and influences me spiritually.
God calls us to have faith.
Everything is possible to those who believe. Mark 9:23
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who approaches Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him Hebrews 11:6
Now faith is the assurance of what we hope for and the certainty of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1
How nonbelievers approach this
As I began to grow up I began to notice other tendencies that nonbelievers use to approach their version of faith. I only talk about this to shed light on the fact that nonbelieving Christians use the same truthful spiritual concepts that are interpreted in the bible and replace them with other evil spiritual names.
For example, Nonbelievers and pagans replace God with “The Universe”
The power of the Holy Spirit with Vibes and Energies
There is power in the tongue for life and death (Proverbs 18:21) so nonbelievers use “manifestation” to speak what they want into existence but I noticed they do it with an evil-selfish intention to gain influence over the lives of others in their favor winning over such things as power, wealth, love and so on.
So as I sit here and ponder the things I learned in the Bible as a child, and wonder what my parents have told me as a youth in church in comparison to the spiritual realities at work in the lives of nonbelievers I realize there is a spiritual truth at work in the lives of believers and non believers a like.
Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. John 14:6
So many times in my youth though I tried to escape from the teachings of the church and even silently rebel against God but those teachings were always still there.
I could never really escape the concept of spiritual warfare since my youth even if I tried to put the concept of spiritual realities aside and out of my mind I still inevitably kept bumping into it in relationships with other people who secretly practiced witchcraft in different forms without me even knowing influencing the course of my life decisions as a youth.
I learned statistically, there are 1.5 million practicing pagan witchcraft in the population of the United States. Not to mention the influence that is brought into the areas from Latin America and the Caribbean of Haiti and Cuba.
The Bible says that those who practice witchcraft will not inherit the kingdom of God. That is they will perish in hell. That is a scary reality I as a person do not want to mess with and keep fear of God in my heart do to that.
But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” (Revelations 21:8)
The only way we can have peace from these evil powers in the air is by having faith in Jesus. He came to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8).
If we do not receive Jesus in our hearts as our Lord and Savior2 then we are doomed. Receiving Jesus in your heart as your Lord and Savior is not just about escaping Hell it is about forming a personal relationship with Him and anticipating receiving eternal life with Him after our death on earth.
Read my latest article, Craziness is a spirit of Witchcraft to seek the peace of mind through Jesus Christ (Isaiah 9:6). It really has to do with those who battle mental illness and there is a great correlation between these ideas spiritually.
So when you think of these sayings by pagans and nonbelievers they are really just twisting the truth written in the Bible to fit their own version to feel comfortable by not accepting the harsh reality of God’s power through Jesus in their lives.
Walking into New Life Seasons
I’ve noticed something else. That is when you begin to reach new seasons in life and you want to make a change in your career, a relationship, or move to a new location. You have to follow the purpose God has placed on your heart in order to please Him. There is a spiritual truth that you have to let go of the old things in order to receive the new things. If we do not let go and “give to God” the old things we are so comfortable and used to then we cannot receive the bigger and better blessings that God wants to give us.
We cannot receive something new if our hands are already full of what we do not want to let go of. We have to be courageous enough to let go of what made us comfortable to start a new season of life as they come.
The Tongue has Power of Life and Death
A lot of times when we are experiencing different throws in life we have power in our words to react to them and make certain events come into reality.
Jesus said, From the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks (Matthew 12:34; Luke 6:45).
This basically means that whatever really has become a thought process in our heart is how we as a person truthfully feel and we really give people insight into what we think and feel by the power of our words.
So when people respond with I’m joking or I didn’t mean it to the end of a really hurtful phrase. Take their words as how they really feel deep down. Just forgive them as part of being a good Christian in Christ (Matthew 6:14-15). We all go through it at one point or another.
The power of our thoughts and words can affect the way we approach the course of our life.
The Bible says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” (Proverbs 4:23).
We have to guard our hearts by the things we see online, the music we listen to, and the topics of conversation we hold with others. Depending on what we let into our heart is how we either taint it or keep it pure before God and man.
The eye is the lamp of the body. You draw light into your body through your eyes, and light shines out to the world through your eyes. So if your eye is well and shows you what is true, then your whole body will be filled with light. 23 But if your eye is clouded or evil, then your body will be filled with evil and dark clouds. And the darkness that takes over the body of a child of God who has gone astray—that is the deepest, darkest darkness there is. Matthew 6:22-24
Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building up the one in need and bringing grace to those who listen. (Ephesians 4:29)
So when you have protruding thoughts you cannot control, Jesus is the solution.
For the weapons of our warfare are not [a]carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 6and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled. 1 Corinthians 10:4-6
Jesus is the cure for anxiety
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).
Jesus is the Cure for Depression
To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.” Isaiah 61:3
Jesus is the cure for a broken heart
The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me [i]to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are [j]oppressed;
19To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7
And when you feel you have no fight left in you God tells you to trust in Him and let go
The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” Exodus 14:14
Be still and know that he is God Psalm 46:10
The Hebrew word for being still in this phrase is not to be quiet but to “Let GO” To release all that burdens you and to give it to God because He has a plan greater than ours.
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD."As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)
So when we feel as if life is falling apart around us and our thoughts are catching up to us and we feel failure looming at every turn is because we have somehow let our thoughts or words dictate the course of our life. It is time to take back your thoughts in Jesus because God has better plans in store for you.
Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert. (Isaiah 43:19)
You have to take control of your thoughts to take control of your life in Jesus name.
He gives us peace if we so accept it.
Jesus is our Prince of Peace Isaiah 9:6
We have the mind of Christ 1 Corinthians 2:16
We put on our helmet of Salvation Ephesians 6:10-19
Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. 30“For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-29)
The Music you listen to affects your walk with God
As a preacher’s kid, I learned the importance of spending time with God and wrapping myself up in God’s worship music for Jesus. I also learned to banish religious thoughts the way Jesus warned others about Pharisees and began to listen to secular music with thoughtful lyrics. I really do this in the privacy of my own home knowing that if I did this in public religious people would judge me for my musical taste but I know that I like to listen to music with thoughtful and tasteful lyrics that really just express my heart as a form of art in stages of my life. I really don’t listen to anything degrading just fun songs that are lyrically enjoyable and allow me to enjoy life in the day-to-day.
Confession of Faith for Salvation
If you read this and are new to Jesus and are interested in receiving Him in your heart as your Lord and Savior now is a good time to save this article for later and read it in the privacy of your home to say this prayer with the Lord in the comfort of your living space.
So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17)
Having faith in Jesus has nothing to do with just escaping hell but forming a personal relationship with Him while on earth and anticipating receiving eternal life with Him after our death.
Scripture says,
that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:9-10)
Dear Jesus,
I come to you and confess with my mouth that You are Lord Jesus and believe in my heart that God has raised you from the dead on the third day. You are now seated at the right-hand side of God interceding for us. Please come into my heart today and be my Lord and Savior.
Amen.