September 6, 2011

No More “Stinking Thinking!”

Has your mind ever messed with you? Do you struggle with thoughts that take you to unhealthy, unhelpful or unholy places?

All of us have experienced the pain and destructive consequences of a mental hijacking. There are times when distorted, twisted, polluted thinking takes us captive and gets us into trouble. Our minds, if unguarded, can easily be manipulated by our spiritual enemy, by our own sinful self, and by the negative influences of others. We end up with a terrible condition sometimes referred to as “stinking thinking!”

When our thinking is warped, jaded, contaminated, invaded and interfered with by ugly, hellish, and sinful forces, we pay a price. “Stinking thinking” robs us of personal peace, joy and fulfillment. It affects our judgment and leads to bad decisions. It leaves us seething or sulking in anger or resentment, or drowning in anxiety, insecurity and fear. It demands that we focus on the negative and forget the positive. It makes us ungrateful and insensitive. It infiltrates and damages our relationships. It takes us to dark places of doubt, confusion and hopelessness. “Stinking thinking” wrecks lives, marriages, friendships, and fruitfulness of life.

The Bible talks a lot about our thinking. It reminds us of our responsibility to check our thoughts and fight these mental attacks. It teaches us to renew and manage our minds vigilantly and carefully.

Take a look at a couple of passages that highlight the importance of good management of our thoughts:

Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life. – Proverbs 4:23 (NCV)

… whatever is true, … noble, … right, … pure, … lovely, … admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things. – Philippians 4:8 (NIV)

In the Apostle Peter’s second New Testament letter he focused on the importance of our thinking:

This is my second letter to you, dear friends, and in both of them I have tried to stimulate your wholesome thinking … ” – 2 Peter 3:1 (NLT)

How “wholesome” is your thinking? Is your life being led by right thinking or are you suffering the consequences of “stinking thinking?”

Prayerfully take control your thoughts. Pull your brain back to the truths and right perspective of God’s Word. Arrest the influences of evil in your mind through the power of Jesus’ name. Say “no” to “stinking thinking.” And as you do, get ready for some wonderful changes in your life!

Pastor Dale