Minding Your Thoughts A Biblical Overview of Obtaining and Maintaining a Biblical Thought Life   Deuteronomy 29:19 And it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart, to add drunkenness to thirst :   The above verse is a portion of a sermon by Moses instructing the Hebrews about the Law of God. Evidently, there were those in the Old Testament times that ha

Minding Your Thoughts A Biblical Overview of Obtaining and Maintaining a Biblical Thought Life   Genesis 8:21 And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.   How sobering. God says that … the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth . I thought I was the onl

Minding Your Thoughts A Biblical Overview of Obtaining and Maintaining a Biblical Thought Life   Genesis 6:5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was  great in the earth, and that  every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually . Notice the words “ every imagination ,” such an indictment seems impossible. That every imagination was evil continually is unbelievable. Yet, God’s Word says it is so, before the flood this was the case. Based upon the ti

Minding Your Thoughts A Biblical Overview of Obtaining and Maintaining a Biblical Thought Life   Philippians 3:4 Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more :   Paul goes on to say, Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness whi

Minding Your Thoughts A Biblical Overview of Obtaining and Maintaining a Biblical Thought Life   1 Corinthians 13:5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil ;   The word “evil” is used 569 times in the Bible. Love is only used 281 times, charity only 24 times, even the word peace is used 169 times less than the word evil. However, the word “good” is used 655 times. Surely Romans 12:21 is true, Be not overcome of evil, but

Minding Your Thoughts A Biblical Overview of Obtaining and Maintaining a Biblical Thought Life   1 Corinthians 10:12  Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall .   I once read a story of a woman who was teaching her daughter to cook. They were preparing a roast for a big Sunday lunch. The mom cut off about two or three inches of meat from the end of the roast and threw it away. The daughter, who was always full of questions, asked why she cut the end

Minding Your Thoughts A Biblical Overview of Obtaining and Maintaining a Biblical Thought Life   Proverbs 23:7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so  is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart  is not with thee .   That which a person thinks in their mind, and what they think in their heart are not necessarily the same thing. The man spoken of in this verse has a thought in his heart, yet he communicates something else altogether with his words. By reading the verses

Minding Your Thoughts A Biblical Overview of Obtaining and Maintaining a Biblical Thought Life   Psalms 40:17 But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art  my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God .   This was written by a king. King David. Of all the people in the world the Lord God would certainly think upon a king; especially the king of His people, the nation of Israel. However, David did not write this from the perspective of a king. He w

Minding Your Thoughts A Biblical Overview of Obtaining and Maintaining a Biblical Thought Life   December 5 2 Samuel 18:27 And the watchman said, Me thinketh the running of the foremost is like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok. And the king said, He is a good man, and cometh with good tidings .   The Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:13, … I believed, and therefore have I spoken :… We speak of that which we think. The watchman thought that that the man he saw runn

Minding Your Thoughts A Biblical Overview of Obtaining and Maintaining a Biblical Thought Life   2 Samuel 5:6 And the king and his men went to Jerusalem unto the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land: which spake unto David, saying, Except thou take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come in hither: thinking, David cannot come in hither.     But he did! The very next verse says Nevertheless David took the strong hold of Zion: the same is the city of David . 2 Samuel

Minding Your Thoughts A Biblical Overview of Obtaining and Maintaining a Biblical Thought Life   December 3 2 Samuel 4:10 When one told me, saying, Behold, Saul is dead, thinking to have brought good tidings, I took hold of him, and slew him in Ziklag, who thought  that I would have given him a reward for his tidings :   It’s always astonishing to find out that your thinking was wrong. Two brothers thought that they would win favor if they killed the King’s enemy. They were w

Minding Your Thoughts A Biblical Overview of Obtaining and Maintaining a Biblical Thought Life   December 2 James 4:8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your  hands,  ye  sinners; and purify your  hearts, ye double minded .   It is one thing to be double minded concerning who is going to win the Super Bowl this year. It is one thing to be double minded concerning the best stock in which to invest, or the part of town to live, or the best vehicle to drive.

Minding Your Thoughts A Biblical Overview of Obtaining and Maintaining a Biblical Thought Life James 1:8 A double minded man  is unstable in all his ways .                                        I like to fish and go as often as I can. However, I haven’t been on the water in quite a while. I think I hear the fish calling my name; they want me to come out and play. I’ve been fortunate to fish all over Texas, but my favorite place to fish is on Lake Texoma. For many years now,

Minding Your Thoughts A Biblical Overview of Obtaining and Maintaining a Biblical Thought Life Titus 2:6 Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded .   Strongs Concordance defines the term “ sober minded ” as:   1) To be of sound mind             1a) to be in one’s right mind             1b) to exercise self-control                         1b1) to put a moderate estimate upon one’s self, think of one’s self soberly                         1b2) to curb one’s pass

Minding Your Thoughts A Biblical Overview of Obtaining and Maintaining a Biblical Thought Life Philippians 3:15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.   What does “ Thus minded ” mean? The verse before today’s verse says, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. The verse following today’s verse states Nevertheless, whereto we have alrea

Minding Your Thoughts A Biblical Overview of Obtaining and Maintaining a Biblical Thought Life Philippians 3:15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.   Reading the Bible is the best antidote for being “ otherwise minded ” concerning the things of God. “The Bible is not a book that men read; it is a book that reads men.”  No one knows who said that originally, but it sure is a g

Minding Your Thoughts A Biblical Overview of Obtaining and Maintaining a Biblical Thought Life   Galatians 5:10  I have confidence in you through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded: but he that troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be .   “ Otherwise minded ,”  this is the battleground for many. When tempted to become “ Otherwise minded ” remember the squirrel that tried to cross the road.   In our neighborhood there are numerous trees. The streets

Minding Your Thoughts A Biblical Overview of Obtaining and Maintaining a Biblical Thought Life   2 Corinthians 1:17 When I therefore was thus minded, did I use lightness? or the things that I purpose, do I purpose according to the flesh, that with me there should be yea yea, and nay nay?   The Apostle Paul is writing to the church at Corinth about his mindedness to visit them again. The second part of this verse describes conflict that arises in the minds of many. On a singul

Minding Your Thoughts A Biblical Overview of Obtaining and Maintaining a Biblical Thought Life   2 Corinthians 1:15  And in this confidence I was minded to come unto you before, that ye might have a second benefit ;   Monday is my day off. A few weeks ago on Monday I was very tired, and I decided to stay at home all day. In the morning after my personal devotion time I turned on the television and decided to watch The Price is Right . It so happened that it was “dream car” we

Minding Your Thoughts A Biblical Overview of Obtaining and Maintaining a Biblical Thought Life   Romans 8:6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded  is life and peace.   Want life and peace? Become spiritually minded. How? The one person of whom it could be said that they had a spiritual mind without any fear of contradiction is Jesus Christ. Concerning His mind the Apostle Paul wrote: Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, bei

Minding Your Thoughts A Biblical Overview of Obtaining and Maintaining a Biblical Thought Life   Romans 8:6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded  is life and peace. Every coin has two sides. This verse gives us both sides of this coin in one sentence. The subject is “minded” which means “what one has in the mind, the thoughts and purposes.”  According to this one simple verse that which “one has in the mind” is death or it is life and peace. Notice

Minding Your Thoughts A Biblical Overview of Obtaining and Maintaining a Biblical Thought Life   Acts 27:39 And when it was day, they knew not the land: but they discovered a certain creek with a shore, into the which they were minded, if it were possible, to thrust in the ship .   They were wrong. The Apostle Paul is being transported to Rome on a trading ship. This trip was as troubled as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. The wind was contrary; the strong

Minding Your Thoughts A Biblical Overview of Obtaining and Maintaining a Biblical Thought Life   Matthew 1:19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man , and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily .   But he didn’t. The angel of the Lord appeared to him giving instructions about what to do, Joseph obeyed the angel. So it goes. Many times that which we are minded to do is not that which we should do.   King David was minded to build a hou

Minding Your Thoughts   A Biblical Overview of Obtaining and Maintaining a Biblical Thought Life Ezra 7:13 I make a decree, that all they of the people of Israel, and of his priests and Levites, in my realm, which are minded of their own freewill to go up to Jerusalem, go with thee.   Minded of their own freewill … volumes could be written about these five words.  This phrase is a powder keg. It contains truth that if harnessed properly brings forth blessing, and if mishandle

Minding Your Thoughts   A Biblical Overview of Obtaining and Maintaining a Biblical Thought Life II Chronicles 24:4 And it came to pass after this, that  Joash was minded to repair the house of the LORD .   So he did.  The house of the Lord was repaired in 830 BC under the direction of Joash King of Judah.  He performed that which he was minded to do.  Such is the case with each of us; we usually find a way to perform that which we are minded to do.    In football I primarily

Minding Your Thoughts   A Biblical Overview of Obtaining and Maintaining a Biblical Thought Life Ruth 1:18 When she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her.   Ruth was stedfastly minded  about something.   She was a widow; her deceased husband’s mother was Naomi.  Naomi was about to return to her homeland; Ruth pledged to go with her.  Ruth clave unto her mother in law and would not be dissuaded.  Once Naomi realized that Ruth was …

Minding Your Thoughts   A Biblical Overview of Obtaining and Maintaining a Biblical Thought Life Romans 2:3  And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?   In order to understand the full meaning of this verse there is an underlying truth that must be remembered. An underlying truth is one that permeates every aspect of an idea. For example, if a wife loves her husband yet becomes irrita

Minding Your Thoughts   A Biblical Overview of Obtaining and Maintaining a Biblical Thought Life Acts 28:22 But we desire to hear of thee what thou thinkest: for as concerning this sect, we know that every where it is spoken against .   The Apostle Paul is in Rome where he meets with the chief of the Jews. During this meeting these Jewish rulers asked him the above question in relation to those who believe in Jesus as the Christ. In today’s vernacular they said to him, “We wa

Minding Your Thoughts   A Biblical Overview of Obtaining and Maintaining a Biblical Thought Life Luke 10:36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?   The priest, the Levite, or the Samaritan? Of course it was the Samaritan; we commonly call him the Good Samaritan. He was the one that was the neighbour to the man left on the street stripped, wounded and half dead. The answer was clear, neither of the other two lifted a finge

Minding Your Thoughts   A Biblical Overview of Obtaining and Maintaining a Biblical Thought Life Matthew 26:53 Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?   Do you think that the Lord can do that which the Word of God says He can?  Really! Sometimes I am too much like the father of the child in Mark 9:24 who had to confess: … Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief .  How about you? May the Lord Bless