April 12, 2025

Minding Your Thoughts

A Biblical Overview of Obtaining and Maintaining a Biblical Thought Life

Numbers 33:56 Moreover it shall come to pass, that I shall do unto you, as I thought to do unto them.

God spoke the above words to Moses who then relayed them to Israel. God had a plan for the enemies of God’s people, but if the people of God disobeyed His direct orders, then He would do to them that which He planned to do to their enemies. No matter what took place in the future concerning this situation God had a thought, a plan if you will.

I

once knew a man who was a professional comedian and magician. Over dinner one night he was telling us some of the funny things that happened while he was performing. He said that the most difficult time of his show was when he called someone up on stage to assist him. He would have them pick a card and then he would magically announce the card that they picked. He told us that over the years he developed a series of questions that enabled him to discern the card without seeing it. All of his questions were answered by a yes or no answer. If they answered yes, he already knew which question to ask. If they answered no he had an alternative question to ask. He thought about the series of questions to the point where it really didn’t matter what the answer of the person was, he knew which follow-up question to ask to get the information he needed.

A wise person will do this in real life as well. They have a thought in mind and if all goes like they planned that thought will be carried out. But if all did not go according to plan, they already know which alternative steps to take to accomplish the same goal. Their original thought could change based on events beyond their control. They may not be able to control the events, but they can control their thoughts about what to do in each eventuality. No matter what thoughts you have concerning your actions, try to think of alternative steps you will take if the outcome is not that which you expect. God did, and so can we.

May the Lord bless and be pleased with your thought life today.

Dr. William T. Howe