April 13, 2025

Minding Your Thoughts

A Biblical Overview of Obtaining and Maintaining a Biblical Thought Life

Deuteronomy 15:9 Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand; and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him nought; and he cry unto the LORD against thee, and it be sin unto thee.

Without going into detail about this portion of God’s law for Israel, suffice it to say that He was warning them about presuming on God’s goodness and about taking advantage of their fellow Israelites. To grasp the full teaching please read this entire portion of Scripture. The principle of having a thought in our wicked heart is important. Perhaps the following example can bring this principle up to date.

There was once a man who enjoyed the benefit of having a company car. This man held a top job in the organization and was afforded a very nice luxury vehicle. One of the fringe benefits of having a company car was the first opportunity to purchase that car after three years. The car had been depreciated by the company and therefore could be purchased at a very low cost. This man bought his car for $3,000 (this was about 30 years ago). He then turned around and sold it to his mother for $5,000 telling her that was what it cost him. What a man, right?

I believe that this man had a thought in his wicked heart. He cared more for making $2,000 than he did for his mother. God warns us to not allow even a thought from our wicked heart to cause us to take advantage of others, and certainly not to use His law as a method to do so.

Our Father in Heaven knows how vital our heart is to our thought life that is why He had King David write, Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. (Psalm 37:4)   Notice here… not the desires of thy thought, but the desires of thy heart. I say again, the heart is vital to our thought life, what the heart wants will be justified sooner or later in our thoughts. In this be careful, be very, very careful.

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

Dr. William T. Howe