April 15, 2025

Minding Your Thoughts

A Biblical Overview of Obtaining and Maintaining a Biblical Thought Life

Judges 15:2 And her father said, I verily thought that thou hadst utterly hated her; therefore I gave her to thy companion: is not her younger sister fairer than she? take her, I pray thee, instead of her.

The story of Samson’s life has intrigued people for generations. His life is a contrast of strength against weakness. Such is the conflict of many today. Paul wrote about this contrast, Peter lived it and, probably each one of us can relate to it in a measure. Samson’s father-in-law is the man being quoted in this verse. He thought one thing while the opposite was the actual truth. How many times do we think something only to find out later that we were wrong, and the actions we took, based upon what we falsely thought, only made matters worse.

A Scriptural example of this was the story of Abraham having a child by Hagar. Abraham knew God promised that he would have a son. But he just couldn’t understand how. He was an old man and his wife was past childbearing years. So, his thought was to help God out. His thought was wrong. God needs no help in carrying out His Word, He is quite able to do that himself, for the Lord has supernatural powers we cannot understand.

You know, there is no feeling, no more time of clarity of thought, than that instant during an argument that you realize that you are wrong. Sure, we may still argue our point, but we know our thought was wrong. To save face we find a way out, a loophole, or even stoop to attack our opponent personally just to save face and hide our wrongness. I think often of Peter and how he felt when he looked into the eyes of Jesus after betraying Him three times. No wonder he went out and wept bitterly, he had failed, his thought was wrong; he once again was humbled by the Lord’s rightness, but he did not let that failure characterize his life. Peter went on to be a great preacher, leader, and was even used of God to pen some of our New Testament.

Yes, from time to time your thoughts will be wrong, and even lead you to wrong actions. If this happens own up to it, pick yourself up, get back into the game and press toward the mark. For even just men can fall through bad thoughts, but they don’t stay down, as Proverbs 24:16 says, For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: … 

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

Dr. William T. Howe