May 31, 2025

Minding Your Thoughts

A Biblical Overview of Obtaining and Maintaining a Biblical Thought Life

Mark 13:11 But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost.

I have never been delivered up for inquisition, but I have been put on the spot: during business meetings, corporate dinners, in homes, and more than once when visiting a church and I was called on to preach. Once I made an extra effort to attend an out of the way funeral for a family member of one of our church members. When I arrived at the grave site I was asked to preach the funeral. Each time the Holy Ghost has helped me. I know it. I sensed it. I felt it if you will.

One of the life attributes that my parents instilled in me was a “can do” attitude. You know the attitude that is summed up in the little saying; “Can’t never could do nothing.”  When it comes to speaking up for your belief in Jesus Christ and the Word of God never say you can’t because you can! The above verse proves it. The Holy Spirit will give you the words to speak when needed. As we dealt with yesterday, this truth is not for the routine and scheduled times we are to speak, but for those times that we don’t even know we will speak up for Him.

A “can do” attitude is needed today especially among young men. There is always a way, well almost always. One time in Scouts we were in a competition with the other troops at a big district campout. Among other skills in which we were to be tested was semaphore (this is the mode of communication with flags). The Pastor Emeritus of our church, Dr. Cabel Roberts, was a communication expert in World War II and was trained in semaphore and Morse code. We were not trained; we had no clue, not one. So, we made up our own set of flag movements for the different letters of the alphabet. Lifting the left-hand flag twice meant the letter was a b, lifting it up three times was a c, etc. Lifting the right-hand flag meant a letter divisible by five letters into the ABC’s. For example, lifting the right-hand flag once, and then the left-hand flag once meant the letter f (the sixth letter). Lifting the right-hand flag three times and then the left-hand flag once meant the letter p (the sixteenth letter). Hey, don’t laugh, we got the message across, it just took us about twenty times longer than the other teams that were prepared in semaphore. We lost.

Develop a “can do” attitude; it will serve you well in life. Prepare when you can, and on the rare occasion when you can’t, trust the Holy Ghost.

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

Dr. William T. Howe