Take Every Thought Captive

I'm reading The Fear of the Lord by John Bevere and in Chapter 3 he mentions Psalm 139:17-18.

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!

How vast is the sum of them! 

If I would count them, they are more than the sand...

Wow! God's thoughts are more than the grains of sand on earth and they are ALL precious. This made me think about my own thoughts. How do mine add up? Are they all worthless? Do any have value? Then I remembered a few verses that will help me get my mind right!

We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete. 

                                                                                                                            2 Corinthians 10:5

I'm supposed to take my thoughts captive, like prisoners, when they don't align with God's word. I need to be on high alert watching for those sneaky thoughts that try to bring me down. You know the ones, they come up and make you feel inadequate, they leave you worried about something out of your control, they are any negative thought you can think of. God doesn't leave us hanging! He tells us what to think about...

Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 

                                                                                                                            Philippians 4:8

Sometimes it's easier to think about our troubles, even POTENTIAL troubles. I'm talking about myself here, I'm the world's worst when it comes to thinking about the future and all the things that could go wrong. What a lack of faith and a waste of time! Let's face it, it's more difficult for some of us to think positively and to believe things are going to work out for good but wouldn't life be SO MUCH BETTER if we did?! We just need to believe what God's word says and DO it. 

Therefore I tell you do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field how they grow: they neither toil or spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all of his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the gentiles seek after these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. 
                                                                                                                                   Matthew 6:25-34


Fear not little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with money bags that do not grow old, with a treasure in heavens that do not fail, where no thief approaches, and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 
                                                                                                                                  Luke 12:32-34

God doesn't want me to be anxious about what he considers small issues like food, drink, or clothing. He wants me to be concerned with greater things!! Like giving to the needy; to whom food, drink, and clothing do not come as easily. He wants me to gather up for myself treasure in heaven that will last unlike everything this world has to offer. God's word is steadfast and doesn't change with the times. The world is always changing; nothing lasts, in the end his word will still be standing strong. 

I want my heart to be where the REAL treasure is. So for goodness sake! I'm going to take every thought captive, think on the lovely, pure, excellent, noble things! And quit being anxious about things that are going to be burned up in the end anyway so that I can focus on what will last. I know I'm not perfect and that I will have days where those unwelcome thoughts come but hopefully these verses will come to mind. :)


Mandy






{photos taken by me}