Guard My Mind and Mouth, Lord

2 Corinthian 10:5
…”Bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.”

The instruction found in 2 Corinthians 10:5 is life-changing when applied to our lives. I have purposed to pay attention to this Scripture and obey its instruction. Our thought lives can wreck havoc in our lives, if we allow thoughts and emotions to run unbridled. Thoughts can depress us, discourage us, upset us, infuse despair, and confuse us. Thoughts brought “into captivity to the obedience of Christ” will be positive, encouraging, uplifting, Christ-like, faith-filled, and life changing.

Paying particular attention to our thought lives is a vital skill to master for the Christian. I write this with authority because I have battled cancer for over 13 years along with several other serious health challenges in our own family and I, with God’s help, have been able to remain positive and not negative; uplifted and not defeated. Without purposeful study of His Word and paying attention to my mouth and the words it speaks and my mind and the thoughts it thinks, I am certain I would have been defeated years ago.

Our minds are swarmed with negativity, instruction that is contrary to God’s Word, and perversity in movies, music and books. We cannot expect to glide through this life with our own power and expect to emerge unscathed by the sin that “so easily ensnares”. Doubt is sin. Fear is sin. Confusion is not of God. It is much easier to allow our mouths to spout off whatever our flesh directs and to think whatever thoughts cross our minds. It is not natural to measure our thought life and our words.

How will we recognize growth in this area … when our words begin to imitate Christ’s words….. when we are confident that our thoughts are not His thoughts.

Let us consider the subject of thoughts and meditate on what God’s Word tells us about thoughts.

GOD KNOWS OUR THOUGHTS
Matthew 9:4
Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, "Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts?

FIX OUR THOUGHTS ON HIM
Hebrews 3:1-3
Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess.

WHY SPENDING TIME IN HIS WORD IS VITAL
Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

I pray that God will guard my mind until I depart from this earth. I do not want influences from the enemy of this world to dissuade me from holding my thoughts “captive to the obedience of Christ”. I do not want emotion and other frivolous attempts to discourage me, to take up residence in my mind. Since He knows my thoughts, I want to be diligent in keeping them pleasing to Him.