Thoughts-A-Muck

   The plane is on fire! Whoosh! They fell out of the plane. Yank! He jerked the release on the unconscious pilot's parachute. Oops, it didn't open. He held on to the pilot with all his might. Crash! They hit the ground. Yes! the pilot is still alive! 

     I sat watching my little brother do a victory dance over the top of his marble-rolling block set... ahem, I mean airplane. "Hooray! I saved the pilot!" 

     Now where did he come up with all of that? And why do I get caught up in his enthusiastic make-belief? I don't know about you all, but my brain runs like my little brother's... it never stops! the problem is, what is it running on, and where is it running to? With mine... that could be anywhere and everywhere. Especially places I do not want it to go. Why? Because I am a born again sinner. The problem is... what can you do with a brain? There is no 'stop' button. How do you control it? And if you can... do you really want to control it?

     This morning in Bible time, my brain phased out to think about it. Thoughts are important. Whatever I let my thoughts do, my mouth and my feet start doing too. "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he." Proverbs 23:7 More exasperating than that is that God expects me to keep my thoughts pure! "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." Philippians 4:8. 

     I came back to Bible time just in time to hear Daddy read Ephesians 5:19-20; "be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God." Breath of fresh air! Can we control our thoughts? No. But... If we are filled with the Spirit, then He will help us evaluate and reject those thoughts that we like to dwell on that are not pure! So... we are to walk around all day totally out of it? Actually, if "it" equals thinking those nasty thoughts about someone or doing something we shouldn't, the answer is YES!
     Pure thoughts start with the beginning of our day, taking time to read God's Word and to think His thoughts after Him before I start His day. As I go about making breakfast, I think about what I read, and what that means about God and who He is, and how I can be like Him in that area today. As absurd as this may sound, I ask God questions about what He meant by this or that verse. It is startling how many times He will bring to mind a verse to answer my question. Sometimes, they are verses I don't remember memorizing.
     You can go throughout your day 'thinking to God' about whatever you are doing. Guaranteed, it is 90% easier to be willing to do whatever you are asked when you are singing 'Make Me a Servant' to yourself. With God's help, you can walk in the spirit and spread the joy of the Lord in your home. Does Satan want you to 'walk in the Spirit' ? No with a capital N-O! He will tempt you with everything he can throw at you! It is not a sin to be tempted. Jesus was tempted. It is a sin to give in to the temptation and 'enjoy' that bad thought. Am I filled with the Spirit every day? Or even all day? No. Could we? Is it possible? Yes! That is what I'm striving for today. Are you?


By the way, where do you think daydreaming comes in to all of this?