Tag: think

Uncategorized

“A Penny for Your Thoughts”

The Kedge Anchor

My mother in law would tell me “ You’re so thoughtful”
She was too but in her own way. Today is her birthday, (she would have been 91!)

and thinking about her and what she said made me think.

We are all full of thought. Thoughts racing through our heads all day long, sometimes keeping us up at night. Being thoughtful can mean thinking about someone and meeting a need or giving a gift that has true meaning, a story behind it, or just reaching out to someone.

But how many times are we thoughtful about our thoughts? How often do you stop to think about what you are thinking about? What was your last thought? Can you identify what lead you to that thought? What about the thought before that? Do you think about what you think about?

Proverbs 23:7 – What a man thinks in his heart so is he.

Philippians 4:8 – Whatever is true, noble, right, pure… think on these things.

Controlling our thoughts is not easy, it’s a challenge. Especially when the enemy is constantly throwing fiery darts at us to get our thinking away from God. Sometimes I think, we should be good stewards of our thoughts, like we steward our time and money.

Have you ever just been thinking and gone down rabbit hole after rabbit hole and started to feel bad and wonder why? I know I have lots of times. I might be reminiscing and start thinking about a time I did something dumb or said something dumb and starting thinking about what I could have said or should have done, then I begin to wonder what those people at the time thought of me and if I was dumb and then I feel like crap.

Then there are times I think about something I actually did right, or happy memory of a birthday or how a trinket I came across made me feel the day I someone gave it to me or I come up with brilliant idea for a present to give someone and I feel elated.

Our thoughts are powerful and we have the capacity to control them. But we can’t very well, not without God’s help. Philippians 4:13, we can do all things through Christ…. 2 Corinthians 10:5 “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

According to KnowingJesus.com there are 85 verses. Our thought life is probably something we should give some attention to. Something to think about.

Happy Birthday Jean, we miss you.

Uncategorized

Do You Think About What You Think About?

The Kedge Anchor

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Why is it by three o’clock in the afternoon I can’t remember what I read in my devotional in the morning? I barely can remember what I ate for breakfast or dinner the night before. Has that thought ever crossed your mind, that you can’t remember what you read in your devotional? Is it just me? James 1:23-24 says, “For anyone who hears the word but does not carry it out is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror,  24 and after observing himself goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. Ok, if I get like that… please someone help me. If I can’t remember what I read in God’s word, I am not going to carry it out.

Do you ever think about what you are thinking about at any given moment? Have you ever traced your thoughts? I could be in the middle something like sweeping the floor then the next thing I know I am thinking about something that happened in the fourth grade. Has that happened to you? Sometimes that initial thought can change my mood and remind me of something that made me mad and then I get mad and irritable for the rest of the day. I found that happening a lot. So I stop and trace my thoughts, what was I thinking about prior to that angry thought? Most of the time it’s so unrelated. But isn’t that how the enemy likes to work? He throws out the fiery darts. Sometimes the innocent of thoughts that lead to the most angry thoughts and emotions. Subtle, huh? Sneaky right? That’s how the enemy likes to trip us up.

2 Corinthians 10:5 says, “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” I know that can be hard sometimes. Thoughts can grab hold of us and fester and we can’t let go. But once again, that’s how the enemy works. Sometimes we are good at blocking out certain things, events, people. But sometimes unconsciously we aren’t even aware of our thoughts. There are times I have to stop myself from thinking about past events or people that have hurt me. Then I am either asking for forgiveness or forgiving someone and letting go of the hurt of old wounds.

So why is it by mid afternoon I’m thinking about what I read in my devotional? Is like a spiritual hunger? There have been times I have been so busy and so engulfed in what I am doing either my stomach reminds me it’s time to eat or if I am working with others, someone will ask “what’s for lunch?” Perhaps that thought about my morning devotional is a spiritual hunger pang, God gently reminding me of His presence. And what would it take to just stop for 5 minutes and give God a thank you, or simply opening a Bible app or listen to some worship and praise music? Maybe it’s just God tugging at my heart to let Him in for a tick and hear what He has to say.

Think about what you think about. Maybe start a journal to trace your thoughts. Take notes of what you read in your devotional. Share what you read and hear from God with someone, it will help you remember. Deuteronomy 11:18 “Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.” I guess those would be ways to take captive every thought.