Home | Articles | Poetry | About The Author | Contact Us |
How Much Value Do We Place On The Gateway To Our Hearts?
The cognitive process is extremely complex, intricate, rapid, and delicately fine-tuned involving some amazing structures such as neurons, synapses, glial cells, and axons. It is constantly dealing with a myriad of messages from the world around us. Most of us are simply unaware of how we think -- we just automatically do it. The study of anatomy and physiology of the brain at a medical level is voluminous and fascinating. The human brain is so complex that doctors and scientists still do not know what function some parts have. However they do know that once the brain is injured or damaged it often cannot be restored as before. Many studies have fundamentally proven that our thoughts drive our behaviour and speech.
Just what did God intend for us to do with these carefully crafted and designed organs that He so lovingly placed within a protective casing of skull bone? Should we just go about our daily lives unprepared for what we may think, say and do? Or should we carefully watch and protect every single thought process based on what God encourages us to do within the Holy Bible -- His instruction manual for life? Reading the first four chapters of Proverbs is a good start to lay a great foundation. In Isaiah 55:6-9 we learn that God's thoughts and ways are not the same as our thoughts and ways. We need to constantly go to Him to find out how we can become like Him in every thought, word, and deed.
Filling Up With The Premium Quality Word Of God
The 24 hour cycle of life usually consists of work, sleep, eating/drinking, duties to home, family and self, interspersed amongst "down time". During this down time we may read, watch TV, listen to the radio, play some music, talk to friends/others, go for a walk or exercise at the gym. Whatever our day consists of we need to conduct a survey on ourselves -- a type of self-examination -- to ensure we know what we think, why we think this, and whether our thoughts are righteous or otherwise. Our thoughts drive our choices. Are these choices wise or less than ideal?
Maybe you have some time set aside each day for bible study, which is valuable and pleasing to our heavenly Father. The rest of the time our thoughts and interactions need siphoning or sifting of all the content that has filtered through our brains. Much of this may be reasonable and some may involve any number of things such as blasphemy (how many times do you hear or see OMG or Jesus Christ's name taken in vain?). We may hear dirty jokes, swearing, colleagues making fun of others, bullying, lies, gossip, inadvertently view advertisements of scantily clad people -- all manner of visual and auditory influences which combine to have an impact -- whether we agree or not and whether we like it or not.
We may have started out the day quite fine at home but perhaps when contending with traffic things can start to get a little tense especially if someone cuts you off without so much as any indication. Check your thoughts and facial expression now. Even frowning or a furrowed brow can show how you really feel deep down inside about what has just happened. Develop a positive thought process, which will affect your whole demeanour. Instead of thinking that the other person does not know how to drive -- or maybe you are thinking things even less complimentary -- think about how God has called YOU out of the world and has given you the greatest gift you can ever be given. God just kept you safe. Give Him praise and thanks for that. The thing is we do not know anything about the other person who just cut us off. Perhaps they are suffering with cancer? Maybe they are late for their job because their child is sick? Put things in perspective and give others the benefit of the doubt. Developing mercy is something we are in training for now.
Disruption and Interference from our Adversary
There will be many daily challenges and thoughts we need to resist and overcome in order to stay focused on God's way. This takes time and practice. Our adversary, the devil, greatly desires that we choose his way -- to be full of anger, hate, rage, revenge, foul language and wicked behaviour which all originate from our thoughts. Initially we may not notice a random thought here and there that enters our minds but if we are ready for the battle then we can recognise the work of the adversary. Satan is the mastermind of subtlety so we must be on guard in order to prevent sinful thoughts entering and lingering in our minds. These thoughts can eventually ramp up to fully depraved behaviour involving addictions, sexual perversions, the lust for money and power, and all sorts of idolatry. Instead we need to listen to God by reading Colossians 3:1-8 and Romans 8:6-9.
Ezekial 28:12-19 and Isaiah 14:12-21 contain valuable information on Lucifer who became Satan. He is now heavily and relentlessly involved in influencing our minds. Not only does he want to infiltrate with all manner of enticing thoughts, he desperately desires to fully occupy our minds with the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16). He is not satisfied until we are engaged in unrighteous thoughts, which will inevitably lead to unrighteous actions if left unchecked. His sole intent is to separate us from God by working on us individually with lustful worldly thoughts which are against God's laws. We are in the biggest sight-unseen battle of our lives (Ephesians 6:12). No wonder God tells us via the apostle Paul that we must bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. Paul uses words such as plead and beg in order to impart just how much importance this holds (2 Corinthians 10:1-5).
Guarding the Gateway to our Hearts
We definitely do not want to be like Satan. We have to live in the world but we must remember to be separate from it (Romans 12:2). Instead we want to model the thoughts and behaviour of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. With the aid of God's Holy Spirit referred to as "the Helper" in John 14:26 we can develop our minds and character to closely emulate our older brother. Examine the fruits of the Holy Spirit. These are listed in Galatians 5:22-23. Take time to go through each one, carefully examining how they can be applied to every daily thought and circumstance. You could access the on-line link of some really inspiring sermons by Mr. Gary Petty on the "Fruits of the Spirit" which form part of a series of sermons. Fill yourself up with wisdom from God instead of the muck generated by satan the god of this present evil age (2 Corinthians 4:4). Compare the fruits of the Spirit with those of the flesh found in Galatians 5:19-21. There is a massive contrast.