Thoughts...

Well, I've done a terrible job writing lately! Let's try this out again. Sometimes there is a long pause in my writing because I have to be in the right frame of mind in order to get what's inside of my head out onto the page. That frame of mind has just not been available to me in the past few months. There have been a lot of life changing events going on over here; not bad changes, just changes. These changes have me constantly on the move; I'm rarely sitting still and when I am, I'm just too tired to think...aka...write.

Today I found myself in a bit of a lull. My mind is clear, my body is rested and I'm a bit on the bored side, so let's give this a whirl!!

I still try to get alone with Jesus every morning. In fact, the changes that I spoke of earlier, have afforded me even more time to read in the morning, which I really love. In my morning time, I read various things and usually end with a chapter in the Bible. I then reference a commentary in order to dig a little deeper. The other day, I was reading in Psalms 8, which was talking about the glory of God and the glory of man paired with man's destiny and how it reflects on God.

It's not every day that something from my reading jumps out at me as specifically profound, but on this day something did. It wasn't the verses themselves that made me pause but the commentary for these verses.

"When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place, what is man that You are mindful of him, the son of man that You care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor." -Psalms 8:3-5

The commentary for these verses had much to say but this portion specifically gave me pause:

"It seems that this divine call and gift given to man of great dominion over the whole earth is tragically unfulfilled; fallen man seems so weak and incapable of dominion over his own thoughts and desires, much less crowned with glory and honor." (enduringword.com, 2024)

Ouch! Tragically Unfulfilled! These are not the words I want reflecting my life at the end of my days. This message speaks directly into one of my greatest weaknesses...controlling my thoughts. It's a close second to another weakness, my ability to deny my flesh what it desires.

We were made in the image of God and were originally given great dominion over all of the earth (Genesis 1:26), yet we are so weak, especially when it comes to capturing our thoughts and denying ourselves. If we want it, we work as hard as we can to get it, sometimes no matter what the cost.

It's those first thoughts that we entertain just a little too long that can lead us down the path that is not meant for us. At first the thoughts may seem repulsive or ludicrous but the more we entertain them, the more comfortable they become. Actions we never thought possible can follow the now comfy thoughts.

Our actions follow our desires and before we know it, we have created a big ole' mess. It's quite possibly a mess we never intended to make but a mess nonetheless. It all can happen so very quickly.

This mess can come in many forms, a job, a relationship, an addiction, or maybe even financial ruin. No matter what form it takes, it all started with a thought!

We were created to be stronger than this. We weren't meant to be dominated by our thoughts; we were made to dominate with the heart of the Lord! We were made to be crowned in God's glory and honor not operate in weakness, giving into every fleeting thought and fleshly desire.

We have to remember that all things aren't meant for us, even some of the good things, the appealing things, the things that look and feel good. Some things were meant for us but some things weren't. It's when we step outside of the boundaries into the things not meant for us, that we create problems, some of which can be catastrophic.

Scripture tells us that we are to capture our thoughts and make them obedient to Christ.

(2 Corinthians 10:5) Sin begins in our hearts and goes to our mind. Before an act of sin is committed it was first a thought! (Matthew 15:19)

"The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God." -Romans 8:6

So how do we claim what was meant for us? At the very least, how do we claim dominion over our thoughts and desires? Scripture tells us:

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things." -Philippians 4:8

Woah, that's a tall order but that is how it is meant to be done. We are meant to capture the thoughts that aren't beneficial to us and turn them to thoughts like those stated above.

Turn that negative thought about yourself to an excellent thought of who the Lord says you are. Take hold of the lustful thought you know you shouldn't let marinate in your mind and turn it to a more pure thought of love, devotion, and commitment.

Having dominion over our thoughts and desires doesn't happen overnight. It takes practice. It takes work. It takes at first denying yourself, denying your thoughts and then feeling good about that first step. You'll find that over time this practice becomes easier and easier and you will reap the rewards for your obedience.

I will close with a scripture that was shared with me over two decades ago and I have referenced it countless times:

"For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline" (emphasis added) -2 Timothy 1:7

We all were created for great things. We were created to exercise self-discipline. I know by some of my choices that I have fallen short of what was intended for me. At the very least I will continue to attempt to exercise dominion over my thoughts and my flesh so that I may remain on the path created for me!

I pray the same for you!

-Until next time...