Thoughts and their source
Most of us want to believe that our thoughts belong to us and that we should be able to control them. Much of my belief in how I should be able to control my thoughts was due to being raised in a Christian home where the Holy Bible was read regularly and where my parents demonstrated a godly lifestyle. So for the sake of complying with what I was taught I wanted good thoughts and for the most part I thought about positive things.
Growing up on a dairy farm in northeastern PA created a beautiful natural setting which most would say was an idyllic childhood from a morality point of view. Additionally for the first 12 years of my life we had no TV. The older I get the more I appreciate the truth-based foundation that was laid by my parents in those early years. Living in this rural setting allowed for a lot of time alone (oldest of 5 children) outside talking to myself and imagining great things for the future.
Even though I was a good kid with a sensitive conscience I felt like I was losing the war in my thoughts even though I was living in an environment of truth and a deep sense of the "fear" of God. I was afraid of hell, if I even thought a curse word in my mind I confessed it as sin to God to avoid going to hell.
Additionally it is important to note that I was raised in the doctrine of Calvinism which teaches that God through His Spirit draws people into His Kingdom in a sovereign and controlling way, so in my early years I was "waiting" for God to pull me, by force, into holy thinking and a righteous life. As I aged into my teenage years I pushed this idea to the point of almost killing myself by living life carelessly with a rash of foolish behavior behind the steering wheel of a car.
In other words, I pushed the limits to see what would happen. This was a really bad idea, I could have been lost forever, but thanks be to God, He had other plans for me and He saved me from my foolish thoughts and stupid behavior. At the age of 19 the Lord awakened me to the idea that it is up to me to pursue Him and the truth. I had to "decide" and commit to pursuing Him and His truth.
I also knew from my upbringing that Satan was real and this mortal enemy of humanity could attack my mind with lies or accusations of my inadequacies as a human being prone to sin and failure, so the concept of "renewing" my thoughts became "necessary" as I matured in my understanding of the battle that raged in my mind as a young adult. Through my 20s and 30s I worked hard to imbibe the grace of "self control", which is one of the fruits of the Spirit that I longed to incorporate into my way of life. As a man who wanted a pure mind I worked hard to avoid looking at things that would lead me astray, as a man, I avoided porn and gazing at beautiful women.
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Another importance piece of my childhood that forms the background of this discussion on thoughts is how I saw firsthand my father struggle with depression. My dad owned and operated a small dairy farm in eastern PA. He taught me how to raise Holstein dairy cows and how to get them to make high volumes of milk. When I was 15, struggling with my own issues of being a late bloomer, which caused me many struggles in my athletic life, my dad at the same time was going through a deep time of depression, for 2 years of my teenage life my dad would barely talk.
Obviously things were going bad for our family farm, lack of rain and the death of one of our most productive cows caused my father to believe as a Christian man that God was judging him for his sins. This belief led him to be so depressed he didn't speak many positive faith-filled words; he fell into a deep sense of self pity which manifested in dismal words with bad outcomes. I learned to hate this mindset cause my mom and sisters needed support and encouragement in their lives and my dad had nothing to give at that critical time in the life of our family.
A few years later I watched my sister have a terrible nervous breakdown at 21 years of age which put her in the hospital. These experiences have shaped my belief, starting at an early age, that my thoughts were the source of my problems, and naturally I wondered if I could "change" my thoughts and overcome negative words in my mind as well as the dark forces that would attack my mind from time to time.
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In recent times, the entire world population has been attacked psychologically by the lies of the COVID pandemic, enforcement of unnecessary lockdowns for pubic safety, the push for vaccine mandates, and more recently, the rumors of WW3 with Russia and/or China. The zeitgeist (public sentiment) seeks to control the thoughts of the masses or a given minority group to generate chaos, they desire to flip the consciousness of a nation, and even overwhelm the world population with fear to influence them to do things that are anti-God and anti-Truth.
The zeitgeist specializes in narrative seeding so as to turn entire nations from thinking one way to a completely different way, remember 9-11, we had no interest in going to war with Iraq until they pulled down those great structures. A generic 'war on Terror' ensued and our lives have never been the same from a surveillance perspective.
The zeitgeist has a "source" and we must be aware of that "dark" source.
Narratives are constantly being pushed by dark forces hidden from public view, using this dark force by influencing the human mind isn't a new phenomena. Understanding the spiritual realm goes a long way in assisting any human being that has to endure the "noise" of this information crazed world we swim around in every day. These dark forces primarily use "fear" and intimidation, that tactic has been employed since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden.
The question for all of us is simple.
Can I change my thoughts?
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ
Here we must introduce the real war. The war we fight every day in our mind is spiritual. Everything that "is" starts in the spirit realm. We live in a physical earth built for us that was established by the "Word" of Our Creator. We can't see heaven above but its there. There is also a 2nd heaven where Satan and his demonic army play, it is there that these public perceptions and evil ideas and thoughts originate.
So we are learning that all of us face specific spiritual attacks on our human mind based on our calling and our experiences as well as mass population attack on the public conscience that pushes us to conform to evil ways of thought and lifestyle and a negative mindset.
At the end of this age Satan will masquerade as a false light in a human form like unto Our Lord Jesus seeking to deceive the nations and many humans in the world population will take the mark of the Beast. God's people are commanded in the book of Revelation to "come out" from among the people lest we share in her sins.
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And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. Render to her just as she rendered to you and repay her double according to her works; in the cup which she has mixed, mix double for her. In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow.’ Therefore, her plagues will come in one day—death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her.
What will it feel like to literally "come out of her" for you?
In the end "you" are all that matters to Jesus.
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God spoke all that we see and feel into existence by the Word of His mouth. Satan was cast out of a glorious Heaven because he sought to be equal with the King of kings. Satan used "words" to deceive Eve when she was completely happy in a perfect Garden with a perfect husband. No woman today can say they are married to a perfect husband.
We are living in a war of Words. We wake up every day in a world run by words. This war originates in the minds of men who conceive of plans that break the established order. God is the One and only Creator of all things and if that statement is true than all that has been created is under His direct control. If everything comes out of God and proceeds from His Throne then everything will eventually go BACK to God and His Throne.
God uses words to change the narrative derived by evil prideful men who are being influenced by Satan. Secret societies are created for expressed purpose of hiding a Satanic agenda. Alternatively we publicly declare "The Gospel" which is called Good News for all of mankind, the opposite of Satan's agenda which is dark and hidden.
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem the Angels in Heaven came down to announce His arrival to a few lowly shepherds. These words caused the shepherds to go and find this King baby and tell all their neighbors what they heard. All of history is dictated by the words of men influenced by invisible forces, some listen to His Voice but most humans listen to the voice of Satan.
God calls us to today to Hear His Voice and walk according to His Words which are published in the Bible. There are also personal words He gives us that come to us through the work of the Holy Spirit which is our most precious possession. We receive the Holy Spirit by faith.
When we call upon the Lord for salvation we are promised to receive the Holy Spirit which dwells inside our hearts. Our souls now have access to the words of the Spirit realm which is connected to heaven. We can access these words at anytime. Jesus promised that when He was lifted up (on the cross) and then resurrected from the grave and then eventually taken back up to Heaven He would release the Comforter to guide us in our earthly pilgrimage.
Here is a scripture that explains what I am trying to convey:
Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts;
Let him return to the LORD, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD.
"For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts."
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The Question now arises,
"How do we access God's thoughts and put to practice His Life-giving Words?"
We must forsake our natural flesh-based thoughts. Most of our natural thoughts are self based. We are selfish creatures by nature. Once we realize how messed up we are from birth we have to look outside of ourselves for a remedy. We, our flesh, are the problem and we need God to deliver us from ourselves. In light of this dire situation, we must reach up for God's thoughts which have been written for us in His Word which come out of His Love for us as humans made in His image.
With His help and our faith-filled reading of His Words, our thoughts change over the course of time. At the point of our confession of faith in Christ and the impartation of His Spirit into our heart, our base thoughts will immediately change because they have been touched by His Grace. What we are seeking to build in this "restorative" work on the human mind is to re-build your life into a brand new life marked by holy, godly, and righteous thinking which leads to healthy and godly steps which leads to a happy peace filled life no matter how difficult your life actually is.
A restored life is accomplished by walking in the Sprit.
"There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit"
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you.
Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.
Rom. 8:1-9
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This powerful work on our mind can only be achieved by continual access to His written Words and by spending time with Him in spiritual communion and intimate prayer. Over the course of time we will be conformed, by the operation of the Holy Spirit inside of our soul, to become more and more conformed to His image.
Just as in your marriage or the nature of the group of friends you spend the most time with, over the course of time, you rub off on each other, that can be good and that can be bad. That's why your associations are critical to long term happiness.
"Transformed by the renewing of our mind"
"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."
No person outside of Jesus (perfect in every way) can think the way they should without continual focused access to the words of God. My life's journey can be typified as a "struggle" to think right about myself and my calling to "do" the things He wants me to do to expand His Kingdom on the earth. Remember people watch your feet more than they listen to your words.
Out of our thoughts come words and then steps which lead to action.
Words then steps, words in our mind which translate to spoken words which then lead to everyday life decisions which impact our peace and happiness.
Your thoughts matter to God
The scriptures clearly teach that we win the war in our mind. Paul points to us a victors against all powers that reign over humanity controlling their thoughts and their passions. Once again read this scripture, and memorize it this scripture will carry you through the hardest of times.
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ... 2 Cor. 10: 4-5
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Bringing every thought captive to the obedience of Christ
The Battlefield of the Mind
Changing your thoughts pulls down strongholds
Derek Prince - How a false gospel enters the human mind
Set your Mind on Truth - Your mind is the key
How the "world" attacks your mind - The remedy!
The world system plays against our natural mind!
Fear is a prison
The Holy Spirit helps us change our thoughts!
Since we are called sons and daughters of God due to our
born again experience in Christ - shouldn't we think like it!
Understanding Spiritual Warfare from mental perspective
Understanding Spiritual Warfare from the Macro view
Overcoming Demonic Attacks - Rick Renner
You choose what you think about and what you say.
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Personal Deliverance Steps 1 - 3
Personal Deliverance Steps 4 - 5