GENESIS 3:3 “But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.”
KEYWORD: Whatever you continually feed your mind has the potential to shape your desires, influence your decisions, and direct your actions.
When a man does not properly understand God’s instructions for his life, he can easily misinterpret them. When instructions are misunderstood, deception can find an entrance and disobedience often follows. Many times, you may not fully understand God’s intentions when He gives certain instructions because the natural mind is too limited to fully comprehend the mind of the Father without the help of the Holy Spirit. The truth is that you will not always understand every reason behind God’s instructions.
My counsel to you today is simple. Whenever you find yourself in such situations where God’s instruction does not seem to make sense to you, obey Him on the basis of love and trust. God is too faithful to mishandle your life. You lose nothing by obeying God, but you can lose much when you choose disobedience.
When thoughts that oppose God’s instructions begin to arise in your mind, be careful. Not every thought deserves your agreement. The enemy often seeks to present reasons why you should ignore God’s Word or refuse His instructions. Many people fall prey because they do not understand how deceptive thoughts operate. They assume every thought that enters their mind must be their own, when in reality some thoughts are invitations to move away from God’s will.
2 SAMUEL 13:1 “And it came to pass after this, that Absalom the son of David had a fair sister, whose name was Tamar; and Amnon the son of David loved her.” The mind is powerful, and whatever is continually entertained can grow stronger. Amnon allowed an unhealthy desire to grow within him until it controlled his actions. What began as a thought eventually became an obsession.
2 SAMUEL 13:15 “Then Amnon hated her exceedingly; so that the hatred wherewith he hated her was greater than the love wherewith he had loved her. And Amnon said unto her, Arise, be gone.”
Notice how what seemed like love quickly turned into hatred. This reveals that many emotions and desires are not always what they first appear to be. When thoughts, imaginations, and fantasies are continually entertained without being examined through God’s Word, they can develop into destructive actions.
This is why believers must be careful about what they consistently expose themselves to. Whatever you continually feed your mind has the potential to shape your desires, influence your decisions, and direct your actions. Before long, fantasies can become strongholds and imaginations can begin to govern behaviour.
Know this today: you are largely a product of what you continually entertain in your mind. Guard your thoughts. Measure them against God’s Word. Refuse every imagination that seeks to exalt itself above the knowledge of Christ. Shalom!
PRAYER:
Dear Heavenly Father, I thank You for revealing the importance of guarding my mind. Help me to discern every thought that comes to me and to bring it into obedience to Your Word. Let Your truth continually shape my thinking and preserve me from every form of deception. I receive grace to watch over my heart with diligence and to walk in obedience to Your instructions always. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
FURTHER STUDY:
1 PETER 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:”
LUKE 22:31-32 “And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.”
