Time to Get Rid of Stinkin' Thinkin'....

We all have heard the sayings of "You are what you eat" or "Garbage in, Garbage out!" And it probably stands to reason that there is a great deal of truth to either one or both of these sayings. Let's face it, if you fuel your body with the wrong "stuff," it will not perform to its highest and best level...in fact, you may make yourself sick and do permanent damage if your bad eating habits were to persist.

The same can be true of what you put into your mind when it comes to what fuels your drives and your passions. If you fill you mind with "junk food" then your life will reflect that in the motives and actions you take in living in this crazy and unpredictable world. It is common fact that the more you dwell on something in your mind, the more it begins to drive your thoughts and before long, it can and will determine your actions. There are any number of life stories of serial killers that spent too much time thinking on the immoral and evil things of this world and those thoughts lead to horrific deeds.

Knowing that what we put into our minds can have a direct effect on what we do gives us great power...the power to choose what we think and what we think on over and over. The apostle Paul in writing to the Philippians said in best in chapter 4, verse 8; "Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable...if there is ANY moral excellence and if there is any praise...dwell on these things."

Yes, you and I have the power to fuel our thoughts with things that are pure and lovely...thoughts that focus on our God and His great and awesome power. We can only do this as we shut out the clamor of the world for our thoughts and dwell on His Word.

I remember as a young child and a Christian at an early childhood age, my parents continually put the Word of God before me and encouraged me to learn and memorize Scripture. Over those many formative years, I can recall the Sword drills that took place on Sunday evenings at my church as my friends and I raced to find the Scripture that had been called out...step forward and read it and earn a point for our team. Little did I know then that I was filling my mind with those pure, lovely and commendable things that I would carry with me long into my adult years.

And the challenge to continue to do that has never been greater as the world and all it wickedness is thrust at us through our TV sets; while surfing the Internet; even riding in our cars and listening to our radios has become a never-ending challenge to find songs that are wholesome and lead us to think good and righteous thoughts.

So, who has the power when it comes to what you are thinking? Are you the one that decides what makes it into your brain or have you been brainwashed to think that you really can't control what is being forced upon you by the world?

The solution is really simple...if you want to live a life of excellence then that life begins with excellent thoughts....not sometimes but every time. It's time to get rid of stinkin' thinkin' and turn your thoughts over to the Creator of the Universe....after all, He has given us so much to ponder we just don't have time to waste on stinkin' thinkin'!

Capturing each thought for the Master,

WPQ