The amount of influence any source of thoughts has on you is determined by how much you permit that source to influence you.
2 Corinthians 10:5 (NKJV)
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.
It is your responsibility to do something with the thoughts that come into your mind. Any thought that opposes the knowledge of God must be dealt with. You should discard every thought that does not agree with God’s new creation picture of you. If a thought does not agree with the Word of God, remove it from your mind; let it go and do not dwell on it. You are to bring your thoughts under your control and make your thoughts conform to who you are in Christ.
There are two primary sources from which thoughts are generated:
First, the physical realm. What you can see, hear, smell, touch, and taste represent the physical realm. Thoughts are generated from the input of the five physical senses. The majority of your thoughts are coming into your mind through your five physical senses.
Second, the spiritual realm. God’s Word and your re-created spirit represent the spiritual realm. The Word of God shows you what God put in your re-created spirit at the new birth when you became a new creation. Fill your mind with God’s Word and God’s thoughts will become your thoughts. Set aside some quiet time each day for your fellowship with God and God’s thoughts will become an ever increasing source of your thoughts.
The spiritual battle is between the physical realm (what the five senses are telling you) and the spiritual realm (what God’s Word is telling you). From the day you were born physically, you were programmed to think according to your five physical senses, but now that you are born again spiritually, you should start thinking according to your re-created spirit.
Thoughts can come into your mind from both the physical realm and the spiritual realm. The direction your thoughts take you is determined by the thoughts you allow yourself to entertain.
This article is an excerpt from our book, Beyond Positive Thinking: Success and Motivation in the Scriptures. Visit the Store page to order this book and other resources.