Maintaining a Garden of Fragrant Thoughts

Your thought life is one of the greatest influences on the direction your life takes. No action takes place before it has first been introduced into your “thought life”.  Putting it another way, your “thoughts” have “life”.  Therefore, it is imperative that the thoughts you have give you the life you want.  Listed below are a number of things that will assist in maintaining thoughts that will take you in the direction you want to go.

1. become “God inside – minded”
   When you became born-again God’s DNA was deposited into your reborn spirit.  You are one-third “just like Jesus”!
   1 John 4:4 (NKJV)  ⁴ You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
   Ephesians 3:19 (NLT) ¹⁹ May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to      understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
2. become “God loves me – minded”
   Follow the example of the apostle John who referred to himself as the “disciple whom Jesus loved”, not out of a sense of arrogance, but out of a revelation of the very personal nature of God’s love for His children. That revelation will help to keep your thoughts focused in the right direction – upward!
   1 John 3:1 (NKJV) Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.
   Romans 8:32 (The Living Bible) ³²Since he did not spare even his own Son for us but gave him up for us all, won’t he also surely give us everything else?
3. know and believe that you have the “mind of Christ”
   You have the capability of thinking the way Jesus thinks, thanks to the help of the Holy Spirit.
   1 Corinthians 2:9 (The Living Bible) ⁹That is what is meant by the Scriptures which say that nomere man has ever seen, heard, or even imagined what wonderful things God has ready forthose who love the Lord. ¹⁰But we know about these things because God has sent his Spirit to tell us, and his Spirit searches out and shows us all of God’s deepest secrets.
   John 14:10 (NLT) ¹⁰ Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I   speak are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me.
4. become Word-minded
   The world will have a “word” for every challenge you face; the Word of God, will likewise have something to say about your challenge.  God has given you the freedom to choose whose report will you believe? Let the Word become engrafted in your heart to the extent that when a challenge comes, the first thing you think about is what the Word has to say.
   Numbers 13:27 (The Message) (Note the two different responses to the challenge presented):   Then they told the story of their trip: (10 of 12 spies sent to scout the Promised Land said)… The only thing is that the people who live there are fierce, their cities are huge and well fortified. Worse yet, we saw descendants of the giant Anak. Caleb interrupted, called for silence before Moses and said, “Let’s go up and take the land—now. We can do it.”
   Hebrews 4:12 (The Message) God means what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey.
5. develop and maintain a thankful heart
   Look for things to be thankful about. The Word tells you to be thankful “in” all things, not for all things. You can be thankful “in” all things because you know that God is in the midst of your trial and will make a way out of it for you.
   1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NKJV) ¹⁸ in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
   Hebrews 13:15 (NKJV) ¹⁵ Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God,     that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.
6. develop and maintain an exhortative mind
   Continually think of ways to lift others up; in doing that you ultimately lift yourself up
   Hebrews 3:13 (NIV) ¹³ But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.
   Hebrews 10:25 (NKJV) ²⁵ not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
7. think on what you are thinking about
   Our minds are constantly bombarded by thoughts.  It may come as a shock, but not all thoughts come from you. The enemy sends discouraging thoughts, fearful thoughts, and accusing thoughts on a regular basis.  As one great minister of the gospel said, “You can’t stop a bird from flying over your head, but you can keep him from making a nest in your hair!”  When a thought comes that doesn’t line up with God’s Word, reject it and speak out a scripture that proclaims the Truth about your situation.
   2 Corinthians 10:5 (NKJV) ⁵ 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,
   Isaiah 26:3 (NLT) ³ You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!

 4/15