The Danger of Your Thoughts

What the Bible says about the Victorious Spirit- part 5

When you fear that the worst will happen, your own thoughts may help to bring it about. “Fear,” a writer once said, “Is the wrong use of imagination. It is anticipating the worst, not the best that can happen.”

A salesman, driving on a lonely country road one dark and rainy night had a flat. He opened the trunk—no lug wrench. The light from a farmhouse could be seen dimly up the road. Surely the farmer would have a lug wrench he could borrow, he thought. Of course, it was late at night—maybe he wouldn’t answer the door or he’d be angry at being awakened in the middle of the night. By now his shoes and clothing were soaked from walking thru the rain. He thought-if the farmer answers his knock, he’d probably shout, “What’s the big idea waking me up at this hour!”

This thought made the salesman angry. What right did that farmer have to refuse him the loan of a lug wrench? Here he was stranded in the middle of nowhere, soaked to the skin. The farmer was a selfish clod—no doubt about that! The salesman finally reached the house, and banged loudly on the door. A light went on inside, and a window opened above. “Who is it?” a voice called out. “You know darn will who it is,” yelled the salesman, his face white with anger. “It’s me! You can keep your blasted lug wrench. I wouldn’t borrow it now if you had the last one on earth!”

It is true. Our thoughts left unchecked can get us into great trouble. No, Paul thought- God is going to use trouble to work for His good and mine. Paul knew this and kept something straight in his thinking.-

”6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6 NIV)

”29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” (Romans 8:29 NIV)

You see the truth is, if you have given your life to Christ, He is working on you and in you. He is committed to you and will not stop His work until the image of Jesus Christ is shining though us. He started something in you and He will finish it. He uses even trouble to workout His character in us. Paul did not have his mind on all the troubles he had, but on the fact that all the while a Holy Loving God was at work in him. He knew if he thought wrong about trouble, his mind would become his enemy and keep him from the prize God had for him. You can not think about all the difficulties of getting to prize.

If we are in the purposes of God, SO WHAT IF DIFFICUTIES COME. When Paul was shipwrecked, God used him to win the governor of that place to Christ. Once while shipwrecked on an island he was bitten by a snake. Most of us would be thinking, “how did I miss the will of God?!!” Not Paul . He shook the snake off then God healed him and those who saw it were converted. Our minds must be convinced that since I am in the purposes of God, He will take personal responsibility to complete the GOOD work He started in me. And He will continue to do this all the way UNTIL the day of Christ Jesus arrives. All of Paul’s trouble did nothing but bring him to Emperor Nero’s palace in Rome, the place Jesus wanted him to testify. Honestly trouble and the devil are just pawns in God's game to get you further down the tract to winning. Let’s quite trying to figure out, “why did this happen to me?!’ and just trust the Lord that He is finishing His good work in us.