Thoughts - Part 1

DAILY BYTE

(This week's BDC was written by Rev Gareth Killeen).

Every year a massive battle costing billions and billions of dollars is waged for control of our thought lives.

Think I’m exaggerating? Well then, consider this. Every year countless self-help and positive-thinking books and DVD’s are released telling us to fill our minds with positive thoughts and then the good times (and the money) will just start rolling in, (presumably the only people really made rich are those selling these books and DVD’s).

However, the self-help industry is not the only proponent in this battle for our minds because every year the advertising industry spends even more money telling us how we should think and feel about their products. We are taught to think that we can only feel good about who we are if we are able to buy their particular brands. Advertisers stoke the fires of our greed by making wild promises concerning our future prospects.

On the seedier side of life this battle for control of our thought lives continues. Sexual fantasies are shaped and filled by countless images readily available through TV, movies or even to be downloaded onto computer screens or cell phones.

It is therefore not hard to consider that there is some sort of ‘devilish’ agenda behind this battle for our minds. Paul the Apostle certainly gives credence to that by asserting in 2 Corinthians 4.4 that the ‘god of this age’ works towards blinding people’s minds. Further along in 2 Corinthians Paul says that that ‘For though we live in the world we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of this world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ’ (2 Cor. 10. 3-5 NIV).

Paul seems to be saying that the battle for our minds is essentially played out on a spiritual plane and so we should never underestimate the incredible importance of this battle.

Perhaps the very first thing Jesus would want to transform or ‘renovate’ within us is that of our thought lives. This is because our thoughts feed, shape, affect and inform so much of who we are. Even more than that – what we allow our thoughts to dwell upon feed, shape and affect so much of who we are becoming.

During the course of the next week, we will be looking more carefully at this topic, and considering the reality of our own thought lives.

What do you allow your thoughts to dwell upon and how does this affect you?

What would Jesus want to transform about your thought life?

PRAY AS YOU GO

Gracious God, we recognise that so much of who we are and who we are becoming is shaped by our thought lives. What we allow our thoughts to linger on affects us in sometimes quite drastic ways. It is our prayer that throughout this week, you will teach and challenge us in this area. We invite you Almighty God, to radically renovate our thought lives in a way that is honouring to you. Amen.

FOCUS READING

2 Cor 10:3-5 NIV

For though we live in the world we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of this world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.