Thoughts – Part 4

DAILY BYTE

Your emotions or feelings are very often a direct product of our thought lives.

How we think about ourselves, others and God; what we allow to live without question in the living room of our minds; will very often set the agenda for how we feel about life and ourselves, others and God.

If you think about it then feelings are what seems to move us most through life. Dallas Willard writes that feelings not only touch us and move us, but also creep over into other areas of our lives; they pervade, they change the overall tone of our life and world.

Willard goes onto say that this is the reason it can be so hard to reason with some people, because their very mind has been taken over by one or more feelings and is made to defend and serve those feelings at all costs.

By way of example, say a thought enters our head that we begin to brood over, sometimes for months or even years, eventually we develop a tremendous sense of injustice and outrage. Bitterness gradually sweeps over our entire being, seeping into the depths of our personality and soul. Eventually we are captivated entirely by this one matter, it affects our conversations and perceptions, and indeed the rest of our thought life.

What began as a single thought that was unhealthily entertained or ‘dwelt’ upon, becomes a veritable prison of emotion which colours our every action thereafter.

If you are struggling to come to terms with the reality of your thought life, then spend time considering your feelings. Feelings can be like a red flag of warning for us – they will point us back to the unhealthy and death-giving thoughts we entertain too long.

If you have gone down this road in any way – if you are struggling in a prison of negative feeling (a ‘stronghold’ Paul called it in 2 Corinthians), then know that one of your ways of healing and wholeness (of renovation) is to trace the problem back to your thought life.

Just don’t do it alone.

Everyone needs help at some point or the other, and the gummy strength of your particular prison or stronghold may be such, that you need the help of friends or a counsellor to see you through.

Also know this: As much as a negative thought, sufficiently entertained can spread like cancer through our entire being, then what is the possibility of a Christ-like thought resonating throughout us and bringing transformation?

Think of the ripple effect of throwing a stone into a pond and then think of your thoughts as being stones that cause ripples through your entire being.

Think of the possibilities of casting in good, pure and admirable thoughts, think how you can gradually be transformed (renovated) as the love of God is allowed to dwell in your mind and seep into your entire being.

Think about that!

PRAY AS YOU GO

Lord God, we do pray that you would help us to see that often the feelings that we allow to control and direct our days are a result of our thought lives. We pray you would set us free from any prisons or strongholds we may have ‘thought’ ourselves into. Give us the courage to seek help if we need to. Finally, we give thanks that what is often used for evil, can so effectively and powerfully be used for good – that if we allow Christ-like thoughts to dominate our minds then our emotions, souls and personalities can be utterly transformed. In Christ name we pray. Amen.

FOCUS READING

Ephesians 3. 14-19 MSG

My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit — not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength — that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you'll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ's love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God.

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