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AS A MAN THINKETH (Amplified Bible--emphasis added) "For as he THINKETH in his heart, so is he" {Pro.23:7} Whether pure or defiled, the soil of the heart is exposed by one's utterances, actions and PONDERINGS. God alone knows what lies within the caverns of the human heart: "...Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in his secret chambers of [idol] pictures?" {Ezek. 8:12}. Prior to sending the flood, "The Lord saw that...all human THINKING was only evil continually. And...He was grieved in heart" {Gen. 6:5-6}. No less wicked is unregenerate man's heart today. But to those who are in Christ, the Holy Spirit seeks to uncover the soul's subterranean depths where satanic forces erect hidden strongholds which must be exposed and cast out. Until purged through deliverance, the satanic infiltration may be thus described: The "... wicked ... THINKS in his heart, I shall not be moved .. He lurks in secret places...he lies in wait..." {Ps. 10:6, 9}. Tragic the fall of the one whose THOUGHT-LIFE remains unrenewed: "...[the prey] is crushed, sinks down, and the helpless fails by his mighty [claws] {Ps. 10: 10}. Blinding and deceiving, ".. [the foe] THINKS in his heart, God has quite forgotten; he has hidden His face; he will never see [my deed] {Ps. 10: 11}. Much less does the keeper of the house realize that God sees not only his deeds, but also his THOUGHTS, as well as the heart out of which they arise. In listing the requirements for the office of bishop, the Apostle Paul specified that a man "...must rule his own household well...For if a man does not know how to rule his own household, how is he to take care of the Church of God?" {1 Tim. 3:4-5}. Similarly, it may be asked, if a man does not know how to rule himself, his own temple, how then can he take care of even his own household, much less a local body of believers? Paul's admonition that Timothy "...be an example (pattern) for believers, in speech, in conduct...in purity" {1 Tim. 4:12} emerged from his recognition that as our heart is, so we THINK; and as we THINK, so we talk and so we walk. Before Timothy could become an example in purity of speech and conduct, he had first to become an example in righteousness of heart and THOUGHT. To the Corinthians, Paul wrote, "...I am fearful lest...your MINDS may be corrupted and seduced from wholehearted ...devotion to Christ" {2 Cor. 11:3}, He urged the Roman Christians to "...yield yourselves to God...and your bodily members [and FACULTIES] to God, presenting them as implements of righteousness {Rom. 6:13}. For "...you are the slaves of him whom you obey, whether that be to sin which leads to death, or to obedience which leads to righteousness..." {Rom. 6:16}. Paul further acknowledged that "...having been set free from sin, you have become servants of righteousness--of conformity to the divine will in THOUGHT, purpose and action" {Rom. 6:18}. In like manner, we are to yield ourselves to the THOUGHTS, desires and purposes to God, not to the THOUGHTS, desires and purposes set by ourselves, or even by others. From the Old Testament examples of Samson, King Saul, King Solomon, even King David, we see men whose hearts, for varying lengths of time, were turned away from God, a subtle stealing away, one THOUGHT at a time. As guardians of the divine deposit within, we determine through the freedom we grant or the restrictions we impose upon our sense gates whether we become slaves or masters of our THOUGHTS. Daily we choose. "...at one time...we...lived...obeying the impulses of the flesh and the THOUGHTS of the MIND--our craving dictated by our senses and our dark IMAGININGS" {Eph. 2:2-3}, but "...now...," wrote Paul, "...we serve...[under obedience to the promptings] of the Spirit in newness [of life] {Rom. 7:6}. For "...those... [controlled by the desires of] the Spirit, set their MINDS on and seek those things which gratify the (Holy) Spirit...Now..you are living the life of the Spirit if the (Holy) Spirit of God [really] dwells within you--directs and controls you... " {Rom. 8:5,6,9}. Spirit controlled THOUGHTS lead to Spirit controlled lives, displaying the reality of the anointed MIND of Christ living within as controller of our words and actions because He is controller of our THOUGHTS and the heart out of which they proceed. -Ruth French December 1995 Newsletter | Anger | The Strong Will Pastor's Journal December 1994 | Faith - Not Formulas | As A Man Thinketh Revised: June 25, 2008. |
Biblical Counseling for Leaders
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