How to Handle Your Thought Life - Part 2

Welcome to the In Touch Podcast with Charles Stanley for Wednesday, September 29th. Every action begins as a thought. Consider that as you continue the series on helps to holiness. When you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, you obtained at that moment a new birth, which meant a new life, which meant new capacities in your ability to think and to reason and to perceive the truth. When you became a child of God, according to the scriptures, the Holy Spirit came into your heart.

So what did he do? He began to lift the shades from your eyes and pull back the drapes so that you and I could begin to understand spiritual things. Before we could just sort of skim the surface of John 3 16 that I'm a sinner and and God needs to save and I want to be saved and that's just about all we understood. But you receive the power of God within you when the Spirit of God came into your life to perceive and to understand now wherever you are in your thinking tonight, wherever you are in your spiritual life is the result of the way you have thought since the moment Jesus Christ came into your life. Because he says the power of sin was broken the moment you gave your life to Christ so that you no longer had to walk that way. You had the power to determine the choices of your life.

I will think about that. I will not think about that. Before you became a Christian, you didn't have the power, the power divine power to assist you in the choosing of your thought patterns. But now we do. But many, many people say to me, even after they're safe 10 years, 20 years, 30 years, 40 years, you know, I still have a problem with what I think about. So there's a drag on now, even though you and I have the capacity to think and to develop new thought patterns.

There are many Christians who are still being plagued. It's like an infesting disease within them, still being plagued by old thought patterns years and years and years ago. Now I want you to listen very, very carefully to what I'm going to say.

And I want you parents to listen very, very carefully to what I'm going to say. Because all of us know that thought patterns developed or picked up or become a part of our life, we were young, they will either assist you and help you all of your life or they will be a drag on you as long as you live until you learn how to deal with them. Because you see, watch this, our feelings are always following our thoughts. And you see, if our imaginations were sanctified, and remain sanctified all of our life, man, listen, old Satan can say, boy, look at that and you say, forget it, look at that, not interested, look at that, couldn't care less. But the imagination, think about this for a moment, you can sit right where you are tonight, you know what you could do in a moment of imagination, you can project yourself. In Israel, project yourself in California, project yourself in Connecticut, project yourself on the beach, project yourself with someone, project yourself and imagine having, you see, in your mind, you can sit right there and go on a vacation, never leave your seat. So the imagination is like a big machine shop, boy, when that thing gets the grinding away and going and everything, all the cogs are moving, what happens?

You just let it keep on moving and moving and moving and you let that thing get total control of you. A man is what he thinks. If his imagination is uncontrollable and wild and furious, he or she will indulge in all kinds of things out of control because an attitude, a thought process, an imagination, you see, and listen, here's what Satan does. What did Satan tell Eve? He said, look, you get yourself a goodbye to that and you'll be as smart as God.

And she began to imagine being as smart as God. Satan said to David, you go to bed with her and you'll satisfy the desire of the flesh. And instead of listening to God, David, listen to the devil. But I want to show you something. You go through the Bible and you don't only have to go through the Bible, go through your own life as well as the Bible.

Here's what you and I will have to agree. That every time Satan has built up this tremendous imaginative thing in our life and then you finally yield and got what you went after, you were ultimately disappointed. And the third thing I want to say is the steps to handling your own thought processes.

So let me give them to you. Number one, and this is a simple but very important question. Ask yourself this question, why am I thinking this thought? Ask yourself why you're thinking what you're thinking.

That's a simple question, but that's the key. Ask yourself, why am I thinking this thought? And then remind yourself, I don't have to think it. Why am I thinking? I don't have to think it.

Now get that down. Why am I thinking this thought? The second thing, identify the root cause of that thought. You see, first of all, you ask yourself, why am I thinking that? You may say, well, it's because I saw this, because I wanted that, or I've been trying to get this and I've been trying to go there.

In other words, you may get, but you see, that's not the answer. Why am I thinking that thought? Secondly, identify the root of that thought. For example, let's go back to sensuality or impure thoughts. And let's say, for example, that you are thinking something impurely. Ask yourself the question, what is the root cause of the thought? It may be, for example, that you're lonely.

It may be you have some feeling of rejection. If it's greed, for example, you either have to come on to conclusions. The root cause of my desire for that, regardless, is that I'm just greedy, that I have a wrong sense of material values in life. You see, until you identify the root beneath all of the trunk of that tree, beneath the trunk, there are some roots or a taproot that says, this is the reason you're thinking all of this.

The fruit is the result of the thought processes and what motivates the thought processes, some root. And you see, if you say, well, the reason I keep thinking these things is, God, I'm just sensually minded. Then you can deal with it. But if you say, I don't know why I'm thinking these thoughts.

Yes, you do. You may have to say, because I want to think them, because I like to think them, because I enjoy thinking them. Or you may have to say, I don't know why. I don't like thinking these things. Why do I keep thinking these things? I don't want to think these things.

But go ahead and admit that you do think them and that you have a responsibility for dealing with them and ask God to show you what is the root cause. Why do you keep thinking that? You see, try to do your best to find out what is it.

Third question, very important. And just get on the last part. If I keep thinking these thoughts, where will they lead me? If I keep thinking these thoughts, where will they lead me? You see, if you can just stop and analyze, just ask yourself the question, why am I thinking this thought?

What's the root under this? And if I keep thinking this thought, where is it going to lead me? Now listen, don't say, well, it's just going to sort of lead me.

Just go ahead and say it. If I keep thinking greed, I am surely going to do something to get what I'm after and I'm going to violate the principle of God. I'm going to violate the law of God. I'm going to break the law of God. Where will this lead me if I continue thinking that way?

Because God said, as a man thinketh in his heart so is he. So if I keep thinking that, I'm going to become that. When I become that, what am I going to be like? Next question. If I keep thinking these thoughts, will these thoughts get me where I'm going?

Now get that one down. Will this get me where I'm going? Now I want you to think about that for a moment. All of you have some purpose in life, a sense of direction I certainly hope and trust, and you have some ambitions and desires in life, things you want to accomplish, maybe some relationships you want to develop, places you want to go, whatever it might be.

You know what you've got in mind. Ask yourself this question. If I keep thinking these thoughts are allowing them to penetrate my mind and take up as much of my time as they have, will this get me where I'm going? Let's say, for example, that you're a university student and you've got some big goals for your life, and maybe, oh, Satan, he's just, man, he's throwing it in front of you everywhere you turn. And you're battling with these thoughts in your mind. Ask yourself this question. Listen, if I allow myself or give myself over to these thoughts, will I be able to get where I'm going when God has given me definite direction for my life? And I want to tell you, my friend, whatever God's told you about where are you and wants you to go, you keep allowing that stuff in your life and you won't get there. That is the key question. Will it get me where I'm going?

Listen, you ought to drill that in the minds of your kids when they're so young. Will it get me where I'm going? Will it get me where I'm going? Will it get me where I'm going? Will it get me where I'm going? And if it won't, don't.

And all those things are simple. The next thing, when you begin to think thoughts you'll not think, just go ahead and say, Lord, at this very moment, I'm being very sensual. I'm being very greedy. I am filled with doubt. I am overwhelmed with self-pity. Just go ahead and tell him, give him all the details if it'll do you any good. But confess it to him.

Now listen, now watch this. You may not feel like it and everything in you may be drawing you down to the pit, but you tell God in desperation, Lord God, my emotions tell me one thing, but out of pure desperation before you, I confess this before you and I repent. I don't feel like it, but I repent in my mind. You say, how can you repent in your mind you don't feel like it? Because repentance is a willful act of the change of the mind.

And you see, if you wait till you get all feeling like it, it may be that you stepped off the cliff and it's too late. The next thing, and I couldn't preach a sermon without telling you this. All right, look in Psalm 119 verse 9. Where with all shall a young man cleanse his way?

Now watch this. What is his way? It is the path he chooses by mental thoughts to walk. His path is the result and the fruit of his thinking. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to thy word. You want to learn how to handle your thoughts. I want to tell you something.

I don't care who you talk to. You listen to 10,000 sermons. The greatest preachers in the world won't read 50,000 books, won't make one bit of difference until you begin to fill your mind by memorizing the word of God, period.

You can try everything else. Everything else I've said up to this point is totally to no avail if you skip that point. You want to get control of your thinking? What does the scripture say? Let this mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus. That means if God said, let this mind be in you, it can be in you. Paul said, we have the mind of Christ.

That means the potential is there. Listen, the renewing of the mind is the work of the spirit, but it is the choice of the believer. That means I want my mind cleansed. The greatest mind cleanser there is, is the quotation of a verse of scripture. When Satan has hit you in your weakest point, at your weakest moment, what did Jesus say? When Satan and all of his forces launched their attack upon him in a moment of hunger after 40 days of fasting and praying, Jesus Christ turned to him and said, get thee behind me, Satan. Thus it is written, Jesus Christ used the only effective tool ultimately for controlling the mind and defeating the devil in grabbing your thoughts. And that is to give him something he cannot stand. And that's the word of God. That's why mom and dad, you may think, well, I just have a hard time memorizing. Listen, if Jesus Christ's response to Satan was to quote him scripture, do you think anybody can improve on that?

He hates it. He flees from it. Now listen, how do you drive wrong thoughts out of the mind? Not by saying, I'm going to pull them out.

You drive them out by replacing them with something better. And the only thing under God's heaven, all of the universe, there's only one thing that will cleanse your mind. And this word of God says by a little shepherd boy called David, who grew up to be a great man of God and had to learn the hard way himself said, wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way, cleanse his mind? By taking heed there to according to the word of God, you want to get control of your thinking. Then you get in this book and you start memorizing verses. And if there's a point of weakness in your life, the best thing for you is to start with some scripture that yields to that.

One last thing. Look, if you will, in Philippians chapter four, and here's what he said. How do you cultivate? How do you build?

How do you construct new thought patterns? He says, you think like this, finally, brethren, verse eight, Philippians four, finally, brethren, what's over things are true. What's over things are honest. What's over things are just, they're right. What's over things are pure. What's over things are lovely. What's over things are good, of good report. If there be any virtue and if there be any praise, think on these things. Watch this.

Thinking on the things that will get you where you're going and make you the person God wants you to be. And I say one last thing. You have to work at what I've told you. You have to work at the habit. There is one ultimate rule and get in control of your thought life. One ultimate rule. Never give up and never give in. Never give up and never give in. As long as you don't give up, as long as you don't give in, there is hope.

But when you give up, listen and watch this. Have there been times in your life when you've been tempted and you think, well, I might as well give up and just give in. You know why people who are tempted in all areas of life, you know why they've fallen into those things and they become enslaved by them because they were tempted to give up. They gave up and then they, read Romans one, one last scripture, Romans one. And he describes it all right here in this passage when he said in verse 26, watch this. He said, they gave up, they gave in and what?

And God gave them over to it. If you give up and you give in, God will give you over to what you choose to think when you know better than to think other than what he wants you to think. When you give up and you give in, God said for some things he'll give you over to them.

The ultimate rule is never give up and never give in. Father, we thank you tonight that you're so understanding, so patient, so loving, so kind. You don't have a number by each one of our names that means you will only forgive us so many times because that's not even your nature to put limitation on forgiveness. You've got such great, great things for us. Blessings yet to unfold. And you know the battles that all of us face day after day, week after week, year after year. The victories we experience, the failures we experience.

You're never surprised. You're never even disappointed because you couldn't get disappointed in something that you already know is going to happen. Thank you, Father, for sending the Lord Jesus Christ to give us such a beautiful example and then to say about him that he was tempted in all points such as we. Thank you for sending the Holy Spirit to equip us and empower us to make the right choices. Thank you, Father, we fall flat on our face, you don't stomp us, but you reach down that loving, forgiving, omnipotent hand of yours and pick us up. Through the blood of Jesus, Christ cleanses, set us on the path to keep moving.

In Jesus' name. Thank you for listening to part two of How to Handle Your Thought Life. If you'd like to know more about Charles Stanley or In Touch Ministries, stop by intouch.org. This podcast is a presentation of In Touch Ministries, Atlanta, Georgia.