Guard Your Mind

Philippians 4:8-"And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise."

"A sincere boy came to me for counsel one summer day at our sports camp. Masturbation had become a problem. But the thing that bothered him the most was that every time he looked at a girl, his mind took her clothes off. It was killing him inside! 'What do I do?' he pleaded. Coincidentally, my straightforward 12-year-old daughter came walking by. I asked her to sit down and, leaving out the details, asked her to advise him. She simply looked him in the eyes and said, 'Mike, tell me, what kind of movies do you watch?' He knew what his problem was immediately. Satan had won his mind, and the only thing the boy knew to do was to masturbate and mentally rape girls. With prayer and some serious changes in his Friday- and Saturday-night entertainment, Mike won his mind back and now enjoys freedom from lust most of the time." -Joe White in Pure Excitement

There is a constant battle going on between good and evil in your mind. It is your choice to allow positive or negative thoughts to become a habit. It is also your choice to decide what you will allow to be forever engraved in your head. Giving your mind over to Satan is one of the worst choices you can make. Guard your mind, and it will be really hard for him to shake you.

"Although I was a Christian, I was having trouble because I had not learned to control my thoughts. I thought about things that kept my mind busy but were not productive in a positive way. I needed to change my thinking! One thing the Lord told me when He began to teach me about the battlefield of the mind became a major turning point for me. He said, 'Think about what you're thinking about.' As I began to do so, it was not long before I began to see why I was having so much trouble in my life. My mind was a mess! I was thinking all the wrong things." -Joyce Meyer in Battlefield of the Mind

God really wants to teach you wisdom, and show you the right way to live your life! He can only do that, though, if you choose to think about Him. Think about what you've been thinking about today, and remember to be careful about the things you let into your mind. It's truly a battlefield, and it may take some time for you to really give your thoughts over to God, but it will be worth it when you do! Keep measuring up! You are loved :)

Mark 4:24-25-"Then he added, 'Pay close attention to what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given-and you will receive even more. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them."

-Jenna Hampton
with Joe White, Joyce Meyer, and God's loving thoughts