That title is a bit misleading (but it sure is catchy isn’t it?). You can’t actually “control” your thoughts – at least not in the same way that you can control other things, like a blender or a remote control car or a group of dancing robots.
It would be great if you could, but you can’t. You can’t control every thought that comes into your head. Thoughts will creep in that you have no control over. For example:
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It isn’t often that you hear Jesus speaking harshly. It isn’t often that you hear the Bible talking about a sin as inexcusable. But that is exactly how the Bible refers to a certain sin – one that we all do a lot more than we realize.
"Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things… And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God?" (Romans 2:1-3)
Ouch! Tough words there. Where did that come from? Where’s all the love and forgiveness and mercy and grace and stuff like that? Why use a word like “inexcusable” to describe a sin which, if we’re honest, we all do on a daily basis?
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Prayer. A word that means different things to different people. We all know we need it, but then why do so few of us do it? Why does something which is supposed to be so simple end up being so hard? We know the importance of prayer and we could speak endlessly about the priority it should have in our lives...but in practice, we don't do it!
Sound familiar to anyone else?
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Recently, I was looking through the list of some of my most-viewed posts of all-time and much to my surprise, the post below appeared near the top of the list. Originally written back in 2012, it speaks to an issue we all need to be aware of: THE POWER OF LITTLE SINS.
They might be small, but they are deadly!
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Yesterday I posed one of the most important questions in life: how can I know the “right” thing to do in whatever situation I’m in? Ultimately your life is nothing more than the sum of all your decisions. Make good decisions and you’ll probably find yourself in a good place. Make bad decisions and you’ll find the exact opposite. The question for us is: HOW DO I MAKE THE RIGHT DECISIONS?
I mentioned yesterday that sometimes it seems (emphasis on the word “seems”) that Jesus was inconsistent in His decisions. Sometimes He would heal people and sometimes He wouldn’t. Sometimes He’d raise the dead person, other times He wouldn’t. Sometimes He’d speak softly and compassionately; other times He spoke sternly and harshly.
How did He know when to heal and when not to heal? How did He know when to say yes and when to say no? How did He know the “right” thing to do?
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