Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. I got out of bed with no aches or pains and with more energy than many people only dream of having at this age, and I gave thanks to the Living God for a body still willing to cooperate. But it’s not just having an able body that matters the most, it’s having a Sound mind and a Willing Spirit too…and that’s where my morning time with the Lord of my Life comes in. When we meet, my Heart overflows with Gratitude for all that He is and all that He does for me. And when we meet, it’s my time to Condition my Heart. But the mind…now THAT part is entirely up to me. Because with the wrong thoughts, I can destroy it all, and with the wrong thoughts I do my part to thwart all that He has for me today and even for the rest of my Life. He shields my body and gives me Strength. He nurtures my Heart and Tenderizes it for Good, and I make sure to do my part in my mind. Isn’t that the way it is for you too?

It doesn’t do a whole lot of good to work on the Heart, only to leave the mind on auto-pilot to think what it wants to think…spurred on by the Adversary. Thoughts of defeat, failure, heartbreak, judgment, criticism, bitterness toward someone else, or bitterness over our circumstances – ALL these things work against the flow of a Mighty God and His Plans for each of us. The mind is like a digital recorder that can conjure up the worst memories and the most discouraging or destructive thoughts in the blink of an eye, and when it does, all of the Work that we put into the Heart can be slowly snuffed out. God doesn’t just watch our actions, He sees inside the heart AND the mind, and He knows our thoughts without us speaking them at all. It’s not His fault if we have a head full of junk, and He’s not going to be the one to fix it. It’s our job to do our part on the mind, to be sure that the Heart can do all the Good that He has Planned for us. How many times have we heard someone say “I can’t help it” or “I can’t get it out of my mind”, but that’s not true. We have the POWER to “take captive every thought” and clean it up. How many times have we heard someone say “I’m asking God to help me with my thoughts”? He CAN’T you with your thoughts, YOU have to do that part on your own. But the good news is that the more time we spend in His Presence, and the more time we spend on the Heart, the more manageable the mind becomes. And the minute those thoughts start whirling around in our head, we recognize the danger of them and WE take action to evict them. This is the Key to Strength and Growth.

There are countless examples in the Bible of the importance of our thoughts, and it’s pretty clear that WE are expected to control them. We’re instructed to FOCUS on good thoughts – “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things”. We’re offered encouragement about how everything CAN change IF we do OUR PART on the mind – “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind…THEN you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is”. We’re even warned about how our thoughts reveal the truth of who we really are – “As a man THINKS in his heart; so is he”. We’re shown the way to Hope – “With minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the Grace to be brought to you”. And we know that the heart follows our thoughts “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” The List could go on and on and each example that we’re given is ABUNDANTLY clear that WE are responsible for our thoughts and nobody else is to blame for what whirls around in the head.

I rejoice over strength, stamina, and a healthy body. My heart is consumed with love for the Living God, and I’m ready to do battle within my mind so that I can be ALL that He created me to be and so that I don’t become my own “worst enemy”. I’m laser-focused, tenderized by the King, and ready to do battle..beginning with me.

How about you?