Practicing good thoughts

I have been addressing several passages of Scripture that deal with managing our thought life so our emotions, attitudes, and behavior can be more Christ-like. Are you making progress? Take a look again at (2 Cor 10:3-6) For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. {4} The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. {5} We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. Remember arguments are rationalizations, that is, ways of thinking apart from a biblically directed thought process and pretensions are like the high places of the Old Testament. High places are places we set up as places of worship contrary to the holy places of adoration where God is the sole satisfaction of my life.

For example: in my home life and interaction with my wife or kids, I can rationalize that my harsh retorts are justified since they are, in my thinking, inconsiderate of my time, my demands, my schedule. My time can be a high place. I believe that my deepest satisfaction is met when I get my way, my time, my space. If this process has been firmly entrenched and you are finding it difficult to handle relationships in the home or elsewhere without Christlike behavior then you probably have a stronghold to deal with and it will require daily practice to make the change.

I had a recent conversation with a doctor, discussing the diffusion and osmosis of cellular transport. It seems to me that osmosis and diffusion is what we would like to happen in our spiritual lives. We wish that spiritual vitality will automatically pass from someone who has it, someone who is teaching it or preaching it, without any effort. Do you know of any skill that can be gained without practice? Again, examine your behaviors from the core of your life and your thoughts, then ask God to help you renew your thoughts (Romans 12:2), to replace unhealthy thoughts with good thoughts (Philippians 4:6-9), and, using divine power, tear down the strongholds of rationalizations and high places. Practice, practice, practice, and enjoy the grace of God as He works within you to conform you into the image of Christ (Romans 8:28-29)