Daily Encounter: A Week-day Devotional by a staff of ACTS International.

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

"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."¹

A Native American boy was talking with his grandfather. "What do you think about the world situation?" he asked. The grandfather replied, "I feel like two wolves are fighting in my heart. One is full of anger and hatred. The other is full of love, forgiveness and peace."

"Which one will win?" asked the boy.

To which the grandfather replied, "The one I feed."

Franklin Delano Roosevelt said, "Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds," and James Allen rightly stated, "You are today where your thoughts have brought you; you will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you."

Another has said, "What the mind dwells on the body acts on." If you don't believe this, think how temptation works—first a thought that seems to come from nowhere ... we feed it and the thought begins to expand ... then one's feelings get involved ... and the more we think about it ... the more we hunger for it ... then we begin to rationalize and justify what we want to do ... and the battle is lost. It all starts in the mind.

As they say about computers: GIGO = garbage in garbage out. So it is with the mind. If we keep looking at and thinking about garbage, we will act out accordingly. But, if as the Bible says, we concentrate on thoughts that are noble, right, pure, lovely, and admirable, we too, will act accordingly. It's all in the mind, for what the mind dwells on the body acts on.

When tempting thoughts knock on the door of my mind, I try to remember to pray a very simple prayer, "Jesus, help. Jesus help," and/or keep repeating the confirmation, "Jesus Christ is Lord," "Jesus Christ is Lord of my life," until the "door knocker" goes away.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to learn how to guard my thought life, and to concentrate on noble thoughts that lead to noble living and noble deeds. Help me to appreciate the fact that Your Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. Thank You for Your Word to me today and for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

1. Philippians 4:8 (NIV).

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