Think. Listen. Sift. Praise.

“For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man that is in him? 

In the same way, no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 

Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who comes from God, so that 

we may understand what has been freely given to us by God.”

1 Corinthians 2:11-12

The thoughts in my head come from two different places.  One of the Spirit of God and the other of deception.  I always have two contending ways of thinking.  At times we may wonder "is this God or is this me?"  However, I think the more accurate way to put it is "is this God or is this deception?"

Paul writes to the people in Corinth who struggle with all kinds of bad habits and lusts of their bodily desires for sex, wealth, beauty and status (much like we still do today) and reminds them that it is in our thoughts that God's spirit speaks to us.  And the Spirit of God speaks not to condemn (Romans 8:1), but to make us understand what has been freely given to us, which is forgiveness of sins and Christ's righteousness that allows us to have communion with God whenever and forever! 

This means that when the thoughts of failure, loss of value, or worry about the future begin to infiltrate our gospel infused minds, we have the Spirit of God to roar above the deception and speak a better word to us.  Listen to His voice.  The truth is that we came from a life of deadness and fear of being unloved or unimportant, but all our efforts to find that were dead ends until Christ appeared and showed us the way to life.  So it's no wonder that we all fall easily into the lies of what we once walked in--they used to be true!  I mean true in the sense that we knew no other way but to chase after dead ends!  So our thoughts are trained to want value and love from certain dead ends, but the gospel is our new training of hearing the Spirit of God that now resides in us.  I cannot deny my past way of thinking, and perhaps I will not forget it either, so might as well use it to my advantage to make the voice of God's Spirit even more pronounced since they speak in such stark opposition. 

“And some of you used to be like this. 

But you were washed, 

you were sanctified, 

you were justified 

in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ 

and by the Spirit of our God.

God raised up the Lord 

and will also raise us up by His power.

But anyone joined to the Lord 

is one spirit with Him.”

1 Corinthians 6:11, 14, 17

Whether my thoughts attack my weakness against sin, or my weakness to do something great for God, the Spirit always speaks what is in exact opposition to what deception says.

A thought from deception that comes in my moment of weakness against sin says I am covered in filthy sin and not in God's will because of my sin. 

The Spirit of God reminds me that:

“We have redemption in Him through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, 

according to the riches of His grace 

that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. 

He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure that He planned in Him”

Ephesians 1:7-9

If I hear deception say I am a bad and hopeless cause, the Spirit speaks that I am righteous and secured in His love for every good and perfect gift including eternal life with the Father. 

“For I am sure that neither death nor life, 

nor angels nor rulers, 

nor things present nor things to come, 

nor powers, nor height nor depth, 

nor anything else in all creation, 

will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 8:38-39

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."

-James 1:17

If deception says I am doomed to fail some task or project that I want to do out of my passion for God, then the Spirit speaks that God works all things out for my good and whatever His will sends forth to do does not ever come back to Him incomplete, but accomplishes that which God purposed.

"So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it."

-Isaiah 55:11

All in all there is a better word when the Spirit of God speaks.  It is always good news when God speaks.  That's one sure way of knowing it is God's voice and not deception.  After you hear God's voice you are assured of His promises, security and His unchanging love for you. 

And in this time of being trained to hear His voice I am reminded that I am being transformed from glory to glory.  The thoughts in my head are being transformed as well as the behaviors of my body.  Everything is, in due time, being made into an instrument of praise.  

If the way you think about God does not make you praise Him then those thoughts are not from God!  

"I tell you,” he replied, 

“if they keep quiet, 

the stones will cry out.”

-Luke 19:40

What thoughts have you in a posture of praise to God for being so awesome?

Think.  Listen. Sift.  Praise.

Jmegrey