Part 1
What we choose to believe is a direct result of our thinking, if our thinking is wrong our believing will be wrong. If our believing is wrong our speaking will be wrong.
It all hinges on our thinking.
God has given us his word [ Bible ] to straighten out our thinking.
You see God has done something with our spirit in what many call the “New Birth”
Or our spirit man being made new or being born again.
But we are given responsibility to do something with our minds and our bodies.
If don’t do any thing about our minds and bodies, nothing will be done.
God leaves it up to us and want to help us, but he won’t do it for us.
All of it starts with our thinking, our thoughts come from observation, association and environment.
What we see or look upon with our eyes gives suggestions or ideas to our thought life and causes us to form a belief. Even what we hear with our ears causes us to form an imagination or picture, which forms a belief. These ideas are then what we think and dwell on.
I was in the grocery store the other day and on the speaker playing thorough out the store was a musical song I had heard while growing up. I suddenly found my self singing along with the words that many, many years before had been listen to. I liked the tune, but as I thought on the words I was singing I stopped.
The words did not at all line up with the Bible and it was not good to be singing those words.
All of it came from what I repeatedly listened to as a young teenager. It was on the radio’s top 10 hits of that year.
It seems it was not entirely wrong, however I made a choice to think on the word of God. But found myself singing words and some words were ungodly.
Scriptures says- Colossians 3:16-17
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
The mind of man and what we choose to think on will directly affect our formed beliefs. This will result in our right or wrong actions or speaking.
Scriptures also says –
1 Corinthians 10:31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
Many people are afflicted with mental health issues. With God these diseases can be overcome and a healthy and sound mind will be the result.
God has given us His word to think on and the result will be a God formed belief which will result in right speaking and acting.
Isaiah 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
Isaiah 26:3 AMPLIFIED BIBLE – You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You.
Fear opens the door of our minds to the enemy, fear comes from the enemy.
2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
We must get knowledge of God’s word to begin to see where good thought come from and evil thoughts come from. We must keep our minds stayed on Gods word.
When a good or God thought comes to us what do we think say and do when the thought comes ?
When an evil or carnal flesh ruled thought comes to our mind what to we think say and do ?
God gives us the answer in the Bible. Job said of his thoughts and his flesh that he did something about his body.
Job 31:1 I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?
The Amplified bible –
Job 31:1 “I have made a covenant (agreement) with my eyes; How then could I gaze [lustfully] at a virgin?
Good New bible –
Job 31:1 I have made a solemn promise never to look with lust at a woman.
We seen Job’s action’s resulted in what he believed and then did. He made a covenant with his eyes. He controlled his action’s.
You hear some people say I just could not control myself. According to the Word of God, you and I can control our thought life and our physical body.
Did you ever just drive easy and slow at the posted speed limit and see the traffic light changes from green to yellow and you choose to stop, when a big pickup truck barreling along chooses to accelerate and bust through. Its a choice.
It is so important what you look on and listen to and think on.
We as christians are to do what the word of God says,…
Romans 12:1-2 –
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Our minds can be renewed with the word of God and then our believing will begin to result in right actions or speaking.
Again Solomon was considered very wise and he wrote,-
Proverbs 4:20-22
My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.
Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.
For they are life unto those that find them, and health [ Hebrew – medicine ] to all their flesh.
God said not only to attend to his word, but also to incline your ear to his word and to let it not depart from before your eyes. We are to think upon, look upon and listen unto His word.
And the results are that His Word is – in the Hebrew also medicine – health to ALL OUR FLESH.
When thoughts of doubt, sickness and death try to come our way, we can do something about it. The bible says we have authority over our thoughts.
2 Corinthians 10:4-5 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
Easy to read version-
2 Corn 10:4-5 The weapons we use are not human ones. Our weapons have power from God and can destroy the enemy’s strong places. We destroy people’s arguments,
and we tear down every proud idea that raises itself against the knowledge of God. We also capture every thought and make it give up and obey Christ.
Casting down or throwing down is a wrestling term. We are sometimes in a scriptural warfare battle. However, we can win every time if we follow God’s direction and fill our minds and hearts with his word. When wrong thoughts come take hold of them and say with your mouth, I will not think on that, cast it down say I command you to leave in Jesus name!
How do you take medicine in the natural ? Most of the time you must take it into your mouth for it to get inside you. The same is true with Gods word – God’s medicine – you put it in your mouth. By meditating on it – speaking it to yourself. Singing about it. Thinking about it pondering it, turning it over and over in your thought life.
You sometime take medicine 3 times a day – Joshua writes
Joshua 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
If you want to have good success do what Joshua says, day and night.
Wrong thoughts may come but you can speak the word and cast down the bad thoughts and be victorious. You are an overcomer !
Revelation 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony,…
“We cannot prevent birds from flying around our heads, but we can prevent them from building a nest in our hair” – Kenneth E. Hagin
Right Thinking, Right Believing, right speaking Part 2 –
When it comes to thinking all many christians teach is the negative side of thinking.
There is a positive side to thinking and this is what is not taught most of the time.
You see when we look to the word of God we see in the letters written to the church the epistles, we see a completely different view of christianity.
You will find especially in the Pauline revelation he writes of what we are and what we have and what we can do “in Christ” as believers. You will find as you read and study the letters many phrases as “in whom” and “in Him”. And “by Him”.
This is what is a positive side of thinking which is what we are instructed by God to do.
Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
Again if we look to the word it gives us what we are to think on and believe on.
Because when we acknowledge our past sins, God forgives and forget all our past mistakes and we should also forgive and forget our past mistakes.
Paul writes –
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
All things become new, all old thoughts and sins have passed away. We are then to think and believe on what is our purchased possession in Christ.
You will see there are about 140 “in Him” or “in Christ” realities in the letters written to the church. When we think on and meditate or mutter them to ourselves we see they become a reality in our lives.
I recommend 2 books by Kenneth E. Hagin, a mini book called In Him. And
A book titled Right and Wrong thinking. Both will help you and strengthen your faith.
Our thinking of ourselves as an overcomer and believe in our hearts the word of God we will begin to say with our mouths what the Bible declares we are.
Romans 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
You can say right now “ I am more that a conqueror in Christ”
The bible also says about the holy spirit living in us as our helper and strength.
1 John 4:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
When we confess Jesus as our Lord and believe he was raised from the dead this takes us out from the lordship of satan and moves us into the kingdom of God.
It is by faith in Christ Jesus we release our faith with our mouth. Then we become as scripture says “in Christ.” A child of God.
Galatians 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
Paul was writing a letter to the church. That is true of whatever christian church you are in now. Faith is released by the words of your mouth.
Romans 10:8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
You also could say with my mouth confession is made unto ,….Healing or strength.
The bible says it and we can say what the Bible declares is truth about every christian. If you need strength for your body, think about yourself being strong.
Believe you can be strong and then say or confess what the Bible says about you.
Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
If the Bible calls you strong because of who you are in Christ then think and believe and speak exactly what the Bible says.
Christianity is called the great confession. You are not looking at your self in the natural as being something you have done. It is all because you are in Christ, He has done it all for us. He did not come to do it for himself, he did it all for us.
Ephesians 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
Joel writes-
Joel 3:10 Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong.
Again scriptures declare, what we are to say or confess.
Do you feel weak some times ? Say what the Bible says about yourself. If it seems you cannot say it boldly, then go back to the word and think on and on what it says read and re-read it. Keep reading it. It is best to read it out loud by your self. Personalize what it says about you and your family. The word “us” means you personally, you could insert your name also or your family members name.
Galatians 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
It says Christ Has, that’s past tense. It is already done in the spirit realm. You are redeemed for the hand of the enemy!
Psalm 107:1 O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Psa 107:2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy;
Notice the Bible says we are to say, that means you are only to agree with and believe on and say what the Bible says about you, regardless of what you see or others may think and say.
We do not receive from God according to his power, we receive from him according to our faith. Our faith comes from the word of God spoke out of our hearts filled with the word of God and through our lips into our ears. Romans 10:17
This is what is called the spoken word of God or the greek word is Rhema.
Right Speaking Part 3
Speak the same language – The language of faith
We can see that what we look at and think on will cause us to form a belief.
As a small boy my mother took me to a bakery in Detroit Michigan, I remember often times just starring through the front window of the bakery at those beautiful decorated cookies and cakes. This formed a belief and I believed we also like many others would see and ask for those desserts. Of course we paid for them, when my mother bought some, Wow! I asked for one and of course, oh my when I got it in my mouth, was it delicious.
It was now in me and a part of me, that is exactly how spiritual truths work with God’s word.
The Apostle Paul writes-
2 Corinthians 4:13 We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;
1 Corinthians 1:10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
Faith has a voice it believes in our hearts the word of God and then speaks.
One way, not the only way we act on God’s word is to release our faith through our mouths.
We must first get knowledge of God’s word then when we receive it into our hearts and believe and act on it then results will follow.
Jesus gave this example when he spoke to the fig tree.
Have faith in God.
Mar 11:23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
Mar 11:24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
He did not refer to this as we must ask God to deal with the enemy. He told us to speak to the circumstances. Mountains can be a trial or test or attack. But we are told by the master himself – you do something about your situation.
Remember it is a spiritual battle, not physical.
The writer of hebrews says we are to do something about it with our mouth, Why? Because something is trying to take it away from us.
Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
The enemy would like nothing better for you to sit there with pain in your body when you choose not to speak. You must open your mouth and be bold. God is faithful to do his part, when we do our part.
Our faith filled confessed leads us out of defeat into victory.
If you will say what he says in his word, he will do for you what you say.
In your life what others say about you matters very little, but what you say about you matters a whole lot.
We are instructed to hold fast, it means really hold on – speak the language of faith, the word of God and you can sense in your life a boldness and faith that you are what the Bible say you are, and you can have what the Bible says you can have, and you can do what the Bible says you can do.
We are seated in a position of victory in Christ and our confessing and believing the word of God is our victor
Revelation 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.