EVEN MORE THOUGHTS ON THOUGHTS
In previous articles, we have stated six thoughts on thoughts. Although I would encourage you to read the articles in the archives, I will list those thoughts and then present an additional thought on thoughts.
– You may have only one thought at a time
– No thought is ever totally forgotten
– Thoughts affect every area of our lives
– God knows our every thought
– The Word of God discerns our thoughts
– Every thought will be brought to light at the Judgment
This article focuses on this one thought: THOUGHT PATTERNS ARE LEARNED
God created man with a will. Man has the ability to choose. The power of choice distinguishes man from the rest of earth’s creation. I am tempted to switch topics and discuss “choice”, but when I think, I decide it would be a topic best reserved for another time. I choose to continue writing about thoughts. In exercising his will, man learns patterns of thought that determine his actions and reactions. How a person thinks, feels and acts is a process of learning. Even our Lord Jesus “learned obedience
(Hebrews 5:8).
The complexity of the mind has fascinated man from the days of Adam onward. No computer will ever equal the complexity of the mind of any one person. The mind of the unsaved person goes from Desire (I want) to Doing (I will) to Duplicity (I am doing what I should not, but I can’t seem to stop it) to Deception (I will just have to cover, to hide by doings) to Darkness. The unsaved person often cannot understand WHY they do what they do! You have probably noticed that the person who says, “I can take it or leave it” (naming a particular action or habit) usually “takes” it. The unsaved person tries to reform, but continues to revert back to previous behavior, because he/she has learned to operate in that thought pattern. The Bible speaks of people who are “past feeling” (Ephesians 4:19) and are incapable of repentance. Further, the first chapter of Romans speaks of God giving up on people! (see verses 24,26,28). The movement from desire onward will ultimately end in death. The Bible speaks of three
kinds of death – spiritual death (Ephesians 2:1), physical death (Hebrews 9:27), and eternal death (Revelation 20:15).
I don’t want to end this article on such a negative tone as has been discussed. I would encourage you to read this article a second time and THINK about the thoughts that I have presented. Although I will not discuss it in detail, I do want to state a most wonderful thought about thoughts. That is this: THOUGHT PATTERNS CAN BE CHANGED! The unsaved person does not have to remain chained in that pattern that ultimately results in death and damnation! There is hope! The Bible speaks of repentance (a change of mind) and faith (a decision to trust) … I will discuss it in the next article. Those of you reading this article who do not know Christ as your Saviour are urged to read GOD’S SIMPLE PLAN OF SALVATION, as linked on our home page.
The next and final article on THOUGHTS will focus on HOW thought patterns of both unsaved and saved persons CAN be changed. For those of you who are really ready for a challenging book along this line, I would strongly recommend Renovation of the Heart by Dr. Dallas Willard. For reviews of this book and ordering information, visit NavPress Spiritual Growth Resources online.