THE PRECEPTS - Topic: BE CAREFUL HOW YOU THINK
Bible Reading: Genesis 20:1-11, Philipians 4:8.
Jesus said out of the abundance of heart the mouth speaks. Lk 6:48. Also, Proverb 4:23 said "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.". Good NewsTranslation put it this way "Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts." Your thoughts are powerful, they shape your life on daily basis. So your life does not just become what you pray but what you think constantly, as he thinks in his heart so is he. You can't be smaller or greater than your thought, you are exactly what you think. What you are today is by the virtue of what you have thought yesterday, and what you will become tomorrow will be by the determined by what you engaged your thought in today.
From the bible passage we read today, we saw how father of faith, Abraham told a lie. He lied to King Abimelech, that Sarah was not his wife but his sister, he also commanded his wife to tell the same lie. After Abimelech has done his enquiry of who Sarah was to Abraham and he realized he can add her to the beauty queen in palace, so he took Abraham's wife to himself. After that God visited Abimelech one night and God promised to kill Abimelech unless he return Sarah back to Abraham. Then Abimelech said unto God in the vision, in verses 4 and 5, "But Abimelech ........... said, Lord, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation? Said he not unto me, She is my sister? and she, even she herself said, He is my brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this".
Look at two major things Abimelech said, 1) Will you slay A RIGHTEOUS NATION? 2) In the INTEGRITY OF MY HEART and INNOCENCY OF MY HAND have I done this. And God replied Abimelech in verse 6, "YES I KNOW". Meaning that, God said what you have said, is true. But this was totally contrary to what Abraham THOUGHT he knew about the land, which was the reason why Abraham lied. After encounter of Abimelech with God, he called Abraham in verse 9 to ask why he lied to him, and Abraham replied in verse 11, "And Abraham said, Because I THOUGHT, Surely THE FEAR OF GOD IS NOT IN THIS PLACE; and they will slay me for my wife's sake". But what he thought of the land was different from what God knew about the land. So if Abraham could have prayed to God to ask for what he has to do in the land, God could have given him the true picture of the land. This shows that it is wrong to base your conclusion on life, matters and people on just an assumption, but you must based your conclusion on assurance, and this only comes from the truth of God about things to you. Therefore, do not let your thought over anything in life be based on assumption, rather let it be based on the truth that comes from God, so that your life can be shaped in the right direction. Whatever thought God will bring to you must have these characters listed in Philipians 4:8. It must be true, honest, just, pure, lovely and of good report, these are the things God prescribed for you to think on. Anything you are thinking over about life, people, places or things, that will eventually lead you to lie, hate, kill, and any other sin, or that will lead you to commit suiccide, that thought is of the devil and not of God. Cast down those thoughts, and flush them out by the blood of Jesus. Then get into the word of God and soak it in yourself until it starts shaping your life. Again as I close today don't forget Proverbs 4:8 says; "Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts." God bless you.
Prayer Points: Bind and cast down every negative thought and lies of the devil that can ruin your life. Flush those thought out by the blood of Jesus. Then pray to open yourself, your heart to godly thoughts that can shape my life correctly in Jesus name.
( Courtesy of THE PRECEPTS SEEKERS CHURCH INT'L. Email: pastoryomieniola@gmail.com, phone: +234 806 755 0234
