Discipline of Your Thoughts

 “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” ~ 2 Corinthians 10:5(KJV)

 Your thought life is powerful. More powerful than you know. It is imperative that you pay attention to what you think about and the paths that those thoughts take you down.

To learn to be Christ’s disciple, you must take up your own cross and to put those personal disciplines into your own life daily. These disciplines are a daily dying to self. The key areas of discipline will develop this character trait in your life that will lead to other disciplines for a fulfilled life in Christ.

Let’s talk about discipline a bit first before we jump into the lesson on discipline of your thoughts.

You must submit to and endure correction for discipline; God is dealing with you as with sons. For what son is there whom his father does not thus train and correct and discipline? Now if you are exempt from correction and left without discipline in which all of God’s children share then you are illegitimate offspring and not true sons at all. – Hebrews 12:7-8 (NASB)

What is discipline? I love to give definitions of words so that it helps you see what you need to attain.

Discipline is: The practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behavior, using punishment to correct disobedience.

I know, I know, we don’t like the word punishment but it is part of discipline and a part of our life with Christ.

Why is discipline so important? Because, children need discipline to become the best version of themselves. Also, because, you are His child. Discipline and children go together.  

God deals with us as sons and daughters. He deals with us not in gender but in relationship. God relates to us not on casual terms as servants or even as friends, but intimately as beloved children. Discipline is important because He loves you and me deeply. We are His children.

God longs to have intimate relationship with all of us, especially you.

One part of this Father/child relationship is discipline. Father God’s discipline is in fact, evidence that we are His sons and daughters. Absence of discipline means absence of relationship.

Do you take discipline well? If not, why?

If you do not take discipline well, you may have an orphan heart. Something we will talk about in a later lesson.

If a truth or admonition comes to your life and you resist it, then you are like an illegitimate child and not a son or daughter, at least in the heart attitude. The inability to receive discipline can be a sign of an orphan heart. Orphan hearts have an independent spirit and resist admonition and correction.

But, sons and daughters welcome discipline even when UNPLEASANT.

The orphan mind-set or heart is not open to constructive criticism and correction. Receiving discipline into your life, will help you to think like God wants you to think, like his daughter.

As women, some of us are quick to refuse discipline, admonition or correction for various reasons. When you do, you isolate a part of your heart from people and God and that makes you sort of fatherless.

So, let’s begin with the discipline of your thoughts.

Thought life

Let us review the definition of discipline again.

Discipline means: The practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behavior, using punishment to correct disobedience.

To be disciplined is a work YOU must cooperate with. But how do I become a disciplined one and why? You become one by doing the things you probably do not want to do. You do it to gain something else you want.

Disciplining your thoughts is long term. There is no short fix to becoming a disciplined person in this area.

Thoughts can be disciplined. I know you probably think, really?  Yes. You can train yourself, practice and think about what you want to think about.

You have probably heard this saying, “your actions follow your thoughts”. Well it is true. You will only do what you have been thinking about.

A lot of us believe that the thoughts we think just pop into our heads and that they are just random. No. I am here to tell you they are not all random. Some are, but for the most part they are not.

Do you think about what you are thinking about?

Does your mind wander? Are you aware of your own thoughts?

Why are thoughts so important?

Many people do not understand that our thoughts really control our lives. We put ourselves in good or bad moods based on our thoughts.

We work up stress because of our thoughts. We do almost everything we do because of our thoughts.

Some of the time we struggle with sinful thoughts and thoughts we cannot control because of something we have seen, heard or said. The truth is, words are connected to thoughts and to the way you speak.

How do you begin to get control of this area and really shape your life to the way that is pleasing to God? How does the discipline happen?

By conforming or reshaping your own mind.

Romans 12:2 says, “Do not be conformed to this world this age, fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs, but be transformed or changed by the entire renewal of your mind by its new ideals and its new attitude. (Amplified)

This verse means that you can control what you think in your mind. You must allow yourself to think thoughts and new ideals.  You have to be intentional in what you listen to and what you say to help you with what you think.

Ok, let’s go further….

II Corinthians 10:5 – Please write this out. 

Powerful verse that tells you that you must take the wrong thoughts you think and make them obey Christ or the word of God.

That is discipline. You must, on purpose, find the correct things you are to mediate on. Then, you must think on those things and remember them.

You may have to make a list at first of scriptures that you need to stay 100% focused on. You may need to record your voice on your phone reading those verses to yourself. You may need to make a daily plan of saying the correct things out loud until you believe it.

You may need to set your phone alarm to remind you to say the right thing or on purpose think the correct thing.

You will have to do whatever you need to do to get this area under submission to God and make your wrong thoughts line up with God thoughts. That is how you make them obey.

If it’s not of God, you must think the opposite of that thought. If it’s a lie, you need to think the opposite or truth of that thought.  If you do not know what the truth is, then you must find it.

Make sense?

The Bible even tells you what to think in case you need help.

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.” (KJV)

Your thoughts or your mind must be set on the right thing.

Write Colossians 3:2

Sometimes our minds are just set on the wrong things and we don’t realize that we have been thinking on the wrong thing for a long period of time and it has become second nature to us.

Here is a very good scripture I want to dissect for you.

“For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God” – Romans 8:6-8 (NASB)

This scripture makes it pretty clear what wrong thinking will get you. Why wrong thinking is so destructive to your life and why you can’t sometimes even think the right thought.

This verse in very elementary terms says this….

If your mind is set on the flesh or fleshy things, that is death. If your mind is set on the Spirit you will have life and peace. Why? Because a mind that is set on the fleshy things is a mind that is hostile toward God. That means you are an enemy of God and hostile. If you are hostile, that mind, person or life will not subject or yield itself to the law of God or God’s ways. As a matter of fact, that person is not even able to yield themselves or obey the law of God. But, if you are in the flesh the word says, in the verse, then you cannot please God. 

You see, if you are an enemy of God you cannot please Him. Why would you?

But all this starts with your mind being set on the flesh or on God.

Is your mind on the flesh or on the spirit? If so, how?

We wonder sometimes why we are not having peace or can’t seem to obey the word of God. It is because we are an enemy of God because our mind is not set on the right things. Powerful!

One study reveals that for most Christians 80% of our thinking is negative and in agreement with the enemy, the accuser of the brethren, who tells us we have no value or are unlovable.

Is that who you are listening to. Are you in agreement with him?

By now you should see how important thoughts are in your life. To think differently is going to require a discipline on your part. 

It is going to require you to look inside your life and check out your thought life. You will have to participate with the training of your thought life.

It will not happen overnight or in a week. But in time it will.

Ask the Holy Spirit to catch you every time you think a wrong thought. He will.

Grace Homework:

I simply want you to write down different things you think about that are negative. Try to really focus on how negative you think over the course of this week.

Why do you believe you think these wrong thoughts?

What wrong thought patterns (that you think over and over) are you having and what triggers this pattern of thoughts?

What do you do if anything, when these thoughts start?

Write down what you think about yourself or situations in your life in a negative way. (No matter what it is)

What negative things do you think about others or your own situations?

Can you see where your life has taken shape from thoughts you are having? What areas?

Write down a God thought for every negative thought you listed above. 

Discipline of Thoughts Application

 List ways that you can actively think different. How will you implement this in your own life? List at least 3 areas, situations or people that you will begin to train your thoughts in so you can gain discipline in this area.

*Here is the link for this lesson in my coaching workbook on Amazon called Grace to Live Coaching Program. Click Here.