Who's Listening to My Thoughts?

      By Fern Horst

"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." Philippians 4:8

One Sunday morning when I stepped into the ladies' restroom at church, it appeared empty. But then I heard a lady talking quietly in one of the stalls. As I stepped into the one next to hers I realized that she was talking to herself. She's one of the older ladies at my church who lives alone and serves as a wonderful example of living a godly single life. I couldn't hear what she was saying, but I realized that she was accustomed to being alone and being able to speak her thoughts aloud.

It made me stop and ponder a bit what I think about when I'm alone. Do I talk aloud to myself without realizing it? I think I do sometimes. I certainly hope that if anyone has ever heard me, that they were godly thoughts. I realized that when I'm alone, and no one is around to give me feedback when I speak my thoughts aloud, that they have free reign. But should they?

The Apostle Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, wrote in his letter to the Philippians that we should think about those things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, and that are virtuous and praiseworthy. When I examine my own thoughts, I know that they don't always stay within those perimeters. Sometimes my mind swirls with anger and revenge when I'm wronged, or it dwells on what I think someone else should be doing or not doing, or it is troubled with fear and anxiety about all the "what ifs" that abound. These kinds of thoughts obviously do not fit in with those things God's Word says we should be thinking about.

But, we reason, sometimes those thoughts come from Satan, so we're not responsible for those. No, we're not responsible for the initial thought, but we are for the subsequent ones. We need to be aware of who is speaking to us and if it is Satan's voice, we need to immediately reject his thoughts in Jesus' Name.

Just beyond my computer monitor where I can easily read it hangs a four by six card with a quote that I printed out years ago. Its message has many times helped me to recognize whether or not God is speaking to me. It reads:

When the Good Shepherd speaks to His own

Hope, Rest, Victory, Peace, Joy, Triumph, and Love.

Even when God convicts us of sin, His voice gives us hope, peace and triumphant victory when we respond to His voice and ask His forgiveness. Satan's accusations, on the other hand, are full of hopelessness, despair, defeat and discouragement. The feelings that accompany the voice we hear can often reveal to us exactly who is speaking. If it is Satan, we need to reject those thoughts. If it is the Lord, then we need to take notice and listen.

What we think about is largely a result of who we listen to. If we listen to Satan, our thoughts will not fit into the perimeters that God gave to us in Philippians. If we listen to and speak with the Good Shepherd, who is the Holy Spirit, our thoughts will certainly be of those things that are true, pure, virtuous, and praiseworthy.

When no one else is around to talk to what do you think about? If it's those things that the Good Shepherd speaks to you, then you can be sure that your thoughts are God-honoring. And if you do happen to unknowingly speak them aloud, it won't matter if someone else hears them or not. That in itself is a comforting thought!

© 2006 Fern Horst

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