The desire to control certain lands and people has changed history and borders. Coups come and go. Dominance seems to dominate past and present politics.
But some of the most expensive real estate in the world is a few square inches located at the top of your body.
Spiritually speaking, our minds control much of our lives and that is why a war of a different kind rages within our internal world. Lose those battles and you forfeit any hope of a sane life. Satan is always only one thought away. (Ever wonder where those wicked or out-of-the-blue or persistently horrible thoughts come from?)
For thousands of years, folks from every corner of the world and from every religion have tried to control their minds. From meditation or positive thinking to disciplined thoughts, the strategies are innumerable.
Personally, some of my days are miserable. It’s because I am allowing thoughts to run around crazy like an overcrowded dog park.
But controlling my mind for the sake of peace alone is not enough. My mind must be centered on a specific subject and then peace follows as a byproduct.
Like everything else, it takes practice and a desire to lead a cleansed life. The most outstanding example of a man who controlled his thoughts was Jesus.
The irony was that this control was in his utter determination to be controlled…by His Father. He declared: “For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak.”
It gives a whole new spin on the concept of control.
PORTAL TO HEAVEN: We spend so much time trying to empty ourselves of bad thoughts and actions. But Jesus reversed that by explaining His loving fixation with His Father. The more we know about our Heavenly Father, the more we understand how Jesus’ thoughts could be so permanently riveted.
Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things…Beloved, let us love one another, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God’s love was revealed among us: God sent His one and only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him.
Philippians 4:8 (NASB), 1 John 4:7-9 (BSB)