Devotion
Bring Every Thought To Christ
David Jacobs
There has been one thought that has run through my mind for many months now every morning when I pray: I want to remove every evil thought from my imagination. This verse was the impetus for this meditation. Every thought that is not good, not in obedience to the word of God, or negative in any interpretation, I want to remove from my imagination. I am not even saying that I want to not commit evil actions. I am not saying that I want to stop thinking evil thoughts. I want to not even be able to IMAGINE an evil thought.
I have had some difficulties managing my ego. I have often thought that I was better or more important than other people based on my accomplishments or actions. What does that mean exactly? For one thing, it means that I am putting myself above others. I am not humbling myself in the sight of the Lord, I am not helping those that most need it. I began to notice these negative thoughts about others creeping into my subconscious and infecting my daily thoughts about others. I needed to step back and reflect on this.
Three verses really stuck out to me during this period of self reflection. 2 Corinthians 10:5, the verse above, and the two below:
James 4:10 - Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
1 Peter 5:6-7 - Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
What had I done? How selfish and sinful I had been! I knew that I needed to make changes to my life, and every morning that I prayed, right after waking up, I kept these verses in my head. "Be humble." "Bring every thought to the obedience of Christ." These words were like a soundtrack in my mind.
Prayer
I began noticing a difference almost immediately. As the Bible says, knock and the door shall be opened, seek and you shall find (Matthew 7:7-8). I needed to be more humble and I needed to discipline myself by keeping my ego in check. I needed to be more open and positive towards other people. I turned to God, asked for forgiveness, asked for help, and received it. I can firmly say that there is no more positive a meditation than asking God to remove negative thoughts from your imagination. It is He that deserves thanks. Amen.
Night Prayer
And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house.
Inspiration
We cannot surrender part of our lives to serve the Lord; we must surrender it all. We see multiple occurrences in the New Testament when Jesus says, 'follow me,' met with an excuse or other business that needed to be taken care of first. We like to think that, given the opportunity, we would follow immediately, but that may not be true. We put many earthly activities before the Lord. We make idols of technology, sports, and other activities or people. These secondary priorities cause us to wander away from the Lord instead of closer to Him. We must analyze our walk closely and remove all stumbling blocks that distract us from the Lord.
Prayer
Dear Lord, we want to serve You with all our hearts. Help us analyze our lives and remove stumbling blocks that slow our walk with You. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
