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Although I’ve never been to a rodeo, there’s a Bible verse that often reminds me of one.
The Lord tells us that we must take our rebellious thoughts captive and make them submit to Christ.
And for some reason, whenever I read this verse, I picture roping calves.
I mean, once those gates fly open, those little guys are runnin’ wild in every direction.
They have a will of their own, and the last thing they want is to be caught and subdued.
Much like our thoughts.
As soon as that morning alarm goes off, so too, those rambunctious thoughts of ours—footloose and fancy free they go, just like those spirited young'uns of the bovine variety.
It’s the difference between a mature Christian and immature, between a productive Believer and an ineffective one, between a blessed and restful life, and one that always seems to struggle.
It’s all about the roping.
Those who take charge of those
Wayward
Truth-Challenged
Self-loving
Thoughts
are the ones who prosper.
The Problem.
Our thought factory, the human heart, has been damaged by the Fall (Jeremiah 17:9).
It continually pumps out errant thoughts that are contrary to truth and hostile to God and His good will for our lives.
And that’s super dangerous, as my grandson would say.
It’s hazardous because our thoughts steer the rudder of our lives, for As a man thinks in his heart, so is he (Proverbs 23:7 KJV).
Thoughts are everything.
Every word we speak, every action we take (for good or evil, whether helpful or harmful) started with one thought.
That’s why God tells us to filter our impulses through the sieve of His Word.
By His power we arrest the bad ones, and haul them into the presence of Jesus and He makes them bow the knee to Him.
Hopefully, inside each one of us is an enlightened, God-fearing, adult who can take charge of the inner dialog, and make some hard and fast choices about which thoughts live and which ones are slated for slaughter.
So out comes the lasso of the Holy Spirit, and we work with Him moment by moment, pulling those bad calves down.
Self-serving attitudes.
Prideful mindsets.
Lust and Greed.
If a disdainful thought comes into our heads about the ones God calls us to love, we take it captive and pull it down.
When a thought prompts us to hold a grudge, envy a brother, or take a moral shortcut, we twirl the rope, take aim, and pull the evil pretense into the light of God’s presence.
And don’t forget about thoughts that cast doubt on the truthfulness of God’s Word.
When thoughts invite you to embrace a more popular and convenient Gospel, get the handcuffs ready and escort those bad boys into the courtroom of the Most Hight God.
And they will bow before the King.
Here’s the deal.
You either bring errant thoughts down, or errant thoughts will take you down.
And if stinkin’ thinkin’ gets nipped in the bud, you will never be far from the Lord of love.
With the wrong thoughts out of the way, we are free to do as God commands:
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