Before I began devoting myself to regularly studying the Scriptures, I believed that I had to accept every thought that popped into my head. I didn’t realize that I could reject wrong thoughts, and refuse to let them take root in my mind and heart. One of the Scriptures that opened my eyes was First Corinthians 2:16 (AMP), which says: “But we have the mind of Christ (the Messiah) and do hold the thoughts (feelings and purposes) of His heart.” In other words, once we have committed our lives to Christ, and received the Holy Spirit to dwell in us, we have the ability–and the responsibility–to think like Jesus does.
Nowadays, when a wrong thought comes to mind—a thought of self-pity, selfishness, or unforgiveness, for example—I often hear myself say, “Jesus doesn’t think like that, and neither do I!” The apostle Paul talked about the importance of rejecting wrong thoughts when he said that we should “cast down imaginations” that don’t line up with the Word of God. (2 Corinthians 10:3-6 NKJV) Why is this so important? Because we will go wherever our thoughts lead us. We can’t walk in forgiveness while thinking thoughts of bitterness, resentment, and retaliation. We can’t walk in love when we’re thinking critical or judgmental thoughts. We can’t walk in faith when we’re thinking thoughts of doubt and unbelief.
You have the power to think like Jesus. Study His Word and meditate on it day and night. (Joshua 1:8) Pray and praise the Lord continually. (1 Thessalonians 5:17; Psalm 34:1) Cooperate with the Holy Spirit for the renewal of your mind. (Romans 12:2) And you will walk in the same peace, joy, and victory that Jesus did!