In Proverbs 4:23 — “Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life.” (NCV) “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” (KJV)

In the Greek, the word heart refers to your intellect and will.  What that means to me is that it is very important to control what you put and retain in your mind.  Does the Scripture not tell us to put on the mind of Christ?  We need to think the way that Jesus thinks, to think about the things Jesus thought about and to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit.  In John 5:19, it says, “But Jesus said, I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing alone.  The Son does only what He sees the Father doing, because the Son does whatever the Father does.”

We need to follow the example Jesus set for us.  The Father and the Holy Spirit are to be our guides in all we do and think.  Luke 6:45 — “Good people bring good things out of the good they stored in their hearts.  But, evil people bring evil things out of the evil they stored in their hearts.  People speak the things that are in their hearts.” (NCV)

So, when we speak to others we reveal what has been stored in our hearts. How do we store good things in our heart?  We read the Bible and store the words of life that are in it.  If we don’t store the Word in our heart we will not have the ammunition to defend ourselves from the devil and all he tries to bring against us.

Ephesians 6:17 it says, “Accept God’s salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the WORD OF GOD.”   This is only a part of the armor of God but an essential part of that armor.

Throughout the Word the attitude of the heart is of primary importance.  As I’ve heard Pastor Jim Bakker say, “Attitude determines altitude.”  It is very true because attitude comes from the heart.  Being a person who has a tendency to view life and its challenges from a negative prospective, I find it hard at times to be positive and uplifting in my conversations.  It is much easier to see and to be negative which makes me part of the problem.  God has called us to be part of the solution and not add to the problems.

Let’s begin anew and start thinking and speaking the Word of God.  In every situation we encounter we need to speak the Word and bring God into that situation.  So, instead of saying “I think”, say what the Word says.  That is why we need to know the Word of the living God.  The Word brings life to our spirit and our body.