THE POWER IN YOUR MIND

BY ADA BROWNELL 

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:2).

Have you thought about the type of things you’ve downloaded into your brain in recent years? Whether you know it or not some of it can damage your life and your future. You need a guard over your heart and mind.

Ungodly things we assimilate into our brains (even alcohol or an illegal drug) can do things to our brains we can’t fathom.

Could be like what happened to Jones, my sister Clara’s Chihuahua, a little darling dog who did tricks for Clara’s husband, Blackie. They would put glassless eyeglasses on Jonesy, as we called him, and he’d sit up, take his front paws, and act as if he were reading a newspaper. He’d play dead when Blackie pointed his finger and yelled, “Bang!”

Jonesy did all kinds of tricks and received his hamburgers “made to order” and a human-style cookie for dessert, not doggie treats.

But one day he coughed, sneezed, and gagged all through the night. He wouldn’t eat, and he continued coughing, sneezing, and gagging for several days.

My sis thought Jones was dying, and she couldn’t bear putting him to sleep. Her son was fighting a war, and he was attached to the dog, too.

“We can’t let Jonesy die!” she said.

After about a week of the dog not eating, Jonesy gagged and Clara noticed something in the back of his throat. A long blade of grass hung through his nose and down into the back of his throat and tongue. She reached in and pulled the grass out. Jonesy immediately got a drink of water and started eating and lived for several years after that.

Sometimes a tiny amount of filth or ungodliness can give us great grief.

If we are forced to read ungodly material, we can pray as we read for God’s protection against our minds, but we can go even further. We can go to the teacher or person in charge and say the book offends us and ask for a substitute. Teachers usually provide something else, especially if you come with a respectful attitude and your grades show you’re not just trying to get out of something.

I obtained a substitute book in college when Hugh Hefner’s biography was required reading. I didn’t want that stuff in my head. When I overheard another student say of the biography of the Playboy empire owner and founder, “That’s really a raunchy book!” I knew it wasn’t for me.

Humankind’s wickedness often can be traced to the mind. Broken homes; murder; theft; assault; abuse; rebellion; disobedience to parents, the law and God; disrespect for the church; a lying tongue; adultery and other sexual sins.

On the other hand, great deeds also can be traced to the way think, and most great things come to us because of our love of God and others, which begins in the mind.

Think good thoughts in 2017 and one way to do that is to spend time on your knees, in God’s Word and house, and with Christian friends.

 PRAYER: Heavenly Father, help me guard my heart and mind and fill me with wonderful ideas, new understanding of your Word, and knowledge of how to touch other people lives with positive things. Thank you, Lord. AMEN.