Purify Your Mind Series (Part 2) by Joe KirbySample

I Caught a Thought

Catching thoughts is much harder than it sounds. Martin Luther famously said, “You cannot keep birds from flying over your head but you can keep them from building a nest in your hair" (J.N. Lenker, Luther's Catechetical Writings). You may not realize it, but your mind is full of philosophies, strongholds, arguments, and ideas that try to steal the throne of your heart from Christ. Ever since we were children we have drunk in the world’s belief systems; they have contaminated our minds more than we would like to admit.

Hands down, the worst period of my life was when I had a sort of mid-life crisis at the age of twenty-five. I had been listening to various social media influencers who had taught me life was essentially like an orange and I needed to squeeze every last drop of juice out of it before I die. Without going into details, it took me down a dark path of rebellion against God.

This would never have happened if when I first heard these ideas I had taken the thoughts captive. Every thought must bow to God. Pluck out those evil thoughts before they take root; if you let them stay overnight they will be deep-rooted in the morning.

Everything must be surrendered to Jesus: our time, bodies, money, house, and family must all be wedded to God. When I was thirteen I used to wear a plastic wristband with the initials W.W.J.D.—you all know what it stands for: “What Would Jesus Do?” It was great because all day long I had the constant reminder that I was to act like how Jesus acted. Well, perhaps someone should bring the bands back into fashion but make one with these initials W.W.J.T.—“What Would Jesus Think?”