Be strong and very courageous…Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful (Joshua 1:6a,7).

If someone could look inside your mind, what would they find? Would they find a storehouse of healthy thoughts and sane imaginations from God, the Dream Maker? Or would they find your mind consumed with vain imaginations from Satan, the Dream Taker?
Psychologists say that we think 60,000 words per day and 98% of them are repeat offenders. We spend the majority of our thought life thinking about the same thing over and over and over. No wonder it’s important to cast out vain imaginations. When our mind is on auto pilot it’s even harder to take notice of unhealthy thoughts. If your mind is full of habitual thoughts, how do you tell the difference between sane imaginations and vain imaginations?

One of the easiest ways you can tell the difference between sane and vain imaginations is to take a step back and examine how your thoughts and imaginations make you feel. Take notice if your thoughts make you feel:

• Anxious
• Discouraged
• Ashamed
• Depressed
• Inadequate
• Guilty
• Prideful
• Fearful
• Confused

Negative emotions are good indicators that your thoughts are not from God. If your imaginations are filling you with hope for the future, encouragement or motivation to go further in life, chances are your imaginations are surrendered to the obedience of Christ.

Positive emotions are good indicators that your thoughts are from God, however, just because a thought makes you feel good does not mean it is a righteous imagination. Any thought that makes you feel good, fills you with hope and produces the fruit of confidence, but does not honor scripture is a vain imagination.

For example, you meet someone on Match.com or E-Harmony. Before you know much about him, you allow your mind to fill in the blanks. Soon your mind is obsessed with romantic thoughts at the anticipation of a relationship. The imagination makes you feel good and fills you with hope and confidence, but until you know whether or not this man has character and integrity, your hope and confidence are based on assumptions. They are merely based on a weak platform of illusion.

Another way to tell the difference between vain and sane imaginations is to judge the fruit of your dreams. What is your imagination producing? Any farmer will tell you that a tree is known by the fruit it produces. The Bible agrees. So what is your imagination producing? Do the things you imagine fuel your purpose? Do they line up with scripture? These are great clues to help you discover the origin of your imagination.

Give your imaginations the Philippians 4:8 test. Measure your thoughts against this standard: Are your thoughts:

• True
• Noble
• Right
• Pure
• Lovely
• Admirable
• Excellent
• Praiseworthy

If your thoughts meet the test—think on such things! Strengthening your imagination begins by getting in alignment with God’s vision and keeping your focus on that vision. Take notice of your thoughts and cast out the ones that don’t belong.

Listen to entire session:
How to Develop a Godly Imagination

How to Redirect Your Vision

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  1. What a day to read this! After looking at a picture you have of you and me at Shelly’s housewarming I was bombarded with negative, negative thoughts. Of course the Lord reminded me to take every thought captive. Your devotional cleared remaining cobwebs and definitely reminded me again of the beauty of God’s word in Phillippians. As I think in my heart so am I! Love you my inspiring friend. Your pic of the cabinet was fab!

  2. Very good advice! Thanks for talking about it. Men need this as much as women do. Satan works on us all through our thought lives, but I know that God is more powerful than anything the enemy can dream up. Keep up the good work!

  3. I didn’t realize how important it was to be transformed by the renewing of my mind in God’s word until June 2008, when our sister, Evelyn, was taken to Heaven suddenly, & I lost my job the next month. I literally at one point thought that I was losing my mind, until I cried out to God. The Spirit is saved after we accept Jesus Christ as Savior, but, we have to get our minds lined up with our saved spirits. This can only happen by replacing our thoughts with the word of God, the truth, our shield & buckler. Once the thoughts lineup, the rest will follow, praise the Lord. Thank you Ms Christi for another right on the nail word. Love you Sis!

    Marta

  4. wow, Marta…thanks for being so transparent. I know it was such a difficult time for you when you lost your dear sister, but it’s sobering to know that even women like you, grounded in faith are flesh and blood just like the rest of us. I’ve always had a tendency to put women like you on a pedestal and think that you are somehow immune to the difficulties of life. Truth is, we all have to surrender our thougths to Christ. We all walk the same road, training our brain and renewing our mind. I love you much!!

  5. Until you made it so plain I did not realize how negative my thoughts were. I would have a mixture of good and bad thoughts and found myself focusing more on the negative. Sometimes we just don’t know how to be positive, esp when all we have known is negativity. Don’t get me wrong, I know God is good and He has been very good to me. But my soul is not the issue. It’s my mind and my unruly member. I try to be mindful now that I am aware to speak life at all times and in all things. Otherwise I say nothing at all. Praise God for the truth. It is a lamp unto my feet. God bless you.

  6. Ryan Lamont I blog frequently and I gnneiuely thank you for your information. The article has truly peaked my interest. I’m going to take a note of your site and keep checking for new details about once per week. I subscribed to your Feed too .

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