Proverbs 23:7 KJV
“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he…”
Much of what we each are, has been shaped by thoughts we’ve long held and have, therefore, formed our belief systems. To a great extent, the things we think have a bearing on what we believe. And the things we believe ultimately have a bearing on how we live or conduct ourselves. Yes, it is, for the most part, about what goes on in our hearts. Solomon, the man of wisdom, once said it this way (in our text): “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he…” Where did it all start? It started in the Garden of Eden, where man was spiritually separated from the presence and the divine life of God (Gen 3). From then on, the imagination of man’s heart went untethered and wild, inclined towards what was purely of human nature.
Some years later from that spiritual separation in Genesis chapter three, for example, “…GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Gen 6:5 KJV). It became evident that what Adam got himself into affected his immediate posterity and, indeed, the entire human race: our human imaginations and thought patterns not only influence our actions but always tend toward the wrong direction—if nothing is done to have our minds renewed. Perhaps, it is that light that the Apostle Paul had this important counsel for believers in Christ in Rome and us, by extension:
“Do not be conformed to this world [any longer with its superficial values and customs], but be transformed and progressively changed [as you mature spiritually] by the renewing of your mind [focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes]…” (Rom 12:2 AMP). Hallelujah! Notice, while Paul’s audience consisted of “brethren” (Rom 12:1 NKJV) in Christ Jesus, the tendency to “conform to this world” was at play, and thus needed to be guarded against by having their minds renewed through God’s word. Thankfully, God’s word still has the power of “…discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Heb 4:12 ESV). Meditate on it daily and let it do its wonderful work in your belief system.
Pst. Emmanuel