“For consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.”

                -Hebrews 12:3

We’ve all heard people say that what happens in your thought life is unimportant. Unfortunately, even some Christians have been tricked into believing the lie that sin is okay so long as you don’t let it go further than the confines of your imagination. It’s as if we’ve created an imaginary barrier between what we think and what we do, not realizing that our thoughts directly affect our actions and vice-versa. The truth of Scripture reveals to us, not that our hands and heart are at a disconnect, but that what we fill our mind with will ultimately affect every other aspect of our life when simply given the time (Prov. 23:7).

Imagine with me for a moment what it would look like if every thought you entertained throughout the course of a day was recorded in a book and put on display. Would you hold a book signing and give away free copies to all your friends? Probably not. Yet despite the embarrassment it would likely bring if our innermost thoughts were shared with the world, remember that the very God Who created us hears our thoughts just as clearly as He is able to hear our words (Matt 9:4). Every selfish ambition and secret lust resonates loudly in His ears, even if we’re blissfully unaware of how serious these transgressions truly are.

“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”

                -Philippians 4:8

Truth, honesty, justice, purity, and loveliness are the things Paul said should saturate our mind on a daily basis. What fills our head will also fill our heart, and so purifying your thought life is the first and most important step toward purity of the soul. Have you ever tried to break old, sinful habits without first praying for a clean heart and a right spirit (Ps. 51:10)? If so, then you know from firsthand experience that this is a futile attempt. To yield our mind to the enemy of our soul is to grant him the greatest foothold he could ever seek to gain, and is an advantage he will absolutely take advantage of (1 Pet. 5:8; Eph. 4:27).

Despite the overemphasis often placed on “positive thinking” by the world, the mind is the most crucial battleground any person will ever tread. If we subject ourselves to the discouragement of “being wearied and fainting in our minds”, then we have little hope of being the conqueror God has called each of us to be (Rom. 8:37). Win this battle and you’ll be well-equipped to win the war.

“What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?”

               -Romans 8:31

The moment you choose to follow Jesus is the moment you choose to head down a path of persecution and worldly opposition (2 Tim. 3:12). Of all the promises afforded us by the Scriptures, none guarantee our life will be easy or comfortable but instead assure of just the opposite: “If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you,” was the warning of Christ to His disciples, yet they counted the sufferings of this present time unworthy to be compared with what they knew their Lord could offer (John 15:20; Rom. 8:18). We are told from the beginning exactly what we’re getting ourselves into by becoming a Christian and it should be anything but surprising when trouble comes our way.

It’s helpful when we understand that, just as no man can serve two masters (Matt. 6:24), it is impossible for a person to feed their soul while indulging their flesh. How many of us actually faced persecution when our soul was being starved of truth? In most cases it’s not until a person embraces things of eternal importance that they begin to encounter opposition, and so rather than despairing when rejected for your faith, learn to “rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” (Matt 5:12)

“Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.”

               -1 Peter 4:16

Not only should we expect persecution, but should follow the example of the apostles by learning to rejoice in them (Acts 5:41). Certainly the trial itself gives us no reason whatsoever to be joyful, but the knowledge that we are living in obedience to the Scriptures and their Author in a noticeable way is reason enough to leap for joy (Luke 6:23). For each hardship, consider both the physical and mental sufferings of Christ which far surpassed what any of us are able to experience or imagine. Did He agonize and weep? Of course! That’s never the problem, as long as we can pray the same prayer He did in the garden of Gethsemane: “Father, if Thou be willing, remove this cup from Me: nevertheless not My will, but Thine, be done.” (Luke 22:42) Nobody ever having prayed these words from their heart was given a heavier load than they were able to bare (1 Cor. 10:13).