Can I Have My Cake and Eat it Too?

Can I Have My Cake and Eat it Too?

I have a confession to make. I did have a very good gooey piece of the world's greatest chocolate cake at lunch yesterday. Mrs. Ruth Raws, Pastor Bill's wife, makes THE BEST chocolate cake. I thought it rather funny that on a day when I was trying to get you all not to think about cake -- that she shows up with chocolate cake.

God keeps hammering me about my thoughts. Right away people assume that when someone is open to talking about struggles in their thought life that are struggling with lust or sexual temptation.

First of all, I would be a big hypocrite if I said I never had those thoughts enter my mind! I am reminded of my dear pastor friend who was very transparent with me and a friend over breakfast. After his grilling us about our thought life, my friend said, "Must be nice to be in your 90's and not have to struggle with lustful thoughts." This saint, and I mean saint, replied, "Matthew, I may be old but I am not dead."

Have you allowed your mind to dwell on things like jealousy? Covetous thoughts -- "Your house is bigger than mine? How come he's go a new car and I am driving this beat up old one? How about thoughts of resentment? We may have been slighted, looked over for a promotion or a raise (what is that these days?), not included in a social event, and wrong thinking takes over.

Our thoughts do matter to God. I think that is why Paul's words are so strong when he writes: "Finally, brothers (and sisters), whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable -- if anything is excellent or worthy of praise -- think about such things." (Philippians 4:8 NIV)

Yesterday I had two of my teams sit down to talk about perceptions that have crippled our ministry from moving forward for too many years. Perceptions become realities in our minds and before we know it, our thinking gets out of whack, and before we know it -- we are thinking very wrong and sinful thoughts. Yesterday was a day of laying down the gauntlet and saying, "We aren't going to think that way anymore.

Our negative thinking is so destructive that Paul very clearly reminds us of this truth: "The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:4-5 NIV) Paul is talking about some pretty decisive steps to bring our thoughts in line with the way God wants us to think.

When was the last time you thought about your thoughts? We may pride ourselves for not gossiping publically, or not committing adultery, or now being mean to our neighbor of co-worker. BUT have you thought about it in your mind? The grand connect is that HE KNOWS OUR THOUGHTS! HE WANTS US TO SUBMIT OUR THOUGHTS TO HIS CONTROL. Am I willing to take them captive or do I want to have my cake and eat it too. Well guess what -- that isn't possible. Think about it. -- Bill Welte is President and CEO of America's KESWICK

God's WORD for YOU: Proverbs 29; Exodus 21-22; Matthew 19

Great Quote: “If sin comes into the life of the believer, he should immediately become concerned with it. It should cause him to rush to the Lord in confession and repentance, and it should cause him to build every bulwark possible against the recurrence of the sin.” - Donald Grey Barnhouse