Hebrews 10:36 says, “For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise.” I’ve been reading through the book of Exodus. Not all the children of Israel entered the promised land.

Moses and Aaron were God’s spokesman to Pharaoh. Their God-given authority was challenged time and again. Exodus 16 was one of those times. In verse 8 Moses said, “…for the Lord hears your complaints which you make against Him…Your complaints are not against us but against the Lord.”

Everything that God allows in our lives has a divine assignment. To negative dialogue against it, is against the Lord. He calls us into the trials that He has designed to conform us to His image.

1 Thessalonians 5:24 says, “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.” 2 Peter 1:3 says, “As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him…” Keeping His promises in our hearts, will empower us to persevere and fulfill His purpose.

The Angel of the Lord spoke to Balaam, “…Go with the men, but only the word that I speak to you, that you shall speak. So Balaam went…” Numbers 22:35. You can read the whole account for yourself.

When Balaam came to Balak he reminded him that he had no power at all to say anything, Verse 38 says, “…The word that God puts in my mouth, that I must speak.” In Numbers 23: 17 Balak asked Balaam what the Lord had spoken.

He opened his mouth and in verse 19 he said, “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?”

John 3:34 says, “…For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God…” Jesus told the Jews who sought to kill Him. John 5:19 says, “…Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.”

Psalm 119:15 says, “I will meditate on Your precepts, and contemplate Your ways.” Did you note the “I will meditate”? Psalm 63:6 says, “When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches.” Great verse to incorporate when you can’t sleep.

Inner dialogue is a form of meditating. That is how the Lord designed for us to prosper. He told Joshua to meditate in His word day and night. Joshua 1:8. The Hebrew thought for meditating on Scripture is to repeat them softly, while utterly abandoning outside distractions.

1828 Noah Webster’s Diction has this definition for establish. To set and fix firmly or unalterably; to settle permanently. He used Genesis 17:7 as an example. It says, “And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant…”

We are the only ones responsible to control our thoughts. Therefore as custodians of our minds, we need to be faithful housekeepers. We do that by implanting His word through memorizing and meditating. His word is eternally unchangeable. 

It was 2006. My mom’s doctor called me to say that the PET scan showed she was full of cancer. She didn’t have much time to live. At the time, my daily reading had me in the middle of Exodus. I knew that would not sustain me. I fled to the Psalms. I read them for six months over and over. Here is a new song from that time.

Sustained 

I’m sustained by Your Word, O Lord. It’s like glue that holds my grieving heart together. Your peace is like warm oil. That penetrates and soothes. Your truth is my shield and my refuge. It’s my rock in which I hide. You are my strength, O Lord. Each breath I take I’m breathing in Your presence. Every moment You are there. To comfort and to bear. In Your arms I am secure. For I am nurtured in Your love.

Bringing God’s word into our thought processes will keep us walking in the Spirit, and subduing our flesh that wants center stage. Psalm 119:1 says, “Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord!” 

Let’s look at Asaph’s Psalm 77. In verse 2-3 he wrote, “In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord…I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed.” He dialogued back and forth. Verse 10-12 reveals to us what his thoughts were causing and how he turned them in another direction.

It says, “…This is my anguish; but I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High. I will remember the works of the Lord; surely I will remember Your wonders of old. I will also meditate on all Your work, and talk of Your deeds.” 

Stating “I will” are two words of intention. Note how they changed the course of his thought pattern. When you are in a negative thought trail, stop it with “I will…” and course correction will come. 

Jeremiah did the same thing. His thoughts were spiraling down in a negative way because of his circumstances. Lamentations 3:1-20. Verse 21 says, “This I recall to mind, therefore I have hope.” Then he declared who the Lord is. Verses 22-23. He is merciful and compassionate. His faithfulness is great.

We understand from Proverbs 23:7 that we shape our lives through our thoughts. It says, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he…” Proverbs 16:3 says, “Commit your works to the Lord, and your thoughts will be established.”

Psalm 112:1 says, “Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who delights greatly in His commandments.” Of that person, verse 7 says, “He will not be afraid of evil tidings; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.”

Proverbs 16:21 says, “The wise in heart will be called prudent, and sweetness of the lips increases learning.” Our words come from our thoughts. Stop. Listen to what you are saying about you to yourself or about others and you will understand your thoughts.

Where do your thoughts go the moment you encounter a disturbing situation? My flesh longs to dialogue about it. However, I know that is a futile activity. Therefore I’ve learned that I must think and speak truth. Since Truth is a Person, focusing on Who the Lord is at all times diverts that fleshly appetite.

What do you believe about yourself? Is it based solely on what the Lord says, or what you perceive through your life’s experiences? Our heart belief comes from our perceptions. This is why we are instructed to renew our minds through Scripture.

Old patterns of thoughts are not erased at salvation. Romans 12:2 says that it is the renewing of our mind that brings inner transformation. That is a daily activity that cannot be neglected. Ephesians 4:23 Amplified says, “And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind (having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude).”

Our attitudes come from our thoughts. I love Psalm 139. Verse 2 says, “…You understand my thought afar off.” Verse 4 says, “For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O Lord, You know it altogether…”

That is such a safety net for us! I was controlled by fiery dart lies, until I found out in 1993 that not every one of my thoughts was of my own origin. I began asking the Holy Spirit to reveal them so I could renounce and forsake them.

Peter believed a lie. Jesus told His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, suffer many things, be killed, and then be raised the third day. Peter rebuked Him. Look what was behind that lie. Matthew 16:23 says, “But He turned and said to Peter, Get behind me satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”

So it is with us. In and of ourselves we will live in the mindfulness of men. The truth is in 1 Corinthians 2:13. It is quoted from Isaiah 40:3. It says, “For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.”

I love Isaiah 40. Verse 12 says, “Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, measured heaven with a span and calculated the dust of the earth in a measure? Weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance?” Verse 25 reminds us that there is no one His equal.

Romans 10:10 says, “For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Our mouth speaks what our heart believes. Matthew 12:34 says, “…For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”

I have found in counseling that when I just listen, I can hear the hidden lies that are believed. That is how the devil works. If he can get a fiery dart lie to penetrate, then he can begin building an inner stronghold.

We know from 2 Corinthians 10:4 that only God’s word has the power to pull down strongholds. It says, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds.”

Strongholds are built when a fiery dart penetrates unnoticed. They get buried deep inside our hearts and lay dormant. Though seemingly forgotten, the lie seeps into our thought processes. They control through influencing our mind, will, and emotions. 

Case in point is Judas. John 13:2 says, “And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart…to betray Him.”

I woke up with the words of the title. My mind immediately went to John 15:5. Nothing is a word of emptiness. I have a suicidal mentee who is empty. Her thought circuit is a destructive loop that plays over and over. Without a personal relationship with Jesus there is no hope.

Anything we do in our own strength is utter futility. Paul and Barnabas encountered a cripple at Lystra. As Paul was speaking, he saw that the man had faith to be healed. In Acts 14:10 Paul said, “…Stand up straight on your feet! And he leaped and walked.”

The pagan priests were about to sacrifice to Paul and Barnabas. Paul preached to them. In verse 15 he said, “…turn from these useless things to the living God…” The Greek word for useless means: fruitless, empty, futile, hollow, unproductive, lacking substance, and worthless.

John 15:8 says that we bear fruit for his glory through abiding—not from doing anything in our own strength. What or Who we turn to in the face of our impossibilities reveals where our heart’s belief truly lies.