April 23, 2025

Minding Your Thoughts

A Biblical Overview of Obtaining and Maintaining a Biblical Thought Life

II Samuel 13:2 And Amnon was so vexed, that he fell sick for his sister Tamar; for she was a virgin; and Amnon thought it hard for him to do any thing to her.

How many times did we hear it in school? Trust your first thought, your first answer. Remember taking the test, did you ever finish early and while reviewing your answers you started to doubt, even to the point of changing some of your answers, only to find out later that your first thought was right? Many times, in life our first thought is the right thought. This was the case in Amnon’s life. His first thought was right, he should have listened to himself, it would have prevented a lot of pain and even death.

Perhaps you have heard the phrase, “Paralysis through analysis.”   Basically, it means overthinking things to the point of confusion which brings on inaction, or the wrong action. It seems in thinking things out, as in all of life, there is a balance. Sometimes the first thought is the best thought, sometimes further contemplation is needed to arrive at the proper course of action.

My daughter was going to be in a wedding and just had to have that perfect pair of shoes. So, I volunteered to take her shoe shopping. Shopping we did. We shopped all day, in every store north of Waco, Texas and south of the Red River. Only for her to return to the very first store we started at, where I bought her the first shoes she tried on that day. By following her first thought, we would have saved time, hours and hours and hours of time, pain, and about a hundred dollar lunch!

I had a pastor one time that often said, “If it’s doubtful, don’t do it.”  He would say this in conjunction with Biblical principles guiding our lives. What he meant was, if you come to a place of decision about anything in life, immediately think of the clear teachings of the Bible and follow them. This would be the first thought. Amnon should have followed this advice, for his first thought was right. If after thinking about it you find no clear Bible teaching and there is that lingering doubt, don’t do it. Romans 14:5 clearly states:  One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. Being fully persuaded sometimes takes but an instant and sometimes takes further contemplation. Learn to trust your first thought, it usually is right, and it is probably given to you by the Holy Spirit, but that is a lesson for another day.

May the Lord bless and be pleased with your thought life today.

Dr. William T. Howe