For As He Thinketh In His Heart

So is he.... Proverbs 23:7

I've had to put on my Cognitive Behavioral Therapist hat this morning.... with that I don't mean I'm into popular psychotherapy... I strictly mean that I am trying to help my children change the way they think using the BIBLICAL principles I have been learning.

Example: Buster Brown woke up with unhappy thoughts, angry thoughts. He made that clear from the start.

"Good morning, Buster Brown, it's time to get up!"

CRASH, BANG, DESTRUCTION.

"Buster, why did you trash your lamp this morning? I think you need to sit on the bench for a bit."

STOMP, STOMP, POUT, LIE!"

Okay Lord! What do I do now??

The answer came in the verse 1st quoted. "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he." Prov. 23

I printed the verse on a sticky note and stuck it to Buster's shirt as I shared it with him. "Really, your whole problem this morning is that you are allowing bad thoughts in your mind. You were thinking, 'I want to do whatever I want today. I don't want to obey! I am mad that you are telling me what to do. I am going to let you know I am mad.' Actions followed words. When I tried to deal with your naughtiness  you let in more bad thoughts. More naughty actions followed those thoughts. What kind of boy do you want to be? An angry, naughty boy or a happy, cheerful boy?"

Buster was happy with his sticky note. He allowed me to lead his thoughts in a new direction as he doesn't want to be the angry, naughty boy. He prayed for a change of thought.

Christ's secret weapon for guarding against the temptation was praise and so we took out a new sticky note and Buster told me all the things he was thankful to God for and I wrote them all on his sticky note.

Things were turned around and Buster is happily doing his chores with a new attitude.

I had to repeat the steps with his sister - different attitude, same root: self-centered thoughts. Her exercise in praise was to sing a song of praise.

Keep       thy 

heart  with  all

diligence; for out

of it are the issues

of life. Prov 

4:23

As a man “thinketh in his heart, so is he.” Many thoughts make up the unwritten history of a single day; and these thoughts have much to do with the formation of character. Our thoughts are to be strictly guarded; for one impure thought makes a deep impression on the soul. An evil thought leaves an evil impress on the mind. If the thoughts are pure and holy, the man is better for having cherished them. By them the spiritual pulse is quickened, and the power for doing good is increased. And as one drop of rain prepares the way for another in moistening the earth, so one good thought prepares the way for another. {Messages to Young People 144.1}