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Proverbs 23:7a - What You Think - - You Are!

Proverbs 23:7a (KJV) For as he thinketh in 
his heart, so is he: 

COMMENTARY PEARL

   Thoughts are the thermostat that 
regulates what we accomplish in life. If I feed my 
mind upon doubt, disbelief, and discouragement, 
that is precisely the kind of day my body will 
experience. If I adjust my thermostat forward to 
thoughts filled with vision, vitality, and victory, I 
can count on that kind of day. Thus, you and I 
become what we think about. 
   Neither Dale Carnegie nor Norman Vincent 
Peale originated such a message. God did. "For as 
[a man] thinks within himself, so he is" (Prov. 
23:7). "Therefore, prepare your minds for action" 
(1 Peter 1:13). 
   The mind is a "thought factory" producing 
thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands, of thoughts 
each day. Production in your thought factory is 
under the charge of two foremen. One we shall call 
Mr. Triumph, the other Mr. Defeat. 
   Mr. Triumph specializes in producing 
reasons why you can face life victoriously, why you 
can handle what comes your way, why you're more 
than able to conquer. Mr. Defeat is an expert in 
the opposite. He develops reasons why you cannot 
succeed, why you're inadequate, why you should give 
up and give in to worry, failure, 
discouragement, and inferiority. 
   Give a positive signal, and Mr. Triumph 
will see to it that one encouraging, edifying 
thought after another floods your mind. But Mr. 
Defeat is always standing by, awaiting a negative 
signal (which he would rather you call "reality" or 
"common sense!"), and when he gets it, he cranks out 
discouraging, destructive, demoralizing thoughts that will 
soon have you convinced you can't or won't or 
shouldn't. 
   Thoughts, positive or negative, grow 
stronger when fertilized with constant repetition. 
That may explain why so many who are gloomy and 
gray stay in that mood  and why those who are 
cheery and enthusiastic continue to be so. 
   What kind of performance would your car 
deliver if every morning before you left for work 
you scooped up a handful of dirt and put it in 
your crankcase? The engine would soon be coughing 
and sputtering. Ultimately it would refuse to 
start. The same is true of your life. Thoughts that 
are narrow, self-destructive, and abrasive 
produce needless wear and tear on your mental motor. 
They send you off the road while others drive 
past. 
   You need only one foreman in your mental 
factory: Mr. Triumph is his name. He is eager to 
assist you and available to all the members of 
God's family. 
   His real name is the Holy Spirit, the 
Helper. 
   If Mr. Defeat is busily engaged as the 
foreman of your factory, fire yours and hire ours! 
You will be amazed at how smoothly the plant 
will run under His leadership. [Chuck Swindoll 
www.insight.org.] 

COMMENTARY

   How can we control our thoughts?  Good or 
evil actions begin with good or evil thoughts 
(Pro.23:7).  We are all aware that the hardest battle in 
life is the struggle to think straight.  People 
who want to give up smoking have great 
difficulty keeping their thoughts off cigarettes.  
Alcoholics think constantly about drink, and lustful 
persons keep thinking about sex.  Proud people focus 
on themselves, and dishonest people manufacture 
crooked schemes. 
   Most people will admit that there are 
some modes of thought that, of themselves, they 
cannot overcome, even though they recognize them as 
counterproductive.  Mind training has some value, the exercise 
of the will achieves results, but the problem 
persists: the mind it not completely controllable in 
respect to some attractive objects. 
   Is there a solution to this dilemma?  Can 
our thoughts ever be brought under control?  The 
answer is the Holy Spirit!  [Adult SS quarterly 
7/29/95]  

   The psalmist speaks of the person who is 
blessed, fortunate, and happy. He meditates on God's 
Word day and night. To meditate is to think 
deeply about something, to go over and over it so 
that it sinks into the heart and influences the 
way we think, feel, and act.  
   Repetition helps us create habits and can 
transform us. Just as repeatedly eating the right 
foods or consistently exercising changes our 
bodies over time, so repeating a passage of 
Scripture and consistently thinking about it will 
gradually change the way we think. And changing the 
way we think will change the way we live.  
   Choose a verse that ministers to your 
soul, perhaps a promise you want to trust in. Turn 
it over and over in your mind. What are the 
implications of it? Let it sink into your heart. If you 
can make space to meditate daily on a short 
portion of God's Word, you will change your mind-set 
and your heart over time (Pro. 23:7). [The 
Daniel Plan 365-Day Devotional re Psalm 1:2 NLT] 

LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE


http://www.abible.com/devotions/2003/20030903-1223.html 

YOUR COMMENTS

If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or 
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either 
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in 
hearing from you.  Thanks in advance and let's keep 
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred 
Gibbs