Noble Thoughts

A man got lost in the Sahara Desert. He had used up the last of his water two days before, and he was lying on the sand, gasping, when he suddenly heard a voice calling, “Mush! Mush!”

He knew he was hallucinating and turned away—but then he heard it again, closer this time. “Mush! Mush!”

He mustered up his strength, pulled himself to his knees, and squinted. There, of all things, he saw a Snow Sled Driver, bundled up in furs and driving a sled with a team of huskies across the dunes.

He slowly lifted one arm and called, “Help!”

The driver pulled the sled to a halt next to him, the huskies panting in the heat.

The man said to the sled driver, “I don’t know what you’re doing here, or why, but am I glad to see you! I’ve been lost in this desert for days!”

The Sled Driver, with sweat pouring down his brow, said, “You think you’re lost?”

We can get lost sometimes too. I’m not talking about getting lost in a desert, or even a physical location. We can get lost in our own thoughts.

We can think things that are just downright wrong. These things can range from how we view ourselves, others, our situations, relationships, and we can even have the wrong thoughts about God.

Our church has embarked on a study of our thoughts. We are looking to the Word of God to find out how to have Sanctified thoughts.

Sanctified is a fancy word that really just means “set apart”. You might ask, “why is it important to have set apart thoughts?” Well, the Bible says that how we think is an indicator of what we believe.

Romans 8:5 (NLT)

5 Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit.

As a believer in Jesus, we don’t want to be controlled by our sinful nature anymore. We have been set free from the bondage of that nature through Christ. Our lives should be set apart from non-believers in part by how we think. If we are believers we need to be controlled by the Holy Spirit.

He is the one who can leads to peace in our lives.

Romans 8:6 (NLT)

6 So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.

Why is it important to have set apart thoughts? First, because we have been set free from our carnal nature through Christ, and Second, because Sanctified thoughts lead to peace.

Can’t we all use a little peace? In a world full of chaos, we need to find a place of rest, comfort, and peace. It all starts with how we think.

Our anchor scripture, the one you should be meditating on right now every day, is Philippians 4:8.

Philippians 4:8 (NKJV)

8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

Because we have Christ we can have peace. Our thoughts prove whether or not we are walking in peace. We will think on these things because we know God is with us no matter what we face. Our circumstances don’t determine our peace. Our thoughts on who God is and what He’s done in us is what give us peace. He is with us!

Paul is writing to a church that was NOT in peace with each other. The church in Philippi was the first church in Europe and the converts were mainly non-jewish. Over a period of time that early church started to develop some arguments of whether or not they had to follow the old testament laws to be saved.

They were preaching a “works” base religion instead on a “faith” based relationship.

Paul heard about it and decided to write them a letter to put an end to the division.

Keep in mind, Paul had bigger issues to focus on in HIS life than these arguments.

He was actually in prison. He was a good example of a person with sanctified thoughts, because instead of focusing on his circumstances, he was focused on God’s work.

I like what he said describing those people who were teaching that they had to follow the old testament laws to be saved.

Philippians 3:2 (NLT)

2 Watch out for those dogs, those people who do evil, those mutilators who say you must be circumcised to be saved.

He called these divisive people dogs!

Next time there is a an argument in the church maybe we should write each person a little note that tells them to stop acting like dogs.

I wonder how that would go over?

When Paul wrote to this church his overall theme was to get them to focus on the things that really matter.

Chapter one, he encouraged them to have a single mind focused on the gospel. In that chapter he mentioned the Gospel 5 times and Christ himself 17 times. He was single minded in his mission and encouraged the same of those followers.

Chapter two, he encouraged them to have a submissive mind. In verse 2 he told them that he would be so happy to hear that they were living in harmony. To live in harmony and unity we must have a mind commited to loving other people.

Chapter three, he reminded them to have a spiritual mind. He told them to focus on what really mattered in life - running your spiritual race. Our goal is not perfection, but living a life in pursuit of a closer relationship with God which starts in our mind.

Chapter four, he tells the church that when they have a mind that is single focused, submitted to Christ and each other, and spiritually maturing then we can expect a secure mind because we KNOW God. He says in verse 5 that the Lord is WITH us.

In chapter four we get to verse 8 which is our anchor scripture for this series. Really, boiled down, verse 8 describes what a person who is single minded, submissive minded, spiritual minded, and a secure minded thinks about all the time.

Not only that, it tell us that if we think on these things then we will have peace that comes from God and peace knowing that God is with us! It’s a promise.

Here are the things we need to keep on mind on:

True, Pure, Right, Holy, Friendly, Proper, Worthwhile, and Worthy of Praise

If we keep our mind on these things we prove that we are followers of Christ and we will receive the promise of peace that goes beyond our circumstances. It’s more than people outside of our faith can comprehend.

I love it! What a blessing! What a promise.

We need peace. Let me ask you a question - Are you enjoying this promise in your life? Do you have this kind of peace?

Well, if the answer is no, then you’re in the right place.

We are studying this scripture to help you walk in this promise. We are looking at those things Paul tells us to keep our minds focused on in order to have this peace from God.

Last week we talked about true thoughts. This week I want to give you three ideas regarding what the New King James version calls “Noble” thoughts.

What is a noble thought?

Based on the original word Paul used we could paraphrase it like this: ...keep our minds on what is worthy of our respect. Respectable things are things that are good, proper, correct, or pure. Things that are worthy of our time.

We can have the promise of peace if we keep our thoughts on things that are good, proper, correct, or pure according to the Word of God.

Now, that means there are thoughts that we shouldn’t spend time on. Things that AREN’T worthy.

Our thoughts must rise above the bad, improper, or incorrect things of this world. Those things don’t deserve our respect. Those things are not noble.

Through Christ we have peace when we focus on higher things.

Why shouldn’t we? Why choose to live outside this promise of peace?

Why eat spam when we God has given us filet mignon?

We lose peace when we trade our royal robes for the rags of this world. This happens when we don’t understand who we are in Christ. It happens when we are content to settle for second best.

Well, I’m telling you today that we don’t have to settle anymore. When we are secure in Christ we keep our mind out of the gutter and we set our minds on higher thoughts. Things that are noble, honorable, pure, and worthy of respect!

How do we do this every day?

First you need to know something...

Your thoughts are NOT the Boss of you!

Proverbs 4:23 (GNB)

23 Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts.

We all have thoughts that don’t fit into the category of “noble, pure, right, or holy”. This is always going to be true as long as you live. The real question is what do you do when you have thoughts that try to steal your peace.

In our car we have enough room for all of us to have a place to sit and wear a seatbelt - 5 seats. Neither one of our back seats are very big which is a recipe for conflict almost every time we go somewhere. My youngest is the smallest, but she takes the most room. One of the older girls will say something like, scoot over, or move your leg, or get your tongue away from me! The response from Ollie (my youngest) is generally the same… “You’re not the boss of me!”.

And you know what? She’s right! They aren’t the boss of her and she knows it and uses it to her advantage. They can’t do anything to her except get more upset at what she’s doing. They have no authority to punish her.

Our thoughts are not the boss of us and WE need to use that to our advantage. Our thoughts can’t MAKE us do anything. They have no authority over our actions or even our emotions. We can choose how to handle thoughts.

In your life you are going to have thoughts that aren’t noble. They don’t deserve your time or respect.

You know what you need to say to those thoughts?

“You’re not the boss of me”

I want to practice this with you right now. I have a little exercise we can all do together.

When thoughts that are not noble come into our heads we need to tell those thoughts that they are not the boss of us.

The Bible clearly says to be careful how we think. 2 Corinthians 10:5 tells us that we can bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.

Let’s practice. I’m going to give you a wrong thought…I want to you to say back to me “You’re not the boss of me” to that thought. Then I am going to share with you a noble thought from the Word of God to combat the wrong thought.

I’m afraid that my situation is impossible.

You’re not the boss of me!

It’s true: Luke 18:27

Luke 18:27 NLT

27 He replied, “What is impossible for people is possible with God.”

I’m not smart enough.

You’re not the boss of me!

1 Corinthians 1:30 CEV

30 You are God’s children. He sent Christ Jesus to save us and to make us wise, acceptable, and holy.

I’m overwhelmed with fear.

You’re not the boss of me!

Isaiah 41:10 CEV

10 Don’t be afraid. I am with you. Don’t tremble with fear. I am your God. I will make you strong, as I protect you with my arm and give you victories.

I’m worried that I might die.

You’re not the boss of me!

John 3:16 CEV

16 God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die.

I can’t forgive myself.

You’re not the boss of me!

1 John 1:9 CEV

9 But if we confess our sins to God, he can always be trusted to forgive us and take our sins away.

Your thoughts have tremendous ability to shape your life for good or for bad.

You might have been told that are not true “You’re worthless. You don’t matter. You’ll never measure up.”

If you accept those thoughts, even though they are wrong, it can shape your life.

The key to telling the wrong thoughts they aren’t the boss of you is KNOWING what is a wrong thought. We find the truth of who we are in Christ by knowing the Word.

You can combat wrong thoughts with the truth of the Word, just how we did together. Have scripture ready to go when something comes up that is not noble.

Focus your thoughts on what God says in His word. Those are noble thoughts. Those thoughts will give you peace.

Your thoughts are not the boss of you. You don’t have to believe them just because you thought them!

It’s important to choose which thoughts you allow to affect you.

God has big plans for you. He wants you to dream big. We limit ourselves because we don’t know the truth. We kill the dreams before they have a chance to grow.

Your thoughts are for Dreaming

Once you tell your thoughts who’s boss then you can start dreaming because you have PEACE knowing that God is for you and not against you. He wants you to dream big.

Once your thoughts are in alignment with God’s truth then the sky is the limit!

If our thoughts are limited to what seems possible then we aren’t dreaming. We should dream so big that our dreams would never come true unless God was involved.

Can I allow Steve Harvey to preach for 49 seconds this morning?

Play the video

Dream outlandish dreams. You can’t think of something that CAN’T happen. If you can think of it, then it can happen. Live your life in possibility not probability. Change the way you think!

I like what he says because it reminds me of the Word of God.

The Bible is filled with dreamers. People who were nobodies. People who had no business thinking their life could be more than what it was, but with God they accomplished more than can be measured. Because they got their thoughts lined up with God’s thoughts.

Paul is such a good example of a person who dreamed big. This man had horrible circumstances. He faced persecution like we’ve never known. He was in prison when he wrote this letter to the church because he had massive dreams to preach the gospel. That was his goal in life to preach the gospel.

Read his words:

Philippians 1:12 (CEV)

12 My dear friends, I want you to know that what has happened to me has helped to spread the good news.

He was happy even in persecution because it was fulfilling the dream of spreading the gospel.

You can be content in difficult times if you are thinking noble thoughts that line up with the will of God. You can have peace in the midst of trial or persecution.

Here he is again:

Philippians 1:21 CEV

21 If I live, it will be for Christ, and if I die, I will gain even more.

His dream was to live a life for Christ. Is there any bigger dream?

We have dreams of comfort, nice homes, cars, health, and many other earthly focused dreams, but what about a life lived for Christ?

Noble thoughts and dreams are focused on living for Christ. It’s the only thing that will last for eternity.

Can we say what Paul says:

Philippians 2:17 (NLT)

17 But I will rejoice even if I lose my life, pouring it out like a liquid offering to God, just like your faithful service is an offering to God. And I want all of you to share that joy.

His circumstances didn’t change his dream because his dream went beyond his circumstance.

Get your mind on what matters. Noble thoughts include the gospel. It’s the best thing we can think about in our daily lives. It’s what matters the most. It’s the most noble thought you can have.

Matthew 6:33 (CEV)

33 But more than anything else, put God’s work first and do what he wants. Then the other things will be yours as well.

That’s how you walk in your dreams. God will do great and mighty things through us if our thoughts are focused on His work.

When you are dreaming about the future you need to remember something very important. You can’t plan the future. James 4:14 tells us that this life is like a mist. It’s only temporary.

People get so disappointed when things don’t turn out like they planned.

What you CAN plan is the future YOU. Focus your thoughts on your character. Our character is changed when we change what we are thinking about all the time.

You’ll never accomplish your dreams if you don’t make a plan to accomplish something IN you. It starts by keeping on mind on things that are noble or worthy.

We need to stop wasting our time thinking on things that aren’t worthy. What dream has God placed in you? You can’t plan how it’s going to happen, but you can focus on what you’re thinking on while God is working out the details.

Your Thoughts are for Hope

There was once a missionary couple named Robert and Mary Moffat. For 10 years this couple labored faithfully in Botswana without one ray of encouragement to brighten their way. They could not report a single convert. Finally the directors of their mission board began to question the wisdom of continuing the work. The thought of leaving their post, however, brought great grief to this devoted couple, for they felt sure that God was in their labors, and that they would see people turn to Christ in due season.

They kept thinking and believing God was going to do something great. It was their dream to reach people in that country.

They stayed; for years. Circumstances told them to give up, but their minds were focused, they had a dream that was so big God would have to be involved, and they were determined to get the job done.

One day a friend in England sent word to the Moffats that he wanted to mail them a gift and asked what they would like. Trusting that in time the Lord would bless their work, Mrs. Moffat replied, “Send us a communion set; I am sure it will soon be needed.” God honored that dear woman’s faith.

The Holy Spirit moved upon the hearts of the villagers, and soon a little group of six converts was united to form the first Christian church in that land. The communion set from England was delayed in the mail; but on the very day before the first commemoration of the Lord’s super in Botswana, the set arrived.

Our thoughts need to be focused on what God can do and NOT what we can do. Have faith KNOWING that He can make the impossible possible. His timing isn’t easy to follow, but if you focus on Him we will have peace.

When you focus on what is noble you will have peace in your heart because you have hope that God knows what He is doing.

This means you’ll never give up. You’ll trust Him even in the darkest days when you feel like giving up.

I think about Jesus praying to His Father in heaven:

Mark 14:35–36 (CEV)

35 Jesus walked on a little way. Then he knelt down on the ground and prayed, “Father, if it is possible, don’t let this happen to me! Father, you can do anything. Don’t make me suffer by having me drink from this cup. But do what you want, and not what I want.”

Jesus’ thoughts were noble. They were pure. They focused on what was worthy. He said it…Father, you can do anything.

Listen, God CAN DO ANYTHING. And sometimes anything does not include giving us exactly what we want. Sometimes we have to trust in Him through difficult times. We must fix our minds on what is worthy.

He is worthy.

His will is worthy. We need to prayer like Jesus prayed…do what you want, and not what I want.

Noble thoughts will start and end with: Father, do what YOU want and not what I want.

Noble thoughts allow God to get things done in and through our lives. We are his vessels to fill and pour out as He sees fit.

We have hope because, through everything, we have the promise of peace that will last for eternity. When you’re going through a storm remember that even if that storm over takes you that you have the hope of glory.

The entire book of Philippians is a powerful book that shows us how important our thoughts are in our christian walk.

Remember the outline of the entire book. A single mind focused on the gospel, a submitted mind devoted to loving others, a spiritual mind focused on running the race, and a secure mind that has the peace of God because we know God is with us.

If we are walking in that peace we will keep our minds on what is noble, pure, and worthy.

This week I encourage you to do three things that will help you have sanctified thoughts:

1) Tell your thoughts who’s boss - open the Bible and start finding out what God says about you and your situation. Stand on those things.

2) Dream bigger - ask God to reveal His plan to use you to do His work. Make His work the most important thing in your life.

3) Don’t lose hope - God has not left you. He’s got you right in the palm of His hand. Set your mind on Him and trust Him to get you through the way He sees fit.

This week:

Tell your thoughts who’s boss

Dream bigger

Don’t lose hope