Planet Earth currently sustains nearly eight billion people, each of which has different hopes, desires, dreams, and thoughts. Each one reasons that he or she can determine right from wrong. Every day, humans collectively process trillions or quadrillions of thoughts—or more!-some upright and virtuous, others evil and worthless.

In today's world, many believe that almost every human thought is within bounds. Many psychologists claim fantasizing evil is acceptable, as it helps to rid the mind of hostility. They say, just because a person dislikes another and imagines doing their "enemy" harm, it is not necessarily evil. What hogwash! Our society's "experts" on the human mind reveal their ignorance. Jesus teaches:

What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, and evil eye, blasphemy, pride foolishness. All these evil things come from within a defile a man. (Mark 7:20-23)

A person will turn in the direction his thoughts lead him. Being so susceptible to false and evil thoughts, our minds jump from one sinful thought to another in milliseconds, and we are often oblivious to it. Every day, we experience various situations that cause our thoughts to race along such perilous paths. Our reactions in these situations reflect what is truly on our minds. Jesus says:

A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart [from what fills his heart, New English Translation] his mouth speaks. (Luke 6:45)

If we desire to live as Christ does, we need to seize control of our thoughts. We can use these three things to help us do this:

First, we need to maintain our health. The body and mind are connected, so our physical condition influences our mental state. If we feel poorly, we tend to think more about ourselves and our pain, causing our minds and thoughts to wander in a negative direction. We must gain control over them before we proceed down that road any farther. Herophilus, a Greek physician, wrote, "When health is absent, wisdom cannot reveal itself, art cannot become manifest, strength cannot be exerted, wealth is useless, and reason is powerless."

So, we need to act, beginning with maintaining our physical bodies. Eating right and getting moderate exercise contribute to our overall well-being. Through regular exercise, oxygen flows through our bloodstream, reaching all organs and extremities, particularly the brain. It releases endorphins, making us feel good and positive, which will lead to more uplifting thoughts. Solomon writes about this principle in Proverbs 16:24: "Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones." And what are thoughts but internal words?

Second, the apostle Paul advises us to control what we let into our minds. Notice II Corinthians 10:5: ". . . casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ."

Visualizing our minds surrounded by a massive, high-walled fortress may help. As its gatekeeper, we must inspect every thought before allowing it to pass into the mind. Each idea or thought must stop at the gate, giving us the opportunity to ask, "Is this a proper thought?" "Is it beneficial and positive?" "Is this a thought we can capture and use under ‘the obedience of Christ'?" If so, we can allow it to pass into the inner court of the fortress and thence into our minds. But if not, we can terminate it right there, before it can do any damage.

Consider the passage in which this verse appears in The Amplified Bible, Classic Edition:

For though we walk (live) in the flesh, we are not carrying on our warfare according to the flesh and using mere human weapons. For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds, [inasmuch as we] refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) . . . (II Corinthians 10:3-5)

By casting down perverse, evil, immoral, and destructive thoughts, allowing only appropriate ones into our minds, we are acting, which is a choice. In making this choice, we show our obedience and commitment to God and to developing Christ's mind in us. That is how character is produced. We also strengthen the habit of following Christ's example.

Peter says a similar thing in I Peter 1:13: "Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." If we practice these principles, we can look forward to success—victory and honor in the Kingdom of God.

Third, avoid negative-thinking people, who can have a detrimental effect on us. They do not know God and will lead us down dangerous paths. Ultimately, they will hate and persecute those who do not run down such paths with them. Peter writes in I Peter 4:4, ". . . they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you."

If we cannot avoid them, we can contend with such individuals by mentally zipping ourselves into a protective, positive enclosure when we see them approach. We cannot allow their negativity to affect us, but at the same time, we must radiate positivity. It may be as simple as a smile and a cheerful greeting. It is our job to set the course of the encounter, and we begin by ensuring our attitude is positive. This Christ-like attitude lets us don the whole armor of God and so withstand evil (Ephesians 6:11-13).

In Philippians 4:8, Paul tells us what kind of thoughts should reside in our minds:

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.

There are no benefits, no profitable conclusions, for allowing the wrong thoughts and ideas into our minds. They just work to separate us from the positive power of God. So, Scripture urges us to study deeply into God's Word, meditate on it all day long, and pray always so that it will produce godly discernment and wisdom in us. As Paul writes in Colossians 3:16, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom." In this way, we can succeed in controlling our thoughts.