“Shut the door!  You’re letting the flies in!”  It’s not even possible for me to guess how many times I have said this to my kids (even this summer already!   Flies are annoying and disgusting.

For 11 years of ministry, God allowed my husband and I to travel in evangelism.   One church we visited was in the beautiful state of Wyoming where the Pastor had a horse ranch.  The property was nestled at the base of a mountain range with a stream flowing beside it.  It was so beautiful that I remember thinking, “This is just a piece of Heaven!”  Because we had several children, Pastor brought the horses to a corral right up near the RV for the week.  It was so fun to see, touch, and feed them up close!

Guess what happened all week?  Tons of flies rested on our screen door just waiting for it to open and shut.  Unless we made an exit at lightning speed, the flies just zoomed in.  One evening at bedtime, an incredible number of buzzing, black flies had accumulated inside the RV! They were on the ceiling, the furniture, and everywhere!  I was not going to sleep with them inside, so we got out the vacuum cleaner!   Using the hose, we turned the situation into a game and began counting. We sucked up almost 100 flies!!!

At any given time, we all have some “flies” buzzing around in our minds.  Our thoughts during a day cannot be numbered, and yet, in 2 Corinthians 10:5 we are instructed to bring “into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ”.  All of our thoughts do not always please God.  We must ask ourselves, “What thoughts am I allowing to buzz around in my mind that are not pleasing to God?”  Consider these examples.  What if my child doesn’t follow after God?  I can’t believe that person treated me that way.  My husband doesn’t care about what’s important to me.  How long do we have to drive this old car?  My work at home doesn’t matter and I am not appreciated.  God isn’t answering my prayer.  Is your mind often consumed with worry, unthankfulness, fear, anxiety, doubt, or things that really aren’t true?  Wrong thinking can quickly become habitual and damaging to us spiritually, emotionally and even physically.  Even worse, what you think about can turn into words and actions, and that can damage others!

What do I do about the wrong things buzzing around in my head?  Ask God for His help!  The Holy Spirit will reveal wrong thinking and then immediately confess those thoughts to God.  Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, THINK on these things.”  We must CHOOSE to capture wrong thoughts and MEDITATE on truth from God’s Word.  And just like flies, when those thoughts buzz back in, make the same choice again and again to think on what is right!  Find specific verses to help you counter- act specific thoughts.  Think about God and how much He cares for you.  Finally, can you say “In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul”? (Psalm 94:19) Let’s allow God to be our delight and give us victory in our thinking!