Don't let the trash pile up!

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we 

take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV)

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, 

and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of 

praise. (Philippians 4:8 NLT)

 

So I must confess that at times I can be a tad lazy when it comes to cleaning my home. This past holiday weekend

was filled with days of sleeping in and hanging with friends, so cleaning was NOT at the top of my list. 

By Monday, my kitchen sink and trash was piling high with leftovers. When I walked in my home, I was 

overwhelmed by the smell; something was in the trash with a strong scent. Ugh, “Gotta remember to take the trash

out”, I thought. However, the trash bag really wasn’t full and I have this thing where I feel like I'm wasting a trash 

bag if I throw it out and it's only half full. I'd rather it get to the "almost spilling over" top before taking it out so I 

know I got full use of the trash bag. Crazy, I know. Either way instead of immediately taking out the trash, even though 

it was a slight smell, I let 2 more days pile up, yep to the tip top, and then I finally took it out.

That same night, God spoke to me in my dreams. "That's how your mind works. You fill it with negative, ungodly and 

unpure thoughts which are like garbage, and just like the trash can, the more you pile on the stronger the smell. 

Pretty soon the scent can overpower your home, get in your clothes, then wherever you go the smell goes and you 

become a walking, talking garbage can. You put garbage in your mind then garbage will come out of you" 

After those two days of walking around with the trash smell, I almost got used to it; I knew it was in there smelling

 but my senses became numb to it. That’s the scary thing, when we allow ungodly, dirty and negative thoughts to pile 

up in the receptacle of our mind, we become numb to the effect they have on our life and others. Our mindset, attitude and 

even our talk can become filthy. Negativity and Ungodliness just becomes a way of life. Not good.

Through this revelation, I knew God was telling me to stop letting so many negative, ungodly and unpure thoughts pile 

up in my brain.  Instead he wanted me to immediately throw them out as soon as I recognized them to be wrong. Just like 

the trash.

2 Cor 10:5 directs us to take "captive" every thought and make it obedient to Christ. 

Captive means: to take under control or restrain.  

When these thoughts come on us we should take them under control to MAKE them more like Christ. 

If we think too long and hard about anything it can and will overtake us. So if it's anything we are going to focus on, it needs

to be on GOD and his promises.  "Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and 

admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise." (Philippians 4:8 NLT)

We may feel like we can’t control the thoughts that enter our mind, but we can overcome them by studying the word and 

committing his promises to memory. Read your bible daily, listen to worship music often and keep note cards with scriptures 

nearby. As soon as a negative thought comes quickly throw it out and replace it with a fresh thought from God. 

Whatever you do, just don't let the trash pile up :-)