Thought patterns have the power to affect our actions and consequently our legacy either for better or for worse depending on what thoughts we allow to flourish and what thoughts we take captive. We cannot control what facts come to us and what we can absorb, but we can however train ourselves to control how those facts affect us and the hope that we now have in Christ.

In 2 Corinthians 10:4-5, the apostle Paul says, "For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ."

We have control over our thoughts and what they do to us, and that control is actually more powerful than we think. Sometimes people can get caught in the misconception that we have no control over our minds and what goes on in them. But Galatians 5:22 reminds us that one of the facets of the fruit of the Spirit is self-control. It takes discipline no doubt, but God is faithful and builds us up in that discipline if we allow Him to.

It is vital that we maintain control over our thoughts. 1 Peter 4:7 tells us, "The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers." When we lose control of our thought patterns, we lose the battle in our minds and allow the devil to plant occasional lies and deceptions. One of the weapons Satan wants to use against us is our own thought life.

When trials come to us, we are faced with hard-pressing facts and the devil takes those facts and magnifies the problem and minimizes the hope that is in Christ. But a mind that has control over its thought patterns takes the problem as it is and takes the hope that is in Christ as it is. That's why it's important to keep our minds fixed on the hope of Christ and grow in that area more and more.

John 10:10 reminds us always that "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." In those times when the enemy is  trying to take a hold of your thought pattern and starts magnifying the problem, remember that his end goal is to destroy you and that because of who Jesus is and what He has done, we can have life and have it abundantly.

You have control over your thought life not only because of the God-given ability to control your thoughts, but also because of the availability of hope that we can always find in Christ if we simply tap into Him. In Matthew 11:28, Jesus says, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." We can hold on to Christ as our refuge from a destructive thought life when the world and the devil try to take a hold of it.