The Power of Suggestion & Walking in Truth

2nd Corinthians chapter 10 contains some powerful principles for training our minds to think Godly:
4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 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,

The enemy, through deception and the power of negative suggestion, can hold us in bondage and cloud our thinking, keeping us walking in a position less than what Christ has called us to.  He doesn't want us to know that we have authority over the negative thoughts of fear, guilt, and shame that would entrap us and enslave us.  God wants to set us free, and if we are meditating on who we are in Christ and what He has given to us, and rely on His power and His presence with us daily, then we will experience the abundant life He has in store for us.  We can do that by rejecting the enemy's power of negative suggestion and take God at His Word, placing the Scriptures in our consciousness.

In 1st Peter 1, the author encourages us to be sober-minded, sharp and grounded in the principles of God's Word:
(13) 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; 14 as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; 15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy."

"I’ve heard you can find comfort in Jesus but you’ve found Jesus in Comfort!”  That's what one of Martin Andrews' co-workers said when he showed him a bizarre picture.  According to The Inquisitr, Martin claims to have seen Jesus when he accidentally spilled the fabric softener on his T-shirt.  He says that the image presumably shows Jesus with his arms outstretched.    Of course, you do have to turn the shirt upside down to really see this image.

I still have no idea what anyone would report on this.   Even the writer of the articles admits that Andrews' claim is weak, and notes that, "The power of suggestion helps the eye see the Son of God in the stain, but this writer wouldn’t immediately have identified the discolored blob as Jesus Christ."

If you just looked at a picture of the shirt, without any knowledge of Andrews' claim, I don't think that you would come to the same conclusion as Martin did.   But, I do think there is a predisposition here, as we find in the cases of these periodic reports of Jesus or pictures of Jesus appearing here, there, and everywhere.

We know that the power of suggestion can be very compelling, and can even govern the way we live our lives and respond to circumstances.   This is how fear and worry operate - we plant or receive a thought into our minds, it sounds legitimate, we embrace it, and eventually we are fraught with anxiety because of what could happen.   And, most of what we worry about never comes to pass. 

That power also works in the area of identity - if we allow guilt, shame, or pain to operate in our minds, and we allow bitterness or unforgiveness into our thinking, we will act in a manner that contradicts our true identity in Christ.

The power of suggestion can be strong for our good, as well.   If we are meditating on God's Word and allowing His Word and His ways to shape our thinking, then our lives are all the better for it - we get a greater sense of His presence, we recognize who He has made us to be, and we are able to repel destructive thoughts and pull down strongholds.   The mind is powerful, and the thief who comes to steal, kill, and destroy will attempt to lure us to make choices inconsistent with our solid position in Christ.   God desires for His principles to drive our thinking and the choices we make, so that we abide in Christ moment by moment.