Battle in the Mind

If one is seeking to reform their thought life, where does one begin? How does one do it?

If there are thought patterns that make me cringe when Im looking into the eyes of my Creator, when I look upon His holiness and His righteousness in His Word, then what can I do about it?
How can I defame God by thinking of things that are so worthless and unholy in His sight and then think about Him?

Are we destined to accept failure? Is it acceptable to chalk it up to: "its just human nature; there is nothing I can do about it?"

Or should we choose to think more about God?

What do I mean by think more about God? Like a greater quantity or a greater quality? Both.

First of all, we could work on quality. Pick up a copy of Tozer's Knowledge of the Holy. Then, think about the characteristics of Who God is (His Attributes). Or Pick up a Basic Theology book like: The Faith Once for All by Jack Cottrell. I know this ones a big book, but spend time on just reading and reflecting on God's attributes.

When you start contemplating things like eternity, like infinite love, infinite mercy, infinite holiness, unlimited power, the ability to be everywhere all the time, perfect justice, goodness, and grace, it is inevitable that the thought-life improve. Not to mention the prayer-life. After all, how we think about God matters.

After you exhaust some of God's attributes, you could study some of His primary works: Creation, Providence, and Redemption.

You could spend time studying God's providential work in every person's life all the time throughout history and forever and the wonder of it all.

Or you could spend time studying creation and how God created things out of nothing, that before anything was, God was. That God is totally immaterial and not even on the same plane as angels or other immaterial spirits.

Or you could spend time studying the God-Man Jesus Christ Himself and redemption. Equally human and equally divine. Able to sin and yet not ever choosing it. Sinless perfection choosing the Cross to infinitely cover the infinite punishment which sin calls for. Being God in the flesh only He could infinitely suffer to cover over all sin by one act of sacrifice.

Look, the better the quality one's thoughts of God are, the better the alternative of things to think about someone has. Unless our thoughts attempt to reach as far as our finite minds can reach when approaching God, we are probably not really thinking about God. Think about it, God is infinite and we are finite. By very definition of terms we are incapable of fully grasping something that is infinite by using a finite brain. But this very act gives us something truly worthy to contemplate that can help us not think about things which are truly not worthy.

If we wish to take away or change old thought patterns, you better have something better to fill it with. God is better.

Secondly, quantity matters. Regularity matters. You can't starve yourself of worthy contemplation or you will find something else to contemplate. If we aren't centered on God, we will center somewhere else.

It seems that if the quality of thoughts improves, the quantity won't be far behind. If the quality is better, watch out, you will find yourself enjoying entering into contemplation of God (Which is a form of prayer).