There is no more powerful, personal, and inward influence upon our lives than our own thought life, our inner voice. We rarely admit the impact of our thoughts on our lives. Yet when we hear the witness of Scripture about its power, we are surprised. The Bible plainly says two things that are critical to our lives as disciples recorded in Proverbs 18:14 & 15,
“14 The human spirit can endure a sick body, but who can bear a crushed spirit?”
A troubled spirit, meaning a troubled or disturbed mind resulting in a disrupted or dysfunctional imagination, is a sure means to dysfunctional living. We are prone to self-destruction and in danger of destroying others when our thought life or spirit is crushed.
The key to a thought life that looks forward, plans, and works toward the future is hope. When the spirit of hope is crushed, then life is all but destroyed, because self-destruction will soon follow. When my behaviors dramatically change, one must always look at the thought process and not the actions. Like a swollen lymph node is evidence of some infection in the body, self-destruction or dangerous behaviors are symptoms of a deeper problem that has impacted the spirit/mind/thought life. Notice, the above text says when hope sustains your spirit, then your thought life is progressive and can endure virtually any physical condition. The Good News Translation interprets the passage like this,
14 Your will to live can sustain you when you are sick, but if you lose it, your last hope is gone.”
When we see the value and power of hope in human life, then we know the importance of faith. We learn that to pollute our spirit with destructive thoughts injected by others may prove deadly to us.
There is a second great truth related in verse 15 which says,
“15 Intelligent people are always ready to learn. Their ears are open for knowledge.”
The Scripture instructs us that there is a way to maintain and develop a healthy Spirit, and that is through seeking out the right kind of information, the proper nourishment for a healthy, hopeful spirit, and, therefore, a positive and productive thought-life. The responsibility for maintaining this quality of thought-life rests squarely upon each of our shoulders.