Dwelling Places
All of us have places we go in our mind - places made familiar because we have been there so many times. For some it is a place of peace; a quiet retreat from a busy world. For many however, the dwelling place within their own mind is a slum of regrets or an abode of shame. For some, their dwelling has become a dungeon of torment and despair.
These houses of thoughts have been built strong through the repetition of thought, the strength of accusation and the emotions of the heart. We never intended to build such homes to dwell in. We simply failed to realise that the thoughts of our mind form the dwelling of our heart and become the architects of our future.
Where do we dwell within the confines of our own heart? What houses of loneliness and despair have we constructed within the unseen realm? Regardless of whether they have been built through thoughts of resent, self-hatred, depression or anger, what matters most is that we have made these places our home. It is here that we live within the deep recesses of our own soul.
If this has indeed been your home, then it is time to serve yourself an eviction notice. Cast yourself out of your former home. Put a trespass notice on the door. Then the next time your thoughts go where they should not go, tell yourself, “I don’t belong here. This is not my home!” Don’t let your mind take you places, that you do not want to live. Learn to disown thoughts before they become the walls of your home and the declaration of your destiny.
David declared, “How lovely is Your dwelling place. My soul longs for the courts of the Lord” (Psalm 84:1,2). Our dwelling place is with Him. Our soul longs to live within the peace of His presence. When we live elsewhere, we become like restless tramps, finding shelter in the latest thought and fancy that passes through our mind.
What we entertain, we become. What we dwell on, we live in. The Apostle Paul tells us to take heed how [we] build (1 Corinthians 3:10). To take heed is to regard. It means to take notice and consider. We need to consider well, the fortresses we are building. Our castle of thoughts becomes the home where we dwell, determines the company we keep and the future we will live.
