Manning Pastor Sam Livingston: What's on your mind?

We humans often react to the very things that are on our minds. Oftentimes, the motive associated with a crime is deemed premeditated. This means that the person invested a lot of thought into the process before he or she committed the crime. The person's thought pattern then overpowered reality, and the crime was committed. This is why it is so important to occupy our minds with the right stuff.

Basically everything the human does originates in the mind. We just don't pop up and do something; the action is first designed in our mind. How else can you do anything except your mind communicate with the members of your body to carry the thought out? The mind is the first domino in the chain of fallen pieces. If we can just get a person's mind clicking correctly, the problems in the world will be resolved. This is why mental health issues should be a high priority for all.

Mental health experts and law enforcement need to work together now more than ever before. Too many people with mental conditions are gunned down by law enforcement simply because the proper evaluation was not done for whatever reason. We can't blame law enforcement for all of it, however; the families of mentally disturbed patients must also be held accountable.

Let's walk through this. When we go to bed at night, our minds are already thinking about what we wish to accomplish the next day if we wake up. When we get up the next morning, we pick up on what we last thought about before we said, "Now you lay me down to sleep…" the night before. This particular time, while we are still in or near the bed, is the fulcrum point on the axis of good or evil. How we begin to think determines whether or not the dominos we erect will stand for the good of mankind or fall in the direction of evil. The book of wisdom has this to say, "If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself, or if thou hast thought evil, lay thine hand upon thy mouth." Proverbs 30:32

If evil thoughts are lurking in your mind, lock it up until you can thoroughly contain it through prayer. Cover your mouth like the writer said in Proverbs, or do whatever you have to do, but keep it contained until help arises. If for some reason you are not able to contain your evil thoughts, the dominos will began to fall, and we do not want that to happen. One evil thought can infect other minds, and those other minds can infect more minds. Out of one evil mind, an army of destructive militants can roam the land wreaking havoc. One person, Adolf Hitler, rose to power and created a destructive domino effect whereby some six million Jews were put to death, many buried alive. Hitler's thought pattern was transferred to those around him until his soldiers became numb to the shedding of blood and the screams of death. One untamed evil mind left alone can be devastating.

The prophet Isaiah relayed to the people and us today the key to good living. This key is very simple to apply; it's not some great mystery, riddle or puzzle to solve. In fact, it will work for anybody who will try it. We don't even have to speak the same language for it to work. If we do it correctly, the following is guaranteed to happen:

- Crime rates will decrease tremendously;

- Divorce rates will decrease;

- Wars will vanish;

- Wrongful court cases would not be needed;

- Natural disasters will be a thing of the past;

- Every bad thing will simply go away; and

- It will be like heaven on earth.

The answer can be found in the following passage.

"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee" (Isaiah 26:3).

Lord help us to find peace within ourselves. Amen!

Sam Livingston is pastor of Antioch Missionary Baptist Church in Manning.