Think About What You Think About: A Higher Calling to Life

By Steven W. Ingram

The goal of Christian living is to be in the world but not of the world. We all wish to live in the yacht, separated from turmoil.

Steven W. Ingram, who has spent forty-six years in ministry, emphasizes that to enjoy such a life, we must understand our thoughts are powerful, prioritize them, keep them positive, and let God tell us what positive is. Finally, we must control our thoughts and be obedient to Jesus.

The author seeks to answer questions such as:
· How can our thoughts drive and direct us?
· Why does God allow sin to be an option?
· How is Christianity like a new frontier?

He also explores the destructive power of rejecting God, why we must avoid darkness as much as we can, the refreshing power of right thinking, and how the definition of the truth has changed over time.

Join the author as he explores what it means to be a better Christian in Think About What You Think About.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jun 20, 2023
• ISBN: 9781664261716

Steven W. Ingram

Steve has 46 years of ministry experience. He uses humor with a point to drive home the important points. He uses his experiences to show how personal and how doable God’s will is for us all. He wants the word of God to be un-derstood and put into practice in the individual Christian life. Being a Christian is about going to church bur about becoming more like Jesus.

Book preview

Copyright © 2023 Steven W. Ingram.

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of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

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Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible, New International

Version® NIV® Copyright © 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica,

Inc. TM. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

ISBN: 978-1-6642-6170-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-6172-3 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-6171-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022905708

WestBow Press rev. date: 05/26/2023

Contents

Acknowledgements

Preface

Chapter 1     Thinking

Part 1:   Think about what you think about

Chapter 2     The Devastating Power of Futile Thinking

Chapter 3     The Incredible Power of Free Will

Chapter 4     The Destrctive Power of Continued Rejection of God

Chapter 5     The Refreshing Power of Right Thinking

Chapter 6     A Song That Says it All

Part 2:   Think about making your thoughts your priority

Chapter 7     The Awesome Task of Thought Control

Chapter 8     A Southern Gospel Song that Tells Us the First Step

Part 3:   Think about becoming a ‘positive’ person

Chapter 9     The Incredible Power of Positive Thinking

Chapter 10   A love song

Part 4:   Think about the POSSIBILITIES

Chapter 11   Imagine the Possibilities

Chapter 12   Because

Conclusion

Chapter 13   Higher Ground

Acknowledgements

Grateful to God and praise Him

from whom all blessings flow!

Thanks also to Jerry and Jeanne for

helping in advising and proof reading,

my work needs a bunch of it.

Carla, my wife, and her patience with

my time on projects like this.

Many people have encouraged me to

write, it is a humbling pleasure when

people are encouraged by my words.

Preface

I am convinced the Bible is power for living. It is not simply to be read but understood and applied to our lives. This writing is an attempt to help us do just that- apply it to our lives! I am getting old and running out of energy. So, from my den, computer and my soft and easy chair I write with this in mind.

Perhaps the greatest sin in the world is to read the Bible and not understand what you have read. So, I write with simplicity. Some think that is because I am a simple man, they are probably right.

It has been said that we are all in the same boat and it is sinking. Well, let me adjust that phrase a bit. We are not in the same boat, but different boats. We are in the same storm, the storm of life. Some go through life and its’ storms in a yacht, some in a canoe and some are on their own, treading water and swimming, just doing everything to keep their heads above water.

Of course, we all prefer the yacht, the storm could even be fun from a yacht. The canoe requires skill to navigate in troubled waters. While all by yourself on the waters in a storm, well that seems impossible.

Using this illustration as an example of Christian living, I see three types of Christians. We all live in the same world but navigating our lives from three different vantage points. This is about our Christian lives.

The three boats are different levels of Christian understanding and application of God’s word to our lives. The waters with varying storms are where we all live, but we have three different ways to navigate the storm. You may think that we are in the same boat, but because we individually differ in how we appropriate God’s power for living, we are not experiencing the same outcome. It is the same storm, but our response to the storm is different.

The goal of Christian living is to be in the world but not of the world. We all know that is easier said than done. We all wish to live in the yacht, separated from the waters (world) and above waves and turmoil.

The canoe has separation from the water, but not much. From the canoe one must deal directly with the waves with nothing but an oar and a thin piece of wood or some type of material that separates us the world. It is likely a person will get wet in the canoe. That is, the world will get all over you in a canoe.

So, pity the poor guy who has no separation from the world (waters). He is covered with the world. Most likely not a dry spot on him. He is saturated with the world. His chances of survival seem unlikely.

Living in the world and not of the world seems impossible unless you are in the yacht. The Bible is our instruction to live in the yacht. For those who read it but never understand it or apply it to their lives, at best will spend your days in the spiritual canoe. If the world has anything to say about it, you won’t even have the benefit of a canoe. It will be just you and the water. You know you need help, help is available, but you don’t understand it or apply it.

This book is my attempt to help us common folk, understand and put into action a plan to get us above the fracas of this world. If we can learn to ‘think about what we think about’ you are on your way to the yacht! I have taken four passages of scripture that focus on our thoughts. I want to give you directions for your thoughts to lead to the better place in life (yacht).

Here is a summary of the book. We must understand that our thoughts are powerful! Then, our thoughts need to be prioritized. Next our thoughts are to turn positive. Let God tell you what positive is. Finally, we realize the possibility of ‘yacht’ living, as we have our thoughts being obedient to