I was walking out the door of my classroom Friday when a thought popped in my head. I wonder if that book I need to read for class Monday is on my shelf? I went over to look, and sure enough, it was there. Happy (and a bit amazed) that I had realized it at the last minute, I grabbed the book and stuck it in my bag before I headed home, thankful that I wouldn’t have to drive back across town to pick up the forgotten book over the weekend.

Where had that thought come from? Where do any thoughts come from?

Many neuroscientists today attribute our thoughts to a complex firing of hundreds of thousands of neurons in our brains. But it really can’t be proven how thoughts are formulated. ARE our brains the source of our thoughts? 

Or could they perhaps just be the processing centers?

According to the Bible, thoughts don’t simply originate from chemicals reacting in our heads. We are much more than just our brains. 

Proverbs 4:23 says, “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”

In Matthew 15:19 Jesus said, “Out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.”

Many times throughout the Bible we see verses referring to “the heart.” These verses are not referring to the organ that pumps blood throughout our body. We are made in the image of God, and that image involves a “heart.” This “heart” represents the “center of human emotion, thought, and will.” (biblehub.com)

When we believe in Christ as our Savior, we are given the gift of a guide, the Holy Spirit, to dwell in our hearts. 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 says, “And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put His seal on us and given us His Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.”

How incredible that the Spirit of God lives within our hearts and is working there to help us! Who knows how many of our seemingly random thoughts are actually a direct result of Him leading us.

God, thank you that Your Holy Spirit is living and active in my heart. Please work within me, direct my mind, guide my thoughts, lead my soul in the paths of righteousness for your name’s sake.