Today was checkbook checkup day at our house. My husband and I try to sit and discuss finances at least twice a year. What we have found in our household is that if we sit down periodically and re-evaluate our current financial situation, it often leads to quickly correcting errors that may have occurred or preventing issues that have a way of creeping in unnoticed during our busy lives and eating away at our budget. The same is true about my mind. From time to time I am in need of a checkup about the thoughts that I am allowing to linger through the segments of my days. I certainly can’t stop these thoughts from occurring, but what I can and should do is recognize the need to defeat them before they cause irreparable harm. In 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, the Bible says “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” By not allowing certain types of thoughts that enter my mind to continue to develop into full blown wondering, desire and then action, I am practicing a very simple biblical principle that is absolutely necessary for preventing such thoughts from taking hold. When dealing with ideas that are not productive, you will find that it is not only necessary to take captive those thoughts that are not pleasing, but to replace them with productive ones as well. “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things” (Philippians 4:8 NIV). Just as it is essential to keep a tight rein on where your money is being spent, so too is the necessity of an uncluttered mind that is headed in the direction that God intended it to be all along - thoughts that are pleasing, which produce words that are useful, which in turn yields actions that are beneficial to living a joyful, productive God centered life. “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:2).