Thinking “As a Man Thinks So Is He”

Thinking

“As a Man Thinks So Is He”

“As a man thinks so is he”

This saying comes from Proverbs 23:7

It is the description of a man with an “evil eye”

This person may say one thing but in his heart he is thinking another

It is the person with ulterior motives

Be humble, know what God thinks about you, look into His heart

Remember people are what they think

So know what they are thinking, look into their heart

Jesus knew what people were thinking

We too should ask questions so we can know their heart

Because the heart is deceitful to us and others

Don’t be caught off guard by the evil eye

 “As a Man Thinks So Is He”

You have probably heard the saying…

“As a man thinks so is he”

This saying comes from Proverbs 23:7.

It is the description of

a man with an “evil eye”.

This person may say one thing

but in his heart he is thinking another.

It is the person with ulterior motives.

I heard a person in Hollywood say…

 “If you are a pretty person

you can get a job in Hollywood.”

The Lord gives Samuel some good

advice when looking for a leader.

“For the Lord sees not as man sees;

for man looks on the outward appearance,

but the Lord looks on the heart.”

1 Samuel 16:7 AMP

Jesus was a master at seeing the

heart, the thoughts of people…

Matthew 12:25

Jesus knew their thoughts…

Mark 2:8

 Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this

was what they were thinking in their hearts,…

Mark 12:15

But Jesus knew their hypocrisy…

Luke 5:22

Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked,

"Why are you thinking these things in your hearts?

Luke 6:8

But Jesus knew what they were thinking…

Luke 11:17

Jesus knew their thoughts…

Jesus knew that as a man thinks so is he.

Jesus knew that despite what people say,

what they are thinking does not always line up.

 John 2:24-25 NIV

 But Jesus would not entrust himself to them,

for he knew all men.

He did not need man's testimony about man,

for he knew what was in a man.

God made us so we need Him and each other.

When we look at God and others

we should be looking at the heart.

What are they thinking?

There are times people will do things

that seem to be done because they

love you and they probably do.

But later you realize they expected more

than thanks from your heart of gratitude…

What seemed to be a gift, had

as the Bible says, an “evil eye”.

There were motives of selfishness,

 greed, etc. in their thinking.

 

Jesus, because He knew what was in the heart,

the thoughts of people,

did not entrust Himself to them.

This did not mean Jesus was not a giver…

He was even to the point of dying

for the ones who killed him.

Jesus never put Himself in a

place of needing man’s testimony.

He stood on His own merit and testimony.

No one owned Jesus.

 He never put Himself in a

place of someone else’s control.

 One of the best ways you and I can protect

our self from ulterior motives is to ask questions.

In the bio of Dr. Leana Wen President

of Planned Parenthood, the web site states…

“She is an immigrant, a practicing ER doctor,

a public health leader, and a passionate

advocate for reproductive health and rights.”

This is a powerful statement that all should

agree with until you ask her what do you mean…

 “a passionate advocate for reproductive health and rights”?

She would tell you a mother

has a right over her body.

But…

 What she is saying is a mother has

the right to kill her baby if she

does not want to be pregnant.

All the time people say things we agree with.

 But if we took the time to ask…

 What do they mean,

 we might find we do not agree.

 

Listening to the news we hear a

lot of words we would agree with,

but the motive puts us in disagreement.

The truth be known…

 We all have an “evil eye”.

 None of us are perfect.

 And we don’t always realize

we have ulterior motives.

But greed, lust, envy, pride, jealousy,

etc. affect our thinking, our heart.

It is important that we examine

our heart and the heart of others…

Because the heart is deceitfully wicked.

The heart has an evil eye

because it is deceitful.

But the heart can also be a

loving and wonderful thing.

The problem is it is a mixture.

Jesus lived in confidence although He loved

man, he did not entrust Himself to man.

John 13:3-5 NIV

Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.     

When you and I know the power

the Father has put into our hands,

we too, will be like Jesus who humbled

Himself and washed the feet of others.

 Be humble.

 Know what God thinks about you.

 Look into His heart.

Remember people are what they think…

 So know what they are thinking.

 Look into their heart.

 

Scripture Reading

Proverbs 23:6-7 AMP

6 Eat not the bread of him who has a hard, grudging, and envious eye, neither desire his dainty foods;

7 For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. As one who reckons, he says to you, eat and drink, yet his heart is not with you [but is grudging the cost].

Proverbs 23:6-8 NIV

6 Do not eat the food of a stingy man,

do not crave his delicacies;

7 for he is the kind of man

who is always thinking about the cost.

"Eat and drink," he says to you,

but his heart is not with you.

8 You will vomit up the little you have eaten

and will have wasted your compliments.

John 2:24-25 NIV

 24 But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. 25 He did not need man's testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man.

John 13:3-5 NIV

3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.