Years ago, our ministry team was invited to lead worship at a women’s conference in Bandera, TX. I was their guest speaker as well. After leading worship, I made my way from the piano to the podium. I opened up my Bible with one hand and with the other I was holding a microphone. Some of you may “lick” your finger when you go to turn a page in a book and some of you may consider that gross! Well, I am one of those finger-licking page-turners. I think it is a result of eating lots of Kentucky Fried Chicken when I was a kid.…you know…it is “finger-licking” good! So, I am standing in front of a room full of people who are patiently waiting for me to share my message. When I started to turn to the passage of scripture I was going to minister from, everything went awry! Somehow, I got the signals mixed up in my brain. I licked the microphone I was holding which had the thick black spongy foam cover on it, instead of my finger! I really licked it; I mean like a lollipop! And let me say, that foam cover tasted like, well, a thick black spongy foam cover! Yuck! I stood there stunned, trying to digest, no pun intended, what I had just done! What happened next was nothing short of pandemonium.
I quietly stood there for several seconds, which seemed like an eternity. Everyone had a look of shock and was staring at me. I looked back at my ministry team who were all seated on the back row. I found out later that they were whispering, “did she just do what I think she just did? Did she just lick the MICROPHONE?” They were trying not to burst into laughter. They looked like they were going to pass out from trying to hold it in.
I did the only thing I could do. I calmly said, “Well, I can’t stand here and pretend that I did not just lick the microphone!” It was all over then. Everybody in the building began to giggle, belly-laugh and I think I even saw a few people laugh so hard they were crying. It was quite a sight to behold. The roar of the laughter was almost deafening. Then…I began to laugh, I mean really, really laugh! It took probably 10 minutes before I could get control of the service back! Needless to say, I had made an impact on those people! Wasn’t exactly what I had in mind though. But I sure provided them with some good, clean entertainment they would probably not soon forget. I am sure they told their friends all about it. I absolutely do not remember the message I preached but I sure enough remember that day! Of course, my team would regale anyone who would listen about the time “Lou” licked the microphone, along with countless other stories of my unplanned antics while I am standing before a crowd of people. Don’t know why things like that happen to me… I don’t mean to do crazy things, especially in front of a large gathering but it somehow just happens!
So, the next morning our team led worship for the church we were attending. We always arrived an hour early to practice. I again made my way to the keyboard and guess what was laying on top? Go on, guess…you got it. It was a very colorful lollipop as big as your head with a note that said something along the lines of, “Don’t lick the microphone!” My friend Dawn who is now the office administrator for Louada Raschke Ministries was the culprit. Yep, that’s the kind of friends I have.
You ask, “why did Louada share this story? It is isn’t very spiritually deep.” I am so glad you asked!!! You see, sometimes we get our wires crossed in our thinking. It may be as harmless, though embarrassing, as licking a microphone in front of a crowd of people or it could be something that is serious and life changing. It is crucial that we check our thoughts against what the Word of God says about every aspect of life and circumstances. We need to make sure that what we are thinking about is THE TRUTH, THE WHOLE TRUTH and nothing but THE Truth, so help us God!
Proverbs 23:7 says, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” We become what we constantly think and dwell on, so be careful where you let you your thoughts go. Where your thoughts go your life follows. God has equipped us with a very powerful ability to think and reason and become. Our mind is truly amazing! We have not even begun to understand all of our brain’s potential.
Check yourself. Check your thoughts. This is not just a think positive, glass half-full or half-empty slogan kind of thing. It is a Biblical principle thing. Are your thoughts producing the fruit you want? The emotions you want? Every emotion has a thought connected to it. If your thoughts are producing an unwanted harvest, change your thoughts! What? You can change your thoughts and mind? Yes, yes you can! That is so liberating to me. I hear people say, “I can’t stop thinking about this.” I understand, I have struggled with that before too, but there is a solution.
2 Cor. 10:5-6 states, “…casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” My friend, you can actually bring every thought into captivity. No matter what it is or how long you have thought about it, those thoughts can be stopped. You can cast down those unhealthy, undesirable patterns of thinking. You can arrest those rebellious, sinful, run-away thoughts. Those fearful, angry, sad, hopeless, worried, anxious, depressed thoughts. That’s good news! Every crossed-wire in your brain can be un-crossed. Every warped thought and belief can be made straight by the Truth of God’s Word. It is not as hard as you may “think” it is!
Joyce Meyer gave an illustration years ago. She told those attending the conference to “start counting out loud to 10.” They began to count… 1, 2, 3, 4…she then said, “now say your name.” Without fail, everyone immediately stopped counting and said their name out loud. That is just how easy it is to change your thoughts! You can think what you what to think. You can change your mind anytime you want to! You are not trapped and imprisoned by your thoughts or the ensuing emotions attached to them. You are responsible and in charge of your own thoughts!!! You have been given power by God over your thought life! You can’t help what other people think but you have the say so about what is going on inside of your own head! Isn’t that good news?
How does that happen though? We are instructed in Romans 12:2 to “not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” We are not supposed to think like the world thinks but rather like God thinks…and we can! Our mind can be RENEWED! How about that? A New Mind! Wow!
We have the God-given ability to exchange our old patterns of thinking for the pattern laid out for us in Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, THINK ON THESE THINGS.”
I absolutely love that verse. It is clear, concise, easy to understand and follow! God actually spells out what we are to think about! He gives us the protocol for healthy thinking! I like biblical principles that are very simple and practical. I made a short video a couple of years ago called “Watcha thinkin’ about?”: https://fb.watch/cdWy0Kv-ys/ It was based on Philippians 4:8. I talked about it being a sifter for our thoughts. If what you are thinking about can’t pass through the criteria of Philippians 4:8 then chunk it out! Cast it down. It used to be common practice to sift your flour in one of those old-fashioned hand-cranked metal sifters with a fine mesh on the bottom. Passing the flour through the sifter would ensure that you did not have bugs, rocks or any unwanted debris of any kind in your flour. Otherwise, that stuff could end up in your cake! That certainly does not sound appetizing!
Let’s get the bugs out, the debris out. Un-cross those wires! Exchange the unwanted thoughts and attached emotions for what is true, honest, just, pure, lovely and of good report, virtue and praise. Think on those things because as a “Man thinks in his heart so is he!”
And oh, by the way, never, under any circumstances lick a microphone! Take my word for it! 🙃