By Benescke Janse van Rensburg

In India, a train recently left a station. Only when it was about 13km away, the station master realized that the train left without a driver. He immediately jumped on his scooter and drove towards the train. When he got there, he took a "James Bond" jump from his scooter into the control cabin of the train. Luckily, he could take charge before any incidents occurred and drive it safely to the next station.

Without a train driver, the train could have takenany route - with catastrophic consequences. Likewise, if we do not take control of our thoughts (especially fearful thoughts), it can also have bad consequences. Fear paralyses us. It is the enemy of faith in God. It consumes us, makes us negative and lets us forget about everything we can still be grateful for. It becomes all we think of and speak about.

At various places in the Word we read that we must take control of our thoughts. In Romans 12: 2, it is written, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” In 2 Corinthians 10: 4-5 we read: “We use the things God gives to fight with and they have power. . . We break down every thought and proud thing that puts itself up against the wisdom of God. We take hold of every thought and make it obey Christ.” To check and control our thoughts is one of the most powerful weapons in our fight against the enemy. What should we focus on? In Philippians 4: 8 we read: “. . . keep your minds thinking about whatever is true, whatever is respected, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever can be loved, and whatever is well thought of.”

What crisis are you facing today? Are you scared that you will have to grow old alone one day? Are you afraid that you might not be able to provide for your family? Are there rumors of retrenchments in your company? Are you afraid that your marriage might end in a divorce? Or are you perhaps worried about your own or your loved one's safety?

Although all the above mentioned crises are real, we still have a choice of how we will respond to it. Do we allow our thoughts to go wild like the unmanned train? Or do we make an effort to, like the station master, take that leap of faith, jumping into the control cabin in order to take our thoughtscaptive and bringing it under the obedience of Christ? Fear and Faith. That is our choice today. What will your choice be? God bless. 

Father God, thank you for being with me through your Holy Spirit. Please guide me not to stare too long at the "what if" so that I forget that You still have the last say in every situation. I ask this in the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

• See a photo of the station master on the train he stopped at www.benescke.co.za

• Feedback: What fears have a hold on you? What do you want to read? Let me know at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. I would like to hear from you. Benescke