Adam and Eve have children. Two of their children are brothers named Cain and Abel. Cain and Abel have grown up outside of the garden of Eden, but God is still their father. They speak with Him. He has taught them about offering to God. They needed to offer blood. Why blood? Jesus was slain from the foundation of the world. It has always been the blood that would clean us from sin.

Adam and Eve try to cover themselves with leaves. God kills an animal to get its skin to cover them. Their sin is covered by the blood.

Cain is a farmer. Abel is a shepherd. Cain brings an offering of some of his fruit. Abel brings the fat of some of his firstborn flock. Abel offered blood. His sin was covered. God is pleased with Abel’s offering. Cain is mad about it. God says sin is waiting to get Cain. God encourages him to do it right and find acceptance.

Instead of looking to himself and repenting, changing his ways, he turns and blames his problems on Abel, focusing his anger on his brother. God warns Cain that sin is waiting like a lion ready to pounce. He tells Cain that he doesn’t have to give in to the thoughts, that he can conquer them.

Believers NEVER have to sin. We always have a choice, and we should always choose God and His ways. Cain chose himself, his feelings, his thoughts. He sins and kills his brother.

When Peter says that Jesus shouldn’t die, Jesus says to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan, for your thoughts are the thoughts of man, not of God.” There are thoughts of God and thoughts that we should respond to with “Get behind me, Satan.” There are only two categories.

We need to keep our minds on the things of God as we are commanded. We need to take other thoughts captive. One way to do that is to turn them into prayer and thanksgiving. The apostle Paul gives us a list of things to fix our thoughts on. It’s a choice we can make, an action we can take.

Philippians 4:8 says: Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise (NLT). Only Jesus fits this description. There is no good in us apart from what God put there. Let’s fix our eyes and thoughts on Jesus.