Nineteen-year-old Liu Shih-Kun was an amazing pianist in China until the 1966 Cultural Revolution banned all things of Western influence. Refusing to renounce his beloved music, Liu was branded an enemy of the state and thrown into a tiny jail cell with no friends, no books, and even worse; no piano.
Six years later, for political reasons, he was asked to play in Beijing with the Philadelphia Orchestra. After years without an instrument to practice on, he performed brilliantly. Eighteen months later when he was finally released, he again played flawlessly.
His secret? Stripped of everything musical, for seven and a half years Liu disciplined himself to shut out negative thoughts and practice hour after hour on an imaginary piano.
What if you were in that position; all alone, the things you love taken away, would you find a positive focus or would you freak out and think of the worst thing that could happen?
Police shout 'Freeze!' when they want to stop a suspect and protect themselves. And you can freeze out harmful thinking by capturing every thought and making it "obedient to Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:5) Paul says, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against... the spiritual forces." (Ephesians 6:12) Your thoughts have power. To win over them, you must totally surrender to Jesus and control what you allow your mind to dwell on.
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