Battle of the Mind, Philippians 4:1-9
Yesterday we talked about the importance of taking all of our concerns and anxieties to God in prayer. Today we look specifically at verses 8-9. Our thought life is often our greatest enemy. Negativity, doubt, and a host of other thoughts can often flood our minds and we lose ground in our trust in the very God who is with us through it all.
Colossians 3:2 encourages us to "set our minds on things above, not on earthly things." So often an anxious thought, negative thought, or whatever comes and it is at that point that we have an opportunity to do the very thing our Scripture today is encouraging us to do--think differently!
The walk of faith is an exercise in disciplining our thought life. We need to replace the thoughts that bring us down with thoughts that lift us up and steer us toward a deeper trust in Christ. Think positive, think true, think pure thoughts, think right thoughts--whatever promotes love. If tempted to think negatively about a person or situation ask the Lord to help you to change your thoughts to something positive. This is not easy but it is necessary to gain victory in the battle of the mind. If you reflect on your life you can probably see where your thoughts either brought you down or lifted you up and encouraged you to trust in God more.
If we will do the needed work to walk out Philippians 4:1-9 we are assured that the God of peace will be with us!