The first line in a devotional I am working through today said, "The mind is not just a battlefield; it's also a garden. What you plant in it will grow."
How poignant is that? It actually goes along with the main message in my previous post. In it I said where you set your focus is where you'll find your heart. It's the same concept with your mind. Your thoughts are like seeds planted. If you plant negative thoughts, you will reap anxiety, doubt, fears. If you plant truth, you will reap peace, joy and clarity.
Philippians 4:8-9 tells us, "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned1 and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you."
Think about these things. This is an active invitation - these thoughts don't come naturally to us. We choose to. We are called to seek out what is noble, true, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy.
You have to train your brain to do this. It's not something that will just happen. Again, this goes back to my last post as well - fix your gaze on Jesus, not the things of this world. When we focus on this world, it's almost impossible to think of any of those things.
Paul doesn't want us to just think better, he wants us to live better. Why? Because thoughts and actions go hand in hand. When you start to think these thoughts, your life should start to reflect them.
You start to ask yourself things like "Does this thought align with God's word?"
When you fix your thoughts on Jesus, you start to see the world through a different lens. It's not ignoring reality but rather seeing the hardships and pain through the lens of redemption, hope and eternal perspective.
Set your mind on Christ.
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