You Can’t Stop thoughts coming to your mind, but “In Christ,” you have the POWER to CHOOSE What you THINK CONTINUALLY on and PRACTICE…according to Philippians 4:8-9.
For example a discouraging, depressing thought comes to your mind, examine it and reply as the Psalmist, “Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise Him again— my Savior and my God.”-{Psalm 42:5 nlt}. Note, he asks questions “why?” twice and he answers with what he will do”I will…I will.” He does not succumb any longer, he takes action. An anxious thought comes to you, know the LORD wants you to cast ALL of your anxieties upon Him because “He cares for you.” -{1 Peter 5:7}.
And how do you and I do that? By prayer, talking to Him about it and Giving to Him your anxieties in EXCHANGE for His Peace! Hmm, hold onto your anxieties and forfeit peace, or Give them all to Him and have peace and forfeit anxieties! One or the other has to be forfeited, which one will you and I choose?
Here is how to practically do it, “Be anxious in nothing but in everything by prayer, supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your heart and mind in Christ.”{Read Phil 4:8-9}.
The anxious thoughts which come to you, have a goal which is to seek to dominate your thinking, dishearten and distract you from devotion to the LORD and occupied with Him. It is very discouraging and disheartening. “But God…” has made His way for you not to be beaten down. He did this through the Cross to save us, anxiety is a sin issue, a false belief accusatory system, that God does not care, is not able to meet you, you are doomed, have no hope and this is the way it will always be. Anxiety turns you inward and away from the LORD and His Word and the supply and help of the Holy Spirit. It seeks to isolate your thinking and according to Luke 12 anxiety travels with fear!
Anxiety comes with the poisonous tip to dishonor Him and destroy you!
Anxious thoughts may come to your mind, but you do not have to choose to submit, and continue thinking and being submerged into despair as a result. You do not have to continue to retain these destructive thoughts and cause your mind to dwell there, you have the Power and pathway through His Spirit by His Word to lead you to the LORD and turn the temptation into Supplication…talking to Him! So even the temptation God can use for good as it can turn you to…HIM!
And also to REPLACE these thoughts with His WORD, promises, perspective and let your mind focus, refocus, on His Word, RECALLING His Word so as to renew your thinking so to be thinking His thoughts and applying His Word to your situation! And as a new way of thinking REPEAT, REPEAT, REPEAT so as to develop a Christ follower’s mind!
Anxiety is a Trust issue, who will you trust in that moment self or the Savior and the Scriptures?
Anxiety is a thinking issue, which has to be replaced with His Word to combat the lies, fears, the double-mindedness that anxiety pulls our minds and emotions in different directions.
Anxiety is devoid of peace, and Jesus died to give us peace! Peace with God {Read Romans 5:1-2} and Peace within- {Read Philippians 4:6-7}.I love the verse, “He Himself is our peace…”-{Ephesians 2:14}, and the fruit which the Holy Spirit produces is “…peace…!” -{Galatians 5:22}. “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,”-{1 Cor 14:17}
Peace is a Person! And The Spirit of God imparting calm, contentment and confidence in the LORD and His promises is produced as we submit by relying upon Him, leaning on Him and applying His Word.
Coming to the LORD Jesus does not mean you are free from troubles or troubling thoughts “BUT GOD..,”He has made a way for us not to be DOMINATED by them but to DOMINATE them by replacing them with Truth and THINKING and REPLAYING truth again and again in your mind. It takes faith, it takes obedience, in Him who is Faithful!
You are in charge of what you CONTINUALLY CHOOSE TO THINK ON… That is GREAT News, GOD’S NEWS, that’s why we are to MEDITATE on His Word, and our lives are “transformed,” by the “renewing” of our… Mind… and the First and greatest commandment is that we “LOVE the LORD our God with ALL…your MIND.”
So, your mind, helps instruct, influence your thinking, your motivations and actions and also the highest purpose is to love God with your mind…. so, grab your soul by “the scruff of the neck” and you determine what you will CONTINUALLY THINK, LISTEN and TALK to your soul about! – {Read Psalm 1:2, Romans 12:2; Philippians 4:8-9; Luke 10:27; Philippians 2:13}.
Christ died to save us from sin and to help us know how to align our thinking with God’s and set our mind on things above, which helps us to live on earth, with Heavens perspective, and to develop new Godly habits such as learning to THINK RIGHT. Think Right in our relationships, Think Right when we are alone. Think Right about our work, Think Right how we behave at Ball games, Think Right in order to Do Right in His eyes and understanding He will enable us .
Do you meditate? Perhaps you say, “no, I don’t have time, I’ve got too much on my mind!” Then you are meditating! What you are giving your mind over to and continually going back to is … meditating! We all meditate, it’s just a matter of Who and what we meditate upon, that makes the difference!
We all meditate, and that is true, we often wrongly think that “meditation,” is sitting on the floor with legs crossed, eyes closed and with arms and hands extended from the side, clasping our thumbs to another finger, sitting and trying to clear your mind of everything…!
We often think “meditating,” is a position but, no! Mediating is what you continually give your mind over to think on, and the reality we are always meditating over and over, at times on anxiety and fears, and have trained ourselves to do so! And as followers of Christ we are told we need to “renew” our minds, and this we do by developing new thinking habits such as the Psalmist tells us in psalm 1:2″ …his delight is in the Law of the LORD and in it meditates day and night.”
We meditate on His Word to know Him better, renew our mind and acquaint ourselves with His will, Ways, and replace thoughts that are not in alignment with His so we can fill our mind with thoughts that are from His Word to influence the way we make choices for His Honor. Meditating on His Word is focusing on one thing through the lens of Scripture to get His view of it for us!
Some people will tell you, “you must have a quiet time,” and in reality it can be anything but as all kind of distracting thoughts can fly through your mind. Thoughts of what you need to do, forgot to do…etc…and after your “time” you come out exhausted mentally, emotionally, and feeling guilty because you are not having this “marvelous experience” as others lead you to believe you should be having and with some the inference could even be, – “there must be something wrong with you… you must not be right with the LORD… ” For some it can be a pride issue, seeking to exalt themselves and are saying to you without words, “…you are not as spiritual as…. me!” And so you dread “a quiet time,” but have been led to believe this is what a “good Christian,” does! And so now you are living a performance orientated life to try and fit in nd be accepted by those around you, rather than pursuing a relationship with the LORD. A “Quiet time” is not something to do but Someone to meet with and know better. But even these “quiet times” can end up being times of anxiety fueling moments! It seems you can’t win, “But God…” has called you to Himself, not a place or a performance. A “Quiet time,” is not meant to enslave you but give you some time alone to cut off time away from others, so not to be interrupted, that might seek to distract and give you time to pray, praise, read His Word to get His perspective and know Him better. And that sometimes means encountering thoughts that bombard your thinking.
The evil one does not recognize a “quiet time” as a “no-go” area!
So, don’t feed your fears, anxieties, by worrying about will you have a”good quiet time” that others approve of! Now you are living controlled by the fear of others opinions of you. No, a thousand times no- Jesus died to deliver you, not to place you in bondage to the fear of others opinions or put you in a performance trap. What will you end up thinking about constantly? What others think of your “quiet time,” and the fear of others opinions and guess what? That is meditating on those things. The GOD NEWS is, He already completely accepts you for you are “accepted in the Beloved!”-{Ephesians 1:6}…It would be better, more edifying for you to think on Him, His Word and such a verse of His total acceptance, favor upon you and that for eternity based on His performance, not yours!
Yes, we ALL Meditate… and it is what we think on continuously, and bring our thoughts back to. One way we RETRAIN our thinking is to “Set your Mind on things above where Christ is”-{Read Colossians 3:1-3}. We get a heavenly mind to help us live on earth with Heaven’s perspective as we renew our mind in His WORD, as the Holy Spirit helps us do so. – {Read Romans 12:2; Philippians 4:8-9}
Is it a fight? Yes, some days worse than others, “BUT GOD..”…“For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him.”-{Phil 2:13 nlt}.
We feed our mind’s with His Word, and depending upon Him to remind us when our minds are straying and to develop and strengthen new Godly habits in our THINKING…. in those quiet moments, CHOOSING to THINK on His Word. We reap Peace when we give Him our anxiety or we multiply Anxiety when we refuse His peace.
What Truth will you speak to yourself about and think on now? –