DESPAIR is the result of FEARS Accepted! ( Read Nehemiah 6:9;Psalm 27:13.)
The antidote? THINK, TRUST IN GOD AND HIS GOODNESS!
A Boxer has a technique he uses to protect himself and his opponent’s attempted punch to seek to hurt, stop him. People, like dignitaries, heads of state have body-guards to protect them, and to enable them to go about their business, unhindered. God has provided us also with protection for our mind, which the enemy of God, and us, seeks to attack our thought life to deviate us from loving God and living for His kingdom where we are. In Philippians 4:8 we can see one of His provisions in what I have titled, “God’s Eight Guards,” for our thought life. Let’s have a look at it…
Think on This? What are you choosing to CONTINUALLY, HABITUALLY think on? You can’t stop thoughts flying to your mind but you have the power to CHOOSE What you will allow your MIND to continually DWELL on!
” The phrase dwell on these things introduces an important truth: spiritual stability is a result of how a person thinks. The imperative form of logizomai (dwell on) makes it a command (Ed: present imperative = to be our continual practice, only possible as we surrender to and are filled/controlled by the Holy Spirit); proper thinking is not optional in the Christian life.-Logizomai means more than just entertaining thoughts; it means “to evaluate,” “to consider,” or “to calculate.” Believers are to consider the qualities Paul lists in this verse and meditate on their implications. The verb form calls for habitual discipline of the mind to set all thoughts on these spiritual virtues ” -{Phil 4:8 MacArthur}
“As Paul draws to the conclusion of his letter, in this verse he deals with the greatest conflict that every believer encounters – the battle for the control our minds.
But most of those don’t believe this, we say we do but we don’t practice it and so the result is devastation to our thought process not transformation without application of His Word!
Solomon recognized this age long conflict when he wrote…
Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life. (Proverbs 4:23–note)
In Proverbs 23:7 Solomon wrote that “As a man thinks in his heart so he is.”
Do you want to know what a man actually is? Solomon has just given us the “test”. It is not what he says but what he thinks about! What do you think about most of the time? (compare Paul’s command to set your mind on and seek “the things above” in Col 3:1– note, Col 3:1 – note)” {preceptaustin commentaries}.
Note the SIX “Whatever’s.”
“WHATEVER!”
“Finally, brethren,
whatever is true,
whatever is honorable,
whatever is right,
whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely,
whatever is of good repute,
if there is any excellence and
if anything worthy of praise,
dwell on these things.
“DWELL ON” is a command and is continuous so as to produce a lifestyle of choosing to think this way;
{Read, memorize, meditate, Phil 4:8-9}
Here you find as it were “EIGHT GUARD’S,” the “SIX WHATEVER’S” and the two “If’s” to examine, evaluate, calculate, consider, concerning the thoughts that cross your mind if they can have access and permanence of being worthy and right for you to give your attention to, continually being occupied and thinking on!
Usually it cannot or should not get by the first “Guard ” if we are evaluating, calculating looking through the lens of Scripture, which is truth! The truth about God. Is it TRUE of His character. His promises? Is it TRUE of who you are “in Christ.” Do you know this to be a fact? Is it TRUE about How God would have you THINK continuously and practice such thinking? {Read Phil 4:9} You have the power to…
* RECOGNIZE the lie.
* REPLACE it with TRUTH {Read John 8:32} and
* RENEW YOUR MIND with the things you CHOOSE to think on. {Read Rom 12:2, Phil 4:8}
* REJOICE IN THE LORD. AND HIS TRUTH -{ Phil 3:1; 1 Cor 13:6….” Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.”}
* REPEAT, REPEAT, REPEAT... until you develop a new HABIT, knowing you have the God given ability to do so,” For God is working IN you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him.”-{Phil 2:13 NLT}.
You have the ability “in Christ,” to exercise Godly protective and discerning thinking, in how to know what is worthy of the occupation and pre- occupation of your thoughts. Remember the ultimate, highest good and function for your thinking is to love God with all your… MIND. “And he answered, “YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND; “-{Luke 10:27}. You have the ability to continually THINK RIGHT according to His Word, and as a result, choose then to DO RIGHT…{Read Phil 4:8-9}
Do you see now why the battle for your thought life is so so important!
Loving God with “All your mind” is the ultimate reason to seek to distract, divide your mind with thoughts such as anxiety which means to “divide the mind,” FROM DEVOTION TO HIM!
As in Paul’s day, the bombardment upon the mind is real, with messages, opinions to try and get you to focus on anything but Him and His business. A student can do their school work as can a laborer, athlete, business person, home maker as unto the LORD. The attack is on your mind to seek to tempt you away from thinking on things He determines are best for you and honor Him through renewing your thinking to align up with His will and ways and knowledge of Him, such as those things mentioned in Philippians 4:8 and Col 3:1-2, “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set {BE INTENT } your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.”
Memorize the “EIGHT GUARDS”– THE SIX WHATEVER’S and the two “If”s” in Philippians 4:8, so as to be your own detective!
whatever is true,
whatever is honorable,
whatever is right,
whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely,
whatever is of good repute,
if there is any excellence and
if anything worthy of praise,
dwell on these things.
The command is to continually evaluate, consider, as the habit of your life. on these things just mentioned!}
To personally CHOOSE to reject God’s wisdom from His Word, in this case Philippians 4:8 is to set yourself up as Sovereign and ALL Wise and is it any wonder when you and I do so sinfully. that we end up with spiraling down into despair, fears, depression … It takes faith, perverted faith in self to end up there.
It takes energy, effort, and the continually embracing of the opposite of whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things,” thoughts to end up there. So whose fault is it?
If someone gives you the directions to take you to the location you need to go to but at the fork roads you continually choose to reject the information and instead end up driving over a cliff landing in quicksand whose fault is that? Why would you keep repeating such destructive behavior? That’s what you and I do when we set ourselves as wiser than God’s SIX provisions of “Whatever’s” to help guide your mind on the RIGHT road. But unfortunately we each have an influence on others. Imagine you have several people, children in the vehicle with you and you continually CHOOSE to distrust the directions, the clearly given signposts at the cross roads, they too suffer, ending up going over a cliff into quicksand! It can be detrimental to all. So the way you and I view life, choosing to reject His Wisdom, His way for us or choosing to follow Him and obey His Word will determine our MIND Set and the CHOICES we make as a result. For some Bible reading is “something to do,” rather than SOMEONE to KNOW, love, with your MIND so you can follow Him as a result!
Some would rather choose to trust how they “Feel,” rather than Him and His Word, and they end up with a spiritual roller coaster life, tossed to and fro and no spiritual stability, trusting in their own “feelings” as their foundation, which ultimately is to trust in SELF, elevating SELF above the Savior as the ultimate authority. God says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”-{Prov 3:5-6}. NOTE it says “Trust in…”who? You? Me? No! The world’s system? No! But do trust in “THE LORD!” But how? Halfheartedly? When it suits you? Occasionally? No! But “with all of your heart.” Total commitment, submission, reliance by you on “THE LORD” and then see His prohibition- “lean not to your own understanding”- He forbids it, why? You can’t trust yourself! You are not all knowing, wise, He is! He then says what to do, ” In all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”- Look to Him, submit to Him, Trust Him, He loves you, the cross the evidence!
DESTRUCTIVE THINKING IS A CHOICE, YOU NEED NOT DO!
Its is a battle for your Thought life ultimately to Divert you from LOVING GOD WITH ALL YOUR MIND.
REMEMBER; The Ideas, and Thoughts you continually “dwell on,” though unseen, is the power you have given them which constantly governs, controls your life!
GOD COMMANDS YOU AND ME TO…CONTINUALLY “DWELL ON” His criteria for our thigh life in Philippians 4;8 and practice doing so as the habitual way we think so as to influence the way we live our lives for His sake! Think about what you think about? Think about what you have been thinking about recently, have you been evaluating, considering it through the “EIGHT GUARDS?”
MEMORIZE AND MEDITATE on
1.- GOD’S GOAL FOR YOUR MIND -Luke 10:27
2.- GOD’S “EIGHT GUARDS“ FOR YOUR MIND – Phil 4:8 as your “GUARDS” for your thought life! AND ALSO to be able to help others.
3.- PERSONALIZE IT-
4.- GOD’S GOAL FOR MY MIND IS TO_________ Him
5.- GOD’S “GUARDS” FOR MY MIND ARE__________
SHARE with someone to encourage them and help them understand the attack on their mind and how to counteract it GOD’S WAY!
Thoughts of Fear, despair may come to tempt you, but they need not overcome you because you have God’s wisdom what is the ultimate GOAL for your mind, and it does not include fear, despair, and God has given you His “Guards” in the “EIGHT GUARDS,” in Philippians 4:8. AND As you DO HIS WORD, YOU ARE EXPRESSING LOVE TO HIM. “He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.”-{John 14:21}.We don’t love Him to be loved by Him, but we love Him who first loved us, in response to His love!. God’s Goal, God’s Eight Guard’s- God is glorified as you follow His guide and wisdom for your mind!
SHARE with someone to encourage them- God’s Goal for their Mind, and God’s “Eight GUARDS”
Feed your faith with HIS WORD {Matt 4:10}.