Philippians 4:8 is a thought-provoking verse in the Bible. It reminds us that we must remember to be conscious of our thoughts and also that we must ensure that we are focusing thoughts in the proper direction. Sometimes our minds can wander and get unfocused, causing us to seemingly forget what we know to be true. I’m surely guilty of this. The mind can begin to then feel cluttered and be completely unfocused with tons of things running through it, sometimes even simultaneously. We may find ourselves constantly toiling over all the things we have to do, having the interactions (good and bad) from our busy days replaying over and over in our heads, thinking about dinner plans or certain conflicts with others in our lives, anticipating upcoming events and appointments, mapping out any projects we plan on working on, focusing on scheduling issues and logistics of them, reminding ourselves of bills that need to be paid, remembering what applications and forms to fill out, thinking of books we want to read, and adding “to-do’s” that never ending to-do list… the list goes on and on. God never intended for us to have such a cluttered mind or such a cluttered thought life.
We all must be careful to make sure we are guarding our thought lives and also that we are making the conscious choice to focus on the right things and thinking like God thinks. Everything about God is good, and that includes what thoughts He has. Since our job here on Earth is to be an example of God’s character to please Him and to show others Jesus, we have to switch our thinking to focus on our many blessings, the good things in the world, and the goodness of Jesus! This is what is meant by the verse above.
Although its difficult with so many distractions in our world and such busy lives that we all lead these days, it is essentially vital for strength, endurance, and quality of life as a Christian. Many are unaware that we actually have some control over our thoughts! That doesn’t mean that the urge to think certain unpleasant things won’t ever attempt to wash over you. That is the enemy using his predictable tactics to get you off course once again. It more so means that once that thought that causes you to cringe, be negative, or shrink back unpleasantly comes, you cast it down! You cast it down by triumphing it with the truth: God’s Word! The Word calls us to action urging us to :
8 Taste and see how good the Lord is!
The one who takes refuge in him is truly happy! (Psalm 34:8 CEB)
All you do is simply say aloud the opposite of that bad thought using God’s Word! This is replacing the negative thought with goodness, which leaves that negative thought no room to fester, grow, and rot your thought life, which can then affect other areas of your life in a negative way. It’s a vicious cycle once it starts and is left to grow, it develops itself as a stronghold. So please be mindful and be quick to cast down! Once our thought life is uncluttered and refocused on good things and God’s Word, we can fully be available for Him to use us to be a light in some way to someone. That pleases our Father and makes him smile! Just take a minute to imagine that, something that we can do will make the God of the Universe smile? He cares that much for each of us!
- Action Plan: Find a few scriptures that resonate with you, memorize them, and have them ready to say aloud the next time any negative thought tries to creep in your thought life. He loves us all and wants us to lead victorious lives!
Additional verse to support the content:
19 How great is the goodness
that you’ve reserved for those who honor you,
that you commit to those who take refuge in you—
in the sight of everyone! (Psalm 31:19 CEB)
Prayer Starter:
Lord I love you. You are amazing and you have blessed me in so many ways. I’m sorry for times where my mind has been unfocused and I have not been fully available to be a light to others you’ve placed in my life. Renew my mind and refocus my thoughts so that I think what You think. Make me more and more like you each day.
Have a wonderful day, friends! Be blessed!