Tuesday: Peace in Your Mind
Read: Philippians 4:2–9
SOAP: Philippians 4:6–8
Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God. And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of respect, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if something is excellent or praiseworthy, think about these things.
Devotion:
Have you ever wondered why it’s so hard to change how we think about things—about our lives, our circumstances, and ourselves? Scripture tells us that our words are an overflow of our hearts (Luke 6:45). How we speak, to others and to ourselves, is a reflection of what is in our hearts. Our thoughts follow our hearts, and our words follow our thoughts. Maybe you’ve heard it like this: garbage in, garbage out.
When it comes to our faith lives, hearts filled with God, grace, and the gospel bear good fruit in thought, word, and action. Hearts that are focused on the expectations and demands of the world will bear bad fruit. Through salvation and with God’s help, we can be, as it says in Romans 12:2, transformed by the renewing of our minds.
And that transformation can make the difference between surviving and thriving. It’s been said that Satan doesn’t need to destroy us, only distract us, to keep us from fulfilling the plans God has for us. What better way than to distract us with the noise of the world, filling our hearts and minds with all the things we think we should be doing, but then missing out on the fulfilling work God has for us?
Science tells us that our thoughts create patterns in our brains that change the landscape of our brains, cells, and genes. As thoughts travel, they create pathways that create habits. Science and Scripture agree, however, that we can actually change our minds! With God, we can change the direction of our thoughts. It’s not impossible, but we can’t do it on our own. All of the anxious thoughts need to be torn down to make room so we can abide with Jesus, serving His kingdom with confidence and peace.
Prayer:
God, thank You for giving me a way to change my mind so that my thoughts go toward things that are true and praiseworthy. Help me develop a habit of prayer so my worries and anxious thoughts can find peace in Your presence. Amen.