“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
– Philippians 4:4-7
The peace of God accompanies joy. When you choose to let go of anxiety and press into Jesus, He will guard your heart, or your will, and direct your mind, or what you think about. Friends, what you think about is everything. Your life is the result of your thinking. Many people hate their circumstances but they nurture and love the thoughts that led to those circumstances. Any recurring thought that you own cannot stay hidden or secret. Why? Because all of your thoughts, if you dwell on them, will become your reality. Every perpetual thought crystallizes into habit and that habit materializes into circustmance. Even when you go through a tragedy that was in no way caused by your thoughts, the way you think will determine how it affects your life. The battle is always in the mind, so we must tend to it. Like a garden, we need to attentively pick and prune our thoughts in order to prevent overgrowth and chaos. Being negative is easy. Worrying is easy. Being hopeful requires work. Trusting the Lord demands training and discipline, but it’s well worth it! |
Prayer
God, I choose to rejoice in every circumstance and to receive your peace to guard my heart and protect my mind. I pray that your thoughts will become my thoughts, as I take you at your word and trust you every day.
Reflection
How can you tend to the garden of your mind? Which promises from God’s Word can you stand as you prune negative thoughts?
One Response
This is just beautiful. And, this speaks to me right now as I am anxious about starting a new chapter in my life and my daughter leaving for college next month. Thank you Bobby and Hannah. I found you guys a year ago June and I have been a devotee since. Thank you, thank you, thank you.