How’s Your Thought Life?

What tends to go through your mind most often?

Do you struggle with worry? Do you have a habit of over-thinking that you just can't seem to break? Have anxious thoughts tempted to overtake your attitude and behavior?

Or, do you meditate on the Word of God? Do you combat your struggles with the sword of the Spirit?

The mind itself can be a battlefield. I can personally attest to this, since a lot of the time I'm in my head more than I probably should be. This is why I need the direction and wisdom that comes from God found in Scripture. And Scripture tells us exactly what we need to have a mind securely set on what truly matters.

Since we are fighting a spiritual war every day (Ephesians 6:12), we need the armor of God on a daily basis. Read Ephesians 6:10-17 and you'll see how each piece plays such an important part in our battle against the devil and his schemes. When it comes to our thought lives, we need that helmet of salvation firmly fastened. Verse 17 pairs the helmet of salvation with "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." I believe those two pieces go hand in hand when it comes to protecting our minds. We have our security in Jesus' work on the cross and salvation comes through Him alone. The only way to know this is to know God's Word, and combat the negative thoughts with the truth our minds desperately need.

Because of our salvation, we have freedom from the bondage that sin brings and we are to "take every thought captive to obey Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5)." This is how we win the fight: not on our own, but through Christ! And thanks be to God who gives us His Word to live by and the very things we are to think upon. These are found in Philippians 4:8–whatever is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, of good repute; any excellence and anything worthy of praise. We are to dwell on these things, so if anything crosses our minds that doesn't quite line up, in that moment we can choose to pause and replace that thought with God's unchanging truth.

Anxiety is not always easy to avoid. But we are told in Philippians 4:6 not to be anxious. Is it really that simple? Fortunately, the verse continues with a solution: pray, give supplication, and give thanks. Tell the Lord what's bothering you, what requests you have. He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7)! And He has the answer the world can never provide: His peace, "which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." A peace that is beyond what we can even try to understand... that's amazing! And it's only found in Him.

As you abide in Christ each day, you can be confident that He is keeping you and guarding your mind. Keep your eyes fixed on Him, and that's how you will have true and lasting peace (Isaiah 26:3; Hebrews 12:2).