PhilippiansSample

Some say: ‘You are what you eat’, others would say: ‘You are what you think’. Paul knew the importance of our thoughts and he didn’t conclude his letter to the Philippians until he made this final point. There’s a sense of urgency as he tells us to fix our thoughts on things that are true, honorable, pure, lovely, excellent, and worthy of praise.

Pause for a moment and ask yourself how many thoughts cross your mind in a day, in an hour, in a minute? Some studies say that we have around 50,000 thoughts per day. That equates to over 2,000 per hour, and over 34 per minute. Experts also say that 80% of our thoughts are negative. So it’s no wonder that God is urging us to focus on things that bring us life and joy.

Our thoughts have such an impact on our attitude, our mood and our decisions. They greatly influence our hope and our faith, as well. Quite frankly, they can make or break your day. And while there’s plenty of room for all sorts of thoughts, good and bad, it’s the ones that stick around that matter most. It’s the ones that we spend the most time on, the ones, as Paul says, that we focus on. What are you focusing on?

If you struggle in this area and feel like its a daily battle, be encouraged to know and believe these truths: We have been promised a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7), peace of mind (John 14:27), the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16), and the ability to fit every loose thought into the structure of a life shaped by Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5).

Prayer points:

• Begin your prayer by thanking God for these promises. If you have trouble believing that they’re for you, ask Him to increase your faith and to help you receive these gifts.
• Pray that your thoughts will align with what is true, honorable, pure, lovely, excellent and worthy of praise (and that when they aren’t, you’d realize this quickly and choose to focus on what is).
• Sometimes it’s necessary to have a Psalms 46:10 moment. To simply be still, clear your mind (especially when there’s too much going on in there), and remember that He is God over everything.