The Battle for the Mind — A LifeWords Devotion

Philippians 4:8 – Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. (The Message Version)

When we use the phrase “thought control”, it often has a sinister meaning. And yet it is what followers of Jesus are called to do constantly. We are to train our thoughts so that they don’t dwell on what is unhelpful. The pattern of our thoughts shapes the pattern of our actions.

It’s not as if we rather glibly choose to think of only “nice” things. We do have to think about things that are not attractive or comfortable. But even then, we need to bring a faith-filled perspective to them. We cannot avoid the darkness, but we need to choose not to live in it.

This battle is to take place each and every day of our lives. Hear the words of C. S. Lewis: “The very moment you wake up each morning, all your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the first job each morning consists simply in shoving them all back; in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in.”

Blessings

David