Stewarding Your Thoughtsናሙና

"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things." Philippians 4:8

Paul encourages us throughout his letters to guard our minds.

To take our thoughts captive. (2 Corinthians 10:4)

To be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2)

To put on the full armor of God - including the helmet of salvation. (Ephesians 6:17)

And to bring into obedience our thoughts - to think on what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy.

In my experience, we feed the negative thought cycle in large part by what we consume. By what we focus our eyes and ears on. Taking hold of our thoughts is key to stewarding this life.

Are you battling lust? Jealousy? Anxiety? What are you watching on the TV or scrolling through on social media?

Are you harboring unforgiveness by replaying a past hurt in your life? Are you ruminating over past deeds and stuck in a shame cycle of self-loathing?

Friends, God has FULLNESS of joy and peace and hope and comfort in his presence. And his presence is alive IN US.

But are we drowning it out?

What we think shapes our feelings, which shapes our behaviors, which shape our habits, which shape our life.

Therefore our thoughts shape our life. No wonder God is so concerned with what we think!!!

We may not be able to control every thought that pops into our head. But we can control whether we water it based on what we feed it (consumption) and the attention we give it (rumination).

I want to encourage you to acknowledge when thoughts that do not align to the will of God enter your mind. Call them out by name (take them captive) and then replace them with the truth of the word - which is EVERYTHING Philippians 4:8 is talking about.

Put on the helmet of salvation, which is your freedom in Christ bought by his shed blood on the cross, and walk in that freedom AND authority over your thought life today.

Reflection:

1. Do you consume things (social media, news, books) that lead you to think in fear, envy, anxiety, lust, etc.? Take an honest reflection on how you feel after these activities.
2. How might your thought life be holding you back from walking in your purpose?
3. How can you redeem those activities with consumption that turns your thoughts towards God?