
Do your thoughts ever get in the way of you trusting in the Lord? Having a stable mindset is so important when trusting in the Lord.
Here is a great Bible passage to help you as you are on your journey of trusting in the Lord. Philippians 4:8. It seems more often than not the conflict against our faith and trust in the Lord is in our minds. The devil likes to lurk around our thought lives and interject lies mixed in with what could be misconstrued as the truth.
I have noticed this with my own thought life. Let’s take body image for example.
First of all, I am not currently the size I feel I should be. So hear goes the scenario. I wake up, walk right into our master bathroom and am immediately greeted by my image in a huge mirror. The extra puffiness in my tummy area isn’t exactly what I want to see at 4 o’clock in the morning. Already little seemingly insignificant thoughts against my body image are starting in. My husband steps on the scale and is impressed by the 2 pounds he lost. I get up the courage to get on the scale and am slapped in the face by a number I couldn’t fathom would be completely from me. After looking behind me to make sure one of the dogs isn’t standing a paw or two on the scale (just kidding), bigger more evil thoughts start in.
As I shower, I hurry up to get the mundane task done so I can dress in clothes that are a bit snug. At this point, I haven’t told the devil where to go, and I haven’t reminded myself how beautiful and wonderful I am. I don’t tell myself “good job” for juggling all I do with job, housework, cooking, managing schedules, helping out with our home business, family, and reminding myself of my own passions and dreams.
Don’t Let The Devil Lie To You
On a day off, there is potential for a real struggle because then I have too much thinking on my own time. This part is insidious. If you were able to watch a video of my day, you’d think I would be too busy to think too much. However, the devil doesn’t mind walking right in step with even the busiest of people and whisper accusatory thoughts into their ears.
I am doing laundry and my thoughts might be going to horrible places. I’ve heard evil things like my husband doesn’t find me attractive even though he might have told me how beautiful I am just the day before. If we allow these thoughts to simmer and perculate in our minds, they get louder and feel heavier until they feel so thick and heavy they affect our emotions. This can even bring in depression.
Left unchecked, these thoughts can go off in other directions, and I can start to doubt myself in other areas. I can even project other’s attitudes onto my husband and expect him to think and act in ways he would never dream of.
Is there an answer? Is there a way out of this heaviness of a twisted web of thoughts?
There Is An Answer!
The good news is, there is! No wonder God made sure the Bible tells us to think on good things. Philippians 4:8 NIV says, “Finally, brothers, 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.
If you ever wonder where a negative thought is coming from, judge it by Philippians 4:8. Let’s say I get a thought about being unattractive. I have to ask myself if it is true. Since the Holy Spirit is the spirit of truth, I have to judge the thought by his standards. Hmm… let’s say I was to ask the Holy Spirit if I’m unattractive. What do you think he would say? I think he would say something like, “Are you kidding? You are the most beautiful you on this planet. I planned for you. I made you in my image. Do you think I Am unattractive?”
Whoa that kind of knocks that evil lying thought of being unattractive right out of the game, don’t you think? Who do you think was the author of that lie? That’s right. It’s none other than the enemy of our souls, the devil. What do we do when the devil comes our way? Cast him out of our presence, of course! We must do this to keep a stable mindset.
See Yourself And Others Through The Lenses Of Love.
What if I did what Phillippians 4:8 says to do? That means I would spend the day thinking on only things that are true and lovely and admirable about me. I would judge myself and the way I operate by God’s standards and way of thinking about me. That means I would only view myself through the lenses of love. I would also see others through the same lenses.
- Isn’t harsh and hard.
- Covers and encourages.
- Love builds up and changes you for the better (I Corinthians 13:4-7).
God is love (I John 4:16). Seeing ourselves and others through the lenses of love helps us keep a stable mindset.
Instead of being in a bad mood and hating myself when my husband gets home, I would be joyous and energized and loving life and loving him.
Keep A Stable Mindset So You Can Truly Trust In The Lord.
This all ties in with trusting in the Lord. How can we trust him with everything when we have the wrong mind set on? When we always think the worst and plan for the worst. Always thinking the worst is not a stable mindset.
Remember the right mind set. God’s mind set: thoughts that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8).
This principle can help with any area of your life. Anytime you feel like your thoughts are being attacked about anything, remember to judge those thoughts by God’s mindset, a stable mindset.
I encourage you to look for God’s thoughts about you, your family, your health, your finances, your protection, and anything else that has been an issue for you. When your mindset is changed for the better, you are well on your way to a glorious life!
Stay encouraged.