Fix Your Thoughts On What Is True – Think on These Things!

Fix your thoughts on what is true is more than a catchphrase – it is essential to our spiritual wellbeing! The apostle Paul understood the influence of our thoughts, that what we allow to occupy our minds will eventually affect what we say and what we do. And so, he encourages us to focus, and to meditate on the truth because of the benefits that it brings.

Fix Your Thoughts On What Is True

Paul was a prisoner in Rome at the time that he wrote his letter to the church in Philippi. The city was a prosperous Roman colony, but the new Christian Church was experiencing a time of opposition and persecution. When you look at some of the themes of the letter, you begin to understand that they were going through some tough times.

In the final words of the letter Paul writes to rejoice in the Lord, and not to be anxious about anything. And then ‘finally’ he encourages and exhorts the people to ‘fix your thoughts on what is true’.

What was Paul’s reasoning here? When you read the verse in context, Paul is reminding us that the Lord is always near. That even in the middle of tough and difficult circumstances it is possible to be free from anxiety, to have joy in the Lord, and to know the peace of God.

Scripture is teaching us how to guard our hearts and minds with the peace of God. This is not by the power of positive thinking but by the power of prayer. In faith, we bring our requests to God, believing that He hears, and that He will respond to our prayers. We can place our problems firmly in God’s hands and leave them there.

Sometimes leaving our problems with the Lord is a conscious decision and an ongoing process. I don’t know about you but so often I seem to want to pick them up again! This is when the encouragement to fix your mind, to fix your thoughts on things above, becomes the antidote to anxiety.

Philippians 4:8

Finally, believers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God’s word, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think continually on these things (center your mind on them, and implant them in your heart).

Philippians 4:8 Amp

Whatsoever Things Are True

We all know the danger of watching horror movies late at night! Later we won’t be able to sleep because we will still be thinking about the movie… But if we focus on the truth of the word of God, His peace floods our minds and hearts.

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth, who continually leads us into truth and understanding. He will remind us of all that the Lord has done for us and who we are in Christ Jesus. By focusing our thoughts on what is true, on Jesus, we are able to keep our God-given peace.

The enemy wants to snatch and steal our peace with deception and lies, to question and doubt the truth of God’s word. His tactics have not changed, in the garden of Eden, he cast doubt on God’s word – did God really say? In the wilderness, he tempted Jesus, by saying, This is written, this is what God’s word says. He did not misquote the word, but he took the words out of context and distorted the meaning.

The Word of God is our protection and defense. When we keep our thoughts fixed on the truth of God’s word, we keep that right relationship with God. Everything else flows from there – our relationships with other people, our peace and joy all come from knowing God’s love.

Fix Your Thoughts On Things Above

It is said that we have approximately 80,000 thoughts a day – and it is impossible to stop thinking. Some of our thoughts are routine reminders and prompts. Others may be pleasant reflections and memories, or it could be that we are developing good plans for the future.

But sometimes our thoughts are negative, disruptive, and potentially harmful.

Then we need to recognize that they are contrary to the truth and bring them to the Lord. This is the moment to seize those thoughts and take them captive! Of course, the danger is rather than capturing those rebellious thoughts we dwell on them, run with them, and suffer the consequences…

“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”

Psalm 51:10

To fix your thoughts on what is true, to fix your thoughts on Jesus and what He would do, is a spiritual discipline. And it is for our protection. This is the way to guard our hearts and minds from anxiety.

At times focusing on what is right in God’s sight may be contradictory to popular opinion. But the only way to keep our spiritual peace is not to compromise on what is right and true according to God’s word.

“A lie doesn’t become truth, wrong doesn’t become right, and evil doesn’t become good, just because it’s accepted by a majority.” Booker T. Washington

Tweet

Fix Your Thoughts on Jesus.

Meditate on these verses of Scripture for a moment and hear what God is whispering to your heart and mind. Be encouraged as you think on these things, whatever is pure whatever is lovely:

• “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16   Jesus is God’s gift of grace poured out for us. And He is always the answer to all of our needs.
• “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:16-19 Fix your thoughts on what is true begins with meditating on God’s limitless love. This was demonstrated for us by Christ Jesus.
• “Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation. Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life.” Philippians 2:14-16 Fix your thoughts on things above and see the goodness of God in everyday moments. Focusing on the Lord Jesus and praising Him with a grateful heart becomes the antidote to worry.
• “The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Philippians 4:5-6 I am so thankful that the Lord has promised to never leave us and that He is with us always. We need not be afraid of tomorrow, because our future is secure in Christ Jesus.
• “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19 Amen. When we fix our thoughts on things above we live in the fulness of life that Jesus has won for us.

The truth of God’s word always has the power to demolish the lies of the enemy. When we read the Word we see God’s goodness and faithfulness at work. His word brings us back to remembering all that God has done in our own lives. And that has the power to stir our hearts into gratitude, to praise and worship Him.

Fix your thoughts on what is true is far more than a catchphrase – it becomes the secret of victorious Christian living…

You may also like to read: Thrive & Bloom Where You’re Planted