“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
~Philippians 4:8~
Are you struggling with anxiety? Is fear, sadness, jealousy, or the like overwhelming you? Thoughts can be a pit of darkness, or they can be a source of light. Philippians 4:8 encourages us to direct our thoughts to the Light, Jesus! His name isn’t written specifically, but His entire personality is a perfect representation of the qualities mentioned.
By God’s Spirit, lies can be turned into Truth, anxiety into peace, and fear into hope. Discontentment can be swapped with thankfulness, and jealousy can be exchanged with contentment. What should our mind focus on? We. Need. To. Think. About… Jesus!
Observing Jesus’ Emotions:
Did you know that Jesus has emotions, thoughts, and feelings just like us? John 11:33 says, “When Jesus saw her (Mary, sister of Lazarath) weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled.”
Since the Son of God is holy, He feels pure grief for the right reason. In other words, compassion on Mary ‘s mourning state leads Jesus to mourn with her. Understanding her despair about her brother’s death, Jesus connects with this crying woman on a heart-to-heart level. Furthermore, He perceives our own emotions and thoughts, too. He can “discern my thoughts from afar.” He is “acquainted with all my ways.” (Psalm 139:2-3) He identifies your thoughts as well. Yet, it grieves God’s Spirit when we think about things that are not pleasing to Him. Philippians 4:8 gives us tips to help us direct our thoughts toward honoring God.
Wrestling Through our Thoughts:
When you find your mind swirling with guilt, fear, judgement, or anything that is not from the Father, “take every thought captive to obey Christ…”(2 Corinthians 10:5b) Deceitful thoughts shouldn’t be denied. Moveover, we should pray about them, wrestle through them, share them with a trustworthy adult mature in their faith, and move forward in confidence of the mercy and Truth of our Creator.
Redirecting our Thoughts on Jesus:
In upcoming blog posts, we will dig deeper into Jesus’ characteristics mentioned in Philippians 4:8. I will share inspiring, practical ways to redirect your thoughts on Jesus as well in the next, couple posts. For now, sing your favorite worship song whenever you find yourself in a pit of worry or anxiety. By humming your preferred worship tune, you can drown out the fibs of Satan and practice good, thinking habits. God, our good, good Father, can expel all angst, fear, or shame when we focus our thoughts on Him!
