Set Your Mind on Things Above

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Colossians 3:2

Setting your mind is similar to setting a thermostat; it determines the climate you live in. So, set your mind on God’s Word! Instead of trying to stop thinking wrong thoughts – which immediately brings to mind the very thoughts you’re supposed to stop thinking – fill your mind with God’s Word. Jesus told His disciples that the Holy Spirit would remind them of what He had taught them (see John 14:26). So when you file the Scriptures in your memory bank, God’s Spirit will pull those files when you need them.

Picture an amateur pilot navigating through his first storm. He can’t see any landmarks around which to fly because they’re locked in a fog. But then a voice comes from the controller in the tower saying, ‘Just listen to me, and I’ll guide you.’ Jesus said, ‘I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world’ (John 16:33).

Paul writes: ‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus’ (Philippians 4:6-7 NIV). For example, what should you do when the economy is bad? Recognize that the US Stock Exchange does not decide your security – God does! What should you do when someone criticizes you? Take what’s good and let no one but God determine your worth. By keeping your mind on God’s Word, you’re at peace in any situation.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, fill my mind with thoughts of Your will and Word, to crowd out the other thoughts that are not honoring to You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen