First Thought or Think About This
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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 (NIV)
Spiritual warfare strikes when we least expect it and sometimes on battlefields we assume are conquered. One is the battlefield of our thoughts.
Our electricity went out last week. A glance out the window showed blue skies, white clouds, and a slight breeze tickling the trees.
With no storm in sight, my first thought was to blame the power company. My stress level increased when they sent a text message indicating the issue would be resolved in three hours. Would we lose another refrigerator full of food?
On leaving the neighborhood to get dinner, we saw the problem. A huge tree, rotted to its core, had toppled over in the slight breeze. Tree and power lines lay tangled in a hopeless mess. Four power company trucks and a police car filled the street. This would not be fixed in three hours.
Three more messages and seven hours later the lights flickered on and stayed. The food in our refrigerator was still cold. All was well.
Except my handling of this situation. I’m ashamed to admit my first thoughts were blame and disgust aimed at what I thought was the problem, an incompetent company. Even after knowing a rotten tree was the culprit, I criticized them for delay after delay and taking too long to fix the problem. My negative comments helped no one. They weren’t even fair. I have no idea of what, or who, is needed to repair a downed power line. Still, I grumbled.
My natural tendency to place blame fought against a spirit to offer grace. My failure to control a fault-finding attitude gave ammunition to that war.
Spiritual warfare begins in the mind when harmful, destructive thoughts push out the truths found in God’s word. Not only thoughts of anger and blame, as I fell prey to, but thoughts of self-pity, unworthiness, despair, and worry become fuel for this warfare.
Let’s not give up or be discouraged. The book of Philippians provides a battle plan to defeat those negative thoughts. “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, NIV)
God gives us this approach to readjust our thinking and replace unhealthy thoughts with those found in today’s Bible verse. As negative thoughts appear, with God’s help, we can replace them with those of truth, purity, loveliness, admiration, and the rest.
Doing so is not a one and done, nor is it easy. We will fight this battle repeatedly, but we have a champion on our side—a God who wants the best for us and is willing to fight with us day after day.
Questions for Reflection:
1. What are the negative thoughts that tend to put you in a state of spiritual warfare?
2. Memorizing Scripture provides guidance when we find ourselves in a stressful situation or in times of doubt and discouragement. Take time to memorize this verse in Philippians so it is easy to recall when negative thoughts overtake your thinking.
3. Are there other verses you use to remind yourself of how God has blessed you and strengthened you? Of how He fights with you? Keep them handy on a sticky note or card to refer to when needed.
