“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” Philippians 4:8 NLT
Where are your thoughts these days? Are you expecting the worst? For your family? For our nation? Are you expecting the best? There are a lot of questions about all of it.
Where is God in your thinking? I have found that when my thoughts wander to the worst, God has provided a tool to wander back to truth. God has given us guidelines for our thinking. Philippians 4:8 describes what to think about so that we stay focused on Him and expect the best that only comes from Him. Expecting the best is expecting God to come through.
Expect the best even when you accept trouble. Does expecting God to come through mean you will never have any trouble? Of course not. Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble, but take heart I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) Focusing your thoughts in a positive direction is not about ignoring trouble or expecting God to deliver you from every trouble. Despite what some preachers have told you, trouble is a part of Christian life. Read the New Testament more carefully and you will notice that the New Testament writers came from that position.
Expect God to be present in every circumstance. You will also see that as our New Testament heroes expected difficulties to be a part of life, they also expected God to be present with them. Paul declared that He could be content in any and every circumstance through Christ’s presence within Him. Peter encouraged the believers to endure suffering for a little while. (1 Peter 1:7-8) John declared “this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith. (1 John 5:4) They had all experienced God’s miraculous deliverance at some point, but never expected it. However, they did expect God to be active and present as they walked through every challenge. Thinking on the good means believing that even in trouble God is at work for your good and for His glory.
Fix your thoughts on hope. A verse that has carried me through a lot of uncertainty is Romans 15:13. “May the God of Hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you will overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” He is the God of Hope. What I love about this verse is that I don’t have to find hope within myself. It overflows from the presence of the Holy Spirit in me. The Holy Spirit is the manifestation of God’s presence in the life of every believer. When I choose trust, I make room for the Holy Spirit to fill me with all that belongs to Him. The fruit of the Spirit, love, joy, peace and the rest, is the evidence that He is at work in me. Trust in God is the practical expression of faith. Faith makes room for the miracle of hope and the peace that passes all understanding.
Dear Friend, times are certainly uncertain. But fix your thoughts on faith. Expect the best because God is good. Expect His presence. Let your decision to trust fill you with the Spirit of hope, joy and peace.
Key Question: Where should I focus my thoughts in uncertain times?
A Scripture to Consider: “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” Philippians 4:8 NLT
A YES Challenge: Intentionally evaluate your thought tendencies. Choose one negative thought pattern to change. Determine a Scripture that speaks positively to that negative. Create reminders to help you fix your thoughts on that truth.
Prayer: Father, everything excellent, praiseworthy, right, just, pure, admirable, and true is found in You. I am uncertain of what the future is going to look like. Help me to fix my thoughts on Your truth. You are the One who never changes. You work all things together for good, my good and Your glory. Amen.
