We learned last week from Philippians 4:6–7 that worry can be overcome by God’s peace. Instead of thinking, “I’ll just bite my lip and tough it out,” we can experience what God has promised: “Don’t worry about anything, but instead tell Me what’s troubling you. Then mix in some thanksgiving from My track record with you––and My peace will guard your hearts and minds.”

But here’s another matter: what if we secure peace but then lose it?

Peace can be lost. Then we have to go back and find it again. I have counseled a lot of people I love deeply who lose peace all the time. Why?

Because they’ve got an incredible lack of control in their thought life. They just think anything. They think, “If it comes to my mind, I might as well dwell on it.”

Here’s what Paul went on to say after he told us how to secure God’s peace: “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. . . . And the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:8–9, NIV).

Paul, after talking about how prayer and thanksgiving can help us secure peace from God, then wrote, “But now don’t lose it. Think about what’s true, noble, right. Let God renew your mind, and start to think about good things so you don’t lose your peace.”

What we think about controls our emotions and, to a good degree, our state of mind. And it has spiritual effects. The Bible says, “As a person thinks, that’s who he or she is” (see Proverbs 23:7, NKJV).

We need to watch who we talk to, because many times people will lead us into thinking about things that are not good. We need to watch what we see on TV or in a movie, because it can make us think of things that will rob the peace of God from us.

God, through His Word, is telling us, “I want to guide your thoughts. I want to shape your thoughts. So not only give Me your heart, but also give Me your mind.”

Thoughts might knock on the doors of our minds. That doesn’t mean we have to let them in. Being tempted by an evil thought is not sin. Jesus had evil thoughts presented to Him. Satan said, “Bow down and worship me.” That is a very evil thought. That’s sacrilegious. Jesus resisted it and said, “No, get away from Me, Satan, for it is written that I’m only to worship the Lord My God” (see Matthew 4:10).

Just because a thought knocks on our door, we don’t need to say, “Come on in. I set a place for you! What do you want to drink with the steak and the potato?” But that’s how we are—we let thoughts in randomly.

I don’t know where thoughts come from, but I know that Satan can suggest thoughts. Oh, yes.

One day Peter came to Jesus and said, “You don’t have to go to the cross. Why do You have to go through all that agony and pain? You should never experience that.”

But Jesus knew where that thought came from. “Satan,” He said, “get behind me, for you don’t love the things of God. You savor the things of man” (see Matthew 16:23).

Jesus wasn’t calling Peter the devil, but He knew the devil was where that thought had come from, which Peter then took in and acted on. We need renewed minds: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2, NKJV).

We don’t need brain surgery—we need thought surgery by the Holy Spirit. We need God to set a guard on our minds.

Why are a lot of older people depressed? Because they’re alone, and they think a lot. If they’re not careful to take in the Word of God and be discerning about their thoughts, they can think about negative things that happened many years ago and become depressed or worried or bitter. There goes their peace. That’s why the Bible says we should forget those things that are behind (see Philippians 3:13–14).

We’re not Freudian; we’re Christians. If a thought from the past doesn’t help us—if it’s unclean, impure, not from God, doesn’t cause thanksgiving, isn’t noble—why would we want to think about it?

My dad was an alcoholic for twenty-two years and beat the tar out of me at times. I saw him beat my mother. Do I have to dwell on that? Would that be good for me? No, by the grace of God, that experience has been neutralized in my life. Dwelling on negative, bad, impure, nasty things won’t help us.

If you’re reading this and thinking, “Yes, the Word of God is right,” then receive it and say, “God, I give You not just my heart today, but I also give You my mind. Put guards all around my mind. I don’t want to think things that will make me lose Your peace and live in worry and anxiety.”

Prayer
Lord, we give You not only our hearts today but also our minds. Help us to have good thought lives, even renewed minds, so we can be pleasing to You.

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