“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)
It is so easy to put this verse into practice on a good day. On those days, everything already seems to be true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, and admirable. But what about those days when, from the time your feet hit the floor in the morning until the time your head hits the pillow at night, nothing seems to go right?
Ever notice this is when the challenge hits hardest to think on the best not the worst; the beautiful not the ugly; the joyful not the sad; or the benefits not the drawbacks.
I recently read of a group of college professors who were asked to write about human motivation. After a long time, this is the statement they came up with:
What the mind attends to, it considers. What the mind does not attend to, it dismisses. What the mind attends to continually, it believes. What the mind believes, it eventually does.
Paul goes on to explain the way in which we are able to fix our thoughts and think about these things is through putting this discipline into practice. As we think in this manner, it will become our custom or habit to reign our thoughts in and focus on the good which God brings into our lives.
It all begins with fixing our thoughts on the good. In her book, Life Unstuck, Pat Layton puts it this way:
“What you say about yourself not only reflects what you believe but also direct your life, or can redirect your life.” (page 60)
The bottom line is – Our thoughts determine our actions.
We will act out that which we are believing.
Today I am joining … Testimony Tuesday and Unite and Titus 2 Tuesday and True Story and RaRa Linkup and Teaching What Is Good .
Good morning! I am your linky neighbor over at #raralinkup today! great post on the power of our thoughts…. so true, we are all in the on going cycle of thoughts – emotions – behavior… and Jesus shares with us the secret… “FIX” your thoughts on the pure and good…
Blessings to you today! Keep shining and writing for Jesus!
Danise, we know it. Now may we FIX our thoughts & dwell there each & every day.
Very timely reminder. We ought to be careful of what we feed our minds with.Thank you for sharing.
God Bless
Ifeoma, yes! may we be careful what we feed our minds. That surely plays a huge part in how our thoughts are not only formed but are fixed. Glad you shared!
Thank you for sharing this š It is so important to keep our thoughts on Jesus in every circumstance or we become like Peter who begins to sink as he takes His eyes off of God. This is a beautiful truth and thank you so much for sharing it! God bless you, my friend!
Ruth, as our thoughts & eyes are fixed on Him, we will be better able to rise above our circumstances & have His joy. Circumstances may still be there but we will go through them so much differently. Learning this myself š
I love that your word for the year is “believe.” That is just so powerful! I completely agree that “our thoughts determine our actions,” but I really struggle in this area. The mind is a powerful thing. Thanks for the much needed encouragement!
Candace, I struggle as well which is probably why my word for the year is “believe”. I am finding it is a constant action, sometimes fixing my thoughts on Him several times a day, which is making the difference. So grateful He helps us in this each day in & through His Word. Blessings!
This quote really sums it up well: “What the mind attends to, it considers. What the mind does not attend to, it dismisses. What the mind attends to continually, it believes. What the mind believes, it eventually does.” I enjoyed digesting that. Thank you! Cheering you on from the #RaRalinkup on Purposeful Faith! Keep sharing thought-inspiring insights.
Kelly, the quote really spoke to me when I read it. Thank you for encouraging so many others!
It is so important to use God’s Word to “RENEW” our minds. Then speak to ourselves what God’s word is saying until we begin to believe that God’s Word is True.
Thank you for sharing with us here at Tell me a Story.
Hazel, it truly does come down to using God’s Word every day to renew our minds & align our thinking. So grateful for the linkup & the encouragement found there!