Journal Entry ~ 03/24/19

1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. - Colossians 3:1-2

In order for us to have peace, all we need to do is to focus our minds on God; it’s as simple as that. Or is it? Our minds can be easily distracted by all that we see in front of us. One moment we feel our hearts are full of faith, the next moment they are full of fear. Finding that peace comes when we recognize and capture our thoughts. We choose what we think about - we need to think about our thinking, and grab a hold of those negative thoughts when they come, then turn them back to Him. 

Here’s the reality - we know how to set our affections on Him, we just don't take the time to do it. Those of us who have been Christians for any length of time know the spiritual disciplines we need to engage in order to set our thoughts on Him, the problem is we fail to do it in the difficult moments of our lives. We need to be in church weekly to receive good teaching, then in the Word daily for personal instruction. We need to develop the spiritual discipline of adoration, confession, and repentance in prayer, we need to surround ourselves with Godly community, and we need to be working for and giving to the Kingdom of God. We need to continually capture our thinking and set our minds on Him. We just don’t because it’s hard. And because it’s just easier to give in to the emotion in the moment. 

Church alone can never be enough to subdue a week of earthly affection. It takes work and daily intention to set our minds on Him. You need to choose it. 

When we are facing giant trials, we need to cry out to Him and ask Him for help to keep our minds on Him, but we can’t just stop there. We have to be intentional about how we capture our thinking and keep it on Him. I have two strategies for when my mind slips off Him and into the pit - I either immediately start a prayer of gratitude, thanking Him for all that He has done in my life, listing everything I can think of, or I start working on a memory verse. There are days I have to do this multiple times in a day, but it keeps my mind fixed on Him. 

When we focus our minds on the Lord, we grow in our faith and our trust in Him and in His power.  So many people are surrounded by gloominess and depression in this world, and when we are constantly threatened with the doubt, fear and worry, we need to keep our minds fixed on the Lord and realize how precious and comforting these words can be to us.  


Press on ~ you are loved 💗

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