What plays out in your head when you’re not concentrating on anything specific? My husband and I were talking earlier today after a second botched delivery of a piece of furniture we’d ordered and he commented that we should plan for the worst again on the next attempt. I agreed. I tend to plan for the worst and hope for the best. He says I’m the most positive person he knows. The glass is always half full and I tend to give everyone the benefit of the doubt naturally.
As much as I appreciate his compliment, I confided in him that although this may seem true from his perspective, what goes through my mind is often another matter entirely. You can’t keep a bird from flying overhead, I’ve heard it said, but you can keep it from building a nest in your hair. I get to choose what I dwell on and what I dismiss. More than that, you and I are capable of directing our thoughts.
“The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?”
Jeremiah 17:9 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/jer.17.9.NLT
“So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.”
Romans 8:6 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/rom.8.6.NLT
It’s uncomfortable to stare this reality in the face. The truth is, we all sin and “fall short of God’s glorious standard.” (Romans 3:23) “We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags.” (Isaiah 64:6)
We like to think that we’re pretty good people, you know, compared to some, but the truth is, there is only One who lived a perfect life- Jesus, God’s Son. Only by his perfect life, his shed blood, his death, and his resurrection can I be in relationship with Holy God. Only in Christ will I stand on the day of judgement. I must give account for “every careless word,” (Matthew 12:36) thought, and action and only in the blood of Jesus will I be judged righteous forever.
So when I sit rocking my precious grandson and every potential future disaster appears in my mind, I surrender each thought to my Heavenly Father in prayer. As I close my eyes before sleep finds me and unwanted thoughts swarm, I recall the words of Jesus: “Get away from me, Satan! You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.” (Mark 8:33) Rather than surrender to fear, worry or negativity, I choose to surrender to Christ.
“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world.
On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
2 Corinthians 10:4-5 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/2co.10.4-5.NIV
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.
Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.
Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.
His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
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 4:6-8 NLT
A Fitting Reply 
Amen! Awesome reminder of the peace that comes from focusing our minds on heavenly things!
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