What governs your mind?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.
(Romans 8:6 (NIV))

What lurks in the back of your mind when you have nothing going on?

Perhaps if I ask that another way it will make more sense. So, what do you do when you think that no one is looking?

The human mind is a difficult thing to control. We must keep it engaged with external stimuli or we take the chance that it will wander into something that will have disastrous consequences. Even when we focus on external stimuli, we have a tendency to seek out things that will eventually cause us trouble. We need to be very careful and very deliberate with our thoughts. The old saying, “Garbage in, garbage out” comes to mind. In other words, we become what we choose to fill ourselves with. Since we have two parts to our existence, spiritual and physical, we have two distinct paths we can pursue. We can choose the things that are physical in nature such as wealth, power, greed and lust, or we can choose the spiritual option. Even when we choose the spiritual option, we must be careful to not embrace a demonic spirit, but we must strive to follow the Holy Spirit.

As I sit here praying and writing, I find my mind wandering. It has been a long day, and I still need to spend my time with the Lord. You may find yourself in the very same predicament. It is human nature. With that said, when your mind does wander, are you able to redirect it? What do you redirect to, or do you go through life constantly facing distractions and chasing after the proverbial squirrels that we all encounter? Long ago I made a decision that I must establish my priorities, control my own thoughts and keep them focused on what I truly want to focus on. In other words, I have made the Lord not only a priority, but the priority in my life.

Allowing your mind to be governed by the Spirit of God requires commitment. It requires a maturity that most of us wish we had. Most of all, it requires a desire to seek after God in all things and the ability to recognize when you stray. When you stray, and we all do, repent and refocus! Allow the Holy Spirit to fill your life and to govern your mind. You will find that you do possess a maturity and a peace that passes all understanding.

What governs your mind?

Copyright 1998 – 2020 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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What things fill your thoughts?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living

Finally, brothers and sisters, 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.
(Philippians 4:8 (NIV))

What fills your mind when you have nothing tugging on you such as work or family obligations?

Most people simply cannot sit and think of absolutely nothing. Even when we are preoccupied with something, our thoughts often interrupt us with glimpses of our inner desires. These vary by individual and most of us would be ashamed to let anyone know what those thoughts are. Some people are even able to force themselves to redirect their thoughts. It takes dedication and maturity to make yourself truly change your thoughts.

Why do we want to change our thoughts?

To put it simply, our thoughts reflect what is truly in our hearts. Our thoughts reflect what we truly treasure! If we treasure something, it is a driving force in our lives.

Are you driven by money or by power? Are you driven by fame? Are you driven by hidden desires for things that the Lord calls sin? There is an old saying that you are what you eat. In other words, what you fill your life with is what you will eventually have coming forth from your life. If you think on sinful matters, you will sin. If you think on godly matters, then you will reflect God’s righteousness.

Human nature is such a fickle thing. It allows the enemy to take something that God has created and twist it to the point where it becomes a sinful obsession. Focus your thoughts on the things of God!

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
(Philippians 4:7 (NIV))

What things fill your thoughts?

Copyright 1998 – 2019 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Following Jesus requires us to be deliberate!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess.
(Hebrews 3:1 (NIV))

What do you think about?

When you fix your thoughts on something, you make a deliberate effort to think about that one thing. Following Jesus is a deliberate process. You cannot simply set out to do whatever you want to and claim that you are a follower of Jesus.

Deliberate effort!

In other words, you must choose Jesus at all times. You must constantly think about Jesus and His actions and His teachings. These are the actions and the teachings that we are to follow. We are to fix our thoughts on these actions and teachings. We are to fix our hearts as well as our thoughts. We are to focus. We are to make every effort. We are to be deliberate in our thoughts and our actions so that they reflect Jesus in all that we do.

Following Jesus requires us to be deliberate!

We cannot be nonchalant in our faith.

Copyright 1998 – 2014 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Is it in your nature to praise God?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
(Psalms 19:14 (NIV))

Sometimes it is so easy to focus on God. It is in these times that the words flow and the heart meditates upon God. When this happens, it is easy to understand and fulfill the desire of the psalmist.

What we must consider is human nature!

It is easy to praise when things are going as we want them to. We think of God when we are surrounded by those who seek to praise Him. We think of God when a difficult situation is turned around. We think of God when we begin to receive blessings. But …

There is that awful word. “But.”

But, when we are among people who don’t praise God, what do we do? But, when we are in situations that seem to never turn around, what do we do? But, what happens after we have received blessings for so long that we forget where they come from?

Human nature is very short-term focused. We fail to give credit where credit is due if it means ridicule or embarrassment to us. We fail to recognize the one who sustains us through the troubles if we don’t come out of them quickly enough. We soon forget that God is the one who blesses us if the blessings flow for any length of time.

We must focus on training ourselves to speak of God and meditate on God at all times and not just at certain times. We must give thanks and praise in all situations and through all situations, for the very things that we may find ourselves in are only temporary. They will not last. If we fail to recognize God one day, we may fail again and again. Then we will find ourselves in sin and floundering.

Give praise where praise is due!

Give praise when praise is due!

Praise God with all that you are.

Copyright 1998 – 2014 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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