DISCOVER THE PEACE OF SURRENDERING YOUR THOUGHTS TO CHRIST
__________________________________________________
You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in You. – Isaiah 26:3 –
Ever wonder why thoughts appear seemingly out of nowhere? A thought comes your way… and your mind follows after it. Thoughts can lead down paths of positivity or negativity. Both will impact your physical, mental and spiritual self. For whatever occupies your mind controls your life.
⇒ Do negative thoughts prevail… causing you to feel unsettled, anxious, in turmoil? When we view life from a worldly perspective, we start believing the worst. Thoughts arise that raise doubts… question decisions… stir up dissension. These thoughts clamor for our attention, disrupt our calm and disturb our well-being.
⇒ Or do positive thoughts dominate… causing you to feel peaceful, calm, untroubled? When we allow the peace of Christ to fill our hearts, we view life from His perspective with joy and hope. His Spirit influences our thoughts. We see the best in people and circumstances. We recognize and are thankful for our many blessings.
Throughout the day, we have the choice to have faith that God is in control, meaning all that happens is for my greater good, or we can go around in fear, worried and negative, expecting the worst. – Rev. J. Martin, Author
⇒ Are you finding your thoughts wandering back to your past with sorrow, bitterness or regret? Ask yourself… can I change the past? Can I change whatever is welling up negative thoughts from times gone by? If there is some way of redemption, then make any amends.
It is important to leave the negatives from our past behind that rob us of peace. Remember, Jesus carries your yesterdays. Leave all your less than stellar memories with your Redeemer who redeems your past. Refuse to let your thoughts travel there any longer. Allow His Spirit to help you recollect the positive, joyful and blessed memories instead.
⇒ Are you discovering your thoughts getting mired in the present with worry, distress or fear? Ask yourself… can I affect the present? Can I affect whatever is causing negative thoughts about the here and now? If the Holy Spirit leads you to take action… to make a change… to alter your present circumstances in some way, then follow that path.
Our worrisome, unsettling thoughts will not help or affect the present. Yet they will steal today’s joys. We need to stop our minds from roaming there. Remember, Jesus oversees your present. He sovereignly manages every detail of your life. Allow Him to rule… to reign as Lord and King of your today.
⇒ Are your thoughts meandering into the future with uncertainty or apprehension? Ask yourself… can I control the future? Can I control whatever is creating negative thoughts about the times to come? If you are led by the Spirit to prepare in some way for what lies ahead, then pursue that road.
No amount of anxious or distressing thoughts can change our future. Yet they will cheat us of hope. We need to realize the futility of that type of thinking. Remember, Jesus rules your tomorrows. He is your Almighty King who knows what your future holds. Place your absolute trust in Him alone.
Whatever we focus our attention on is what will dominate our thoughts. If our thoughts are dominated by the things of this world, then we are going to get worldly results in our lives. We need to focus on God to get godly results. – Andrew Wommack
⇒ Are you carrying the burdens of others? Are your thoughts focused there? When we care so much about what others are going through, we often take on their problems as our own… often to our own detriment. Remember, Jesus is your Burden Bearer. He asks you to cast your cares upon Him. He is the One strong enough to carry all for you. Encourage others to give their burdens to Him as well.
⇒ Are you fighting the battles of others? Are your thoughts centered there? Sometimes we expend our energy, agitate our emotions and disrupt our lives fighting battles that are not ours to fight. Remember, Jesus is your Warrior. He is the One powerful enough to fight your battles for you. Exhort others to let Him contend for them in their struggles. For the battle is the Lord’s, the One who is victorious over all.
Fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our Apostle and High Priest. – Hebrews 3:1
Pursuing negative, unproductive trains of thought lead us away from Christ. Stressful, troubling, fearful thoughts rob us of the peace that He longs to give us. When our minds are captured by these thoughts, we find it difficult to break free.
⇒ How do we escape from a negative pattern of thinking?
♦ When you become aware of your thoughts heading in the wrong direction, rein them in and give them over to Jesus
♦ Learn to recognize rogue, negative thoughts and take them captive to Christ – Refuse to believe them, dwell on them or allow them to dominate your life
♦ Think thoughts that are positive, healthy… productive for God’s kingdom and for your best
♦ Say aloud key scriptures that remind you of who you are in Christ
♦ Guard what you allow into your mind… what you read, listen to or view
♦ Learn to find joy in life – See the good in people and life’s happenings
♦ Find activities, pastimes, diversions you enjoy… ones that absorb your thoughts, ones that require you to think and plan, ones offering a pleasant place for your thoughts to go
Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. – Psalm 139:23-24
Because we have the Spirit of Christ, we have the mind of Christ. As we surrender our thoughts to Him, He will ease our mind’s burdens and lift our spirits. He will pull us out of the miry depths of our negative, burdensome thoughts and instill in us His abiding, unending, perfect peace.
† Eternal Takeaway – For a peaceful thought life, turn your thoughts over to Christ †
