Flourishing Even More in Peace - Think on These Things

    Peace, perfect peace.

    It is more than just a quiet moment after a chaotic day. It is a quiet mind and a calm heart even amidst the chaos.

    Is it attainable? YES! What God commands, we can do; what God promises, He will do!

    Consider for a moment James 1:5-8. James warns against being double-minded (vv6-8). The term double-minded holds the idea of being anxious, that stress-inducing battle between rational and irrational thought. It is a mind that is not at peace.

    God wants us to have peace. He instructs us to "be anxious for nothing" in Philippians 4:6, and He does not leave it at that, He tells us exactly what needs to be done to overcome anxiety and ‘be at one again’ in our mind and heart: "in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7)

    While your Bible is open to Philippians 4, continue reading through verse 8; God in His loving provision also gave us instruction in how to maintain the peace He grants us, instructions that will help us develop a new focus for our thoughts as we obey the command to “meditate on these things.”  The things mentioned in this verse – things that are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, and praiseworthy – give us a multi-faceted defense against the devil’s ploys and deceptions.

Anxiety comes from giving ear to the devil, but peace comes from giving everything to God.

    By giving us a command to meditate on these things, God is training us to ward off the devil:

• The devil will tell us lies (John 8:44, Revelation 12:9), but if we are meditating on what is TRUE you will not believe his lies and you will quickly squelch them by recalling the truth to your mind (Hebrews 5:14).
• The devil will try to draw our attention to immoral people (celebrities, influencers, athletes) that appear to ‘have it all’ (read and consider Psalm 73) and try to convince us that they are worthy of our awe and fandom, but if we are meditating on what is NOBLE, we won’t be easily impressed or swayed by worldly standards of nobility.
• The devil will try to convince us that anger, retaliation, and revenge is the best way to treat people who have hurt us (consider Cain in Genesis 4:1-15, and Simeon and Levi in Genesis 34, 49:5-6, and Joshua 19:1-9) but if we are meditating on what is JUST we will be well-versed in God’s true justice and learn mercy and grace because we have needed it so very often ourselves (consider Matthew 5:44-48, 6:14-15).
• The devil will infiltrate every form of media with impurities – commercials, TV shows, movies, videos, music, books, magazines, podcasts, etc. – to fill our minds with impure thoughts and impure judgments (consider Matthew 15:19-20), but if we are meditating on what is PURE we will be repulsed by impurities and flee from them (Romans 12:9, 2 Timothy 2:22).
• The devil will try to convince us that we must attain the world’s standard for “beauty” (as well as its immodesty and vanity, consider 1 Peter 3:3), but if we meditate on what is truly LOVELY we will not become self-centred and vain, and our standard will be to behave in a way that is “very precious in the sight of God” (1 Peter 3:4).
• The devil will try to tempt you into gossip and slander (Proverbs 26:22), but if we meditate on what is OF GOOD REPORT we will be repulsed and stop the gossip in its tracks so “the fire goes out” (Proverbs 26:20-21).
• The devil will try to lower our standards so we give of our time and our means to worthless pursuits. He will try to keep us from seeing what is truly worthy of our time and attention, but if we are meditating on what is VIRTUOUS we will keep a higher standard and make better use of our time and we will also support those who are making efforts in doing what is good and right (Hebrews 10:24-25, 1 Thessalonians 5:12-15).
• The devil will try to make us feel hard done by so that we grow lax and begin to forget all that God has done, is doing, and promises yet to do, but if we are meditating on what is PRAISEWORTHY we will be filled with ever-increasing gratitude and appreciation for God and His wondrous way, His lovingkindness (mercy) and His faithfulness (Psalm 92:1-2, Romans 12:1-2).

    We go through many struggles and hardships in our lives, but through it all God is more than willing to supply His abundant peace, all He is asks of us is to give over our worries and anxieties, ask Him for His help, and keep our minds thinking on what is good (Colossians 3:1-17) so we can daily quench the fiery darts of the devil (Ephesians 6:16, James 4:7).

    Our gracious Father is ready, willing, and able to provide His peace! Are you willing to give your worries to God in exchange for His perfect peace? Are you ready and willing to learn and meditate on all the good and proper things that God has provided in His word so you can maintain His perfect peace? Let’s determine today to trust God more, to believe His promises (Hebrews 11:6), and flourish even more in peace!

You can do it! So can I!!