“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:8-9 NKJ
I used to read this verse and make the determination to practice it! But the more I tried, the more I failed! One day when reading it I asked the Holy Spirit to reveal the deeper meaning of this verse so I could understand why I was unable to carry it out. What I discovered changed my life forever and my prayer is that as I share the truth He revealed to me, your life will be changed forever as well. Look at the words we are told to meditate on: whatever is true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, and praiseworthy. Now let me change the verse to read the way the Holy Spirit spoke it to me.
“Finally Holly, who is true, who is noble, who is just, who is pure, who is lovely, who is of good report, who is virtuous, who is praiseworthy, meditate on Him. The things which you learned and received, and see in Him, this is where My peace is found.” Wow what a revelation! The peace of God is found in Christ alone and in the finished work of the Cross! All human effort to produce the peace of God fails because only the Prince of Peace can give us peace! Peace is a fruit of the Spirit and it is only when our minds are rooted and grounded in Him that the spiritual fruit of peace is produced in our lives!
In our own strength peace in any circumstance is short lived because we can be knocked down by natural circumstances. Think about it. One bad report, one lie spoken, one unjust act, one impure thought, etc., and our peace is gone! We react to the situation and soon find ourselves feeling fearful, angry, doubtful, helpless, or wavering in our faith. But when our strength comes from the Lord all hope is found in every situation. It is neither by might nor power but by the Spirit of God where the peace that passes understanding is found!
When we meditate on who we are in Jesus Christ and the truth of what His death and resurrection means to us as believers, we are empowered and strengthened in our inner man. For example: We say we are sinful, He says we are righteous! We say we can’t think straight, He says we have been given His mind! We say we are too weak, He says in our weakness He is our strength! We say we are sick, He says by His stripes we are healed! We say we can lose our salvation at any point, He says that if we believe in him, we are saved! We say the burdens of life are too heavy, He says His burden is light!
Are you beginning to see it? Our lives move in the direction of our most dominant thoughts! If we are meditating on Him, our thoughts move in the direction of faith, hope, love, joy, peace, patience, longsuffering, kindness, self control. But when we meditate on our own understanding our thoughts move towards fear, worry, doubt, disbelief, anger, envy, strife, and restlessness. To really understand this, try this exercise. Spend time trying to think happy and sad thoughts at the same time. Try to think peaceful and fearful thoughts at the same time. Try to think hopeful and doubtful thoughts at the same time. You can’t do it. Your mind will move in the direction of the most dominant thought at the moment.
This is why it is so important for us to meditate on Him day and night. Psalm 1: 3 shows us the result that comes when we meditate on Jesus day and night. It says, “He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.” When our minds are fixed on Jesus and the finished work of the Cross, the enemy cannot distract us and get us focused on our circumstance or situation. He cannot penetrate a mind that is filled with truth. Ephesians 4 warns us not to give place to the devil. So it is our responsibility to make sure we do not give him a place to plant thoughts.
I want to encourage you to seek wisdom from the Lord in this area. Spend time meditating on who God says you are as a new creation in Christ! As you do this you will be blessed and empowered by the Holy Spirit and you will be filled with hope. May you come to know all the benefits of the Lord and experience the peace that comes from Him and Him alone; as you meditate on who He says you are in Him!
Prayer: I choose to meditate on You and the finished work of the Cross. I believe by faith that as I do I will be filled with peace! I choose to direct my thoughts towards You and to deny the enemy entrance to my mind. I stand firm in knowing that I have the mind of Christ and I will see the fruit of the Spirit manifest in my life as I fix my mind on You! Amen
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