Consider...

As I was driving the other day to Target...because I really don't go anywhere else...I was cut off by a very anxious driver. I could feel my hands tense and my body get heated, and my first instinct was to start screaming! But I didn't. I took a breath, relaxed, and realized that the only person who was going to be harmed by my bad reaction was me. I chose to focus on something else. And then I started thinking that one of the most remarkable capacities of the human mind is to direct its own attention to something it chooses. We can pause and say to our minds, "Think about this, and not that."

We can focus our attention on an idea or a picture or a problem or a hope. Talk about an amazing power! Such a gift from God...part of His image in us. And it's an immensely powerful means of our becoming what we ought to be. Although this wonderful gift is instilled in us, it's difficult at times to use. Have you been ignoring this great weapon against sin? The Bible calls us again and again to use it...so let's start taking it out, shining it up and put it to use!

Paul says in Romans 8:5-6, “Those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, [set their minds on] the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace.”

What you set your mind on determines whether the issue is life or death.

I think that we have become far too passive in our pursuit of change and wholeness and peace. I fear that in today's society we have fallen into the passive mindset of simply “talking through our problems” or “dealing with our issues” or “discovering the roots of our brokenness in our family of origin.” As great as these may be, I feel that we tend to slip into a passive way of thinking about change—that it may come to me one of these days as I “talk through” my problems. Coming to it one of these days just isn't good enough. It takes practice, determination, and a will to want to change. God is here for you. He wants you to be better, whole, changed, and at peace. But you've got to focus your mind to get there.

“Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth” Colossians 3:2

“Enemies of the cross,” Paul says, “set their minds in earthly things” Philippians 3:19

Our emotions are controlled so much by what we consider - what we dwell on with our minds. Jesus told us to overcome the emotion of anxiety by what we consider:
“Consider the ravens … Consider the lilies” Luke 12:24, 27

Your mind is the window into your heart. What happens if we constantly think about things that are dark? Our heart feels dark. But if we open the window of our minds to the light, our heart will feel the light.

“Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.” Philippians 4:8

Above all, this great capacity of our minds to focus and consider is meant for considering Jesus.

“Holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Jesus … Consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you may not grow weary and lose heart” Hebrews 3:1; 12:3

Let's learn not to be passive with our minds...