You are what you THINK in your Heart
The saying goes, “You are what you eat,” but it really should be, “You are what you think”, especially in your heart.
Proverbs 23:7 NKJV says, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.”
I recently had a bit of a health scare. Both my health practitioner’s office and the x-ray technician called to schedule a follow-up for my routine mammogram. One person told me that the x-ray was not complete, and the other one told me that one side needed a few more pictures.
I am so grateful that these ladies did their due diligence to call me, but my thoughts felt like they just came out of an old superhero show. Wham! Bam! Pow! Boom!
What was I supposed to think?
My thoughts immediately began to battle each other.
“This is just a follow-up to a routine test.”
“I have children who still need me.”
“This is why I get a mammogram every year.”
“If something is wrong, they caught it early.”
“What if it is c……?”
Whoa! Stop thoughts!
As humans, we are innately wired to think the worst about any situation. Counselors call this type of thinking “awfulizing”. These “awfulizing” thoughts caused great anxiety and unrest in my heart.
Fortunately, the Bible commands us to think differently.
Philippians 4:8 NIV says, “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.”
When studying scriptures, I always look for the words that place verses and phrases together. In Philippians 4:8, the word that stands out to me is “Finally.” Why is the word “Finally” there and what verse(s) did it follow?
Philippians 4:8 is the final goodbye in a list of Bible verses that the author Paul uses to summarize the Philippians letter. To understand the word “Finally” in Philippians 4:8, we must look at verses 6 and 7.
Philippians 4:6 NIV says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
Life throws curve balls and challenges which cause us anxiety because our first thoughts are going to be bad or awful in any situation.
Thoughts cause feelings. Bad and awfulizing thoughts cause anxious feelings in our hearts.
When we start to feel anxious, scripture tells us to stop those feelings through prayer, petitioning God, and thanking Him. Once we do those things, we can align our thoughts to God and invite His peace into our lives.
Philippians 4:7 NIV says, “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
I love that God’s presence is present tense. God’s presence is not just something from the past and not something for the future. It is available for us right now.
To invite God’s presence in your heart and into your situation, pray, petition God, and thank Him for sending Jesus Christ for you. Then, sit quietly in his presence and ask him to come and give you peace. Start with sitting in God’s presence for 5 minutes and gradually increase time with God for 10 minutes or longer.
I find that inviting God to share his peace and presence allows me to take the next step to the “Finally” part where I allow him to change my thoughts.
Philippians 4:8 NIV says, “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.”
Thoughts cause feelings. True, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy thoughts cause us to feel hope, strength, and peace.
After all, “You are what you think in your heart!”
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