DAY 36 — The Pearl: Change the Channel
DAY 36 — The Pearl: Change the Channel
“Whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely... if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.” — Philippians 4:8 (NKJV)
Principle to Live
I do not have to believe every thought that enters my mind or continue thinking about everything that demands my attention. With the help of the Holy Spirit, I can turn my thoughts toward what is true and allow God’s truth to shape the way I see my life.
Change the Channel
Years ago, if we were watching television and did not like what was playing, we simply got up and changed the channel. Today we can do it without leaving the chair, but the principle is still the same. Just because something is playing on the screen does not mean we have to keep watching it.
Our minds can be a lot like that. A thought enters and suddenly begins playing over and over. Maybe it is something someone said, a mistake we made, a fear about tomorrow, or a conversation we wish had gone differently. Before long, we are no longer simply having a thought; we are sitting there watching the same mental program again and again.
Sometimes we need to change the channel.
Paul understood how powerful our thoughts can be. Immediately after telling us to release our anxiety through prayer and receive the peace of God, he tells us what to think about. That is important because we can give something to God in prayer and then pick it right back up through our thoughts. We can put the burden down and then spend the next three hours imagining everything that could possibly go wrong.
Philippians 4:8 gives us a filter for our thinking. Is this true? Is it noble, just, pure, lovely, virtuous, or praiseworthy? Paul is not teaching us to pretend problems do not exist. He is teaching us that problems do not deserve unlimited access to our minds.
One of the most freeing things I have learned is that a thought can enter my mind without becoming my thought. I cannot always control what knocks on the door of my mind, but I do not have to invite every thought inside, give it a comfortable chair, feed it dinner, and let it spend the night.
Some thoughts need to be shown the door.
Fear says, “Something terrible is going to happen.” Truth says, “God is with me, and whatever tomorrow brings, His grace will be there.” Condemnation says, “You failed again; you will never change.” Truth says, “I am a pearl in progress, and the One working in me always finishes what He starts.” Rejection says, “Nobody values you.” Truth reminds me that I am deeply loved by my Father and that my identity is secure in Christ.
This is not merely positive thinking. Positive thinking tries to make me feel better by thinking happier thoughts. Biblical thinking brings my thoughts into agreement with truth, even when my emotions or circumstances are telling me something different.
Sometimes the battle is not simply over what happened to us; the battle is over what we are going to believe about what happened. Two people can experience similar circumstances and come away with completely different perspectives because of the meaning they attached to the experience.
That is why renewing our minds matters so much. Thoughts repeated long enough can become beliefs, and beliefs eventually influence the way we live. If I continually meditate on fear, I will begin making decisions from fear. If I continually rehearse an offense, bitterness can begin growing in my heart. If I continually agree with condemnation, I may begin relating to God as though He is disappointed with me rather than as my loving Father.
But when I meditate on truth, something begins to change. The circumstances may not change immediately, but the way I see them begins to change. Instead of looking at God through the lens of my problem, I begin looking at my problem through the lens of who God is.
That is a powerful exchange. I exchange fear-filled thoughts for faith-filled thoughts, lies for truth, condemnation for righteousness, rejection for acceptance, and hopelessness for expectation. I am not trying to empty my mind; I am learning to fill it with something better.
Perhaps there is a thought that has been playing in your mind for days. Maybe you have rehearsed it so many times that it feels like truth simply because it has become familiar. Ask yourself, “Does this thought agree with what God says?” If it does not, you do not have to keep watching it.
Change the channel.
Turn your attention toward what is true. Remind yourself who your Father is, who you are in Christ, and what God has promised. Thank Him for what He has already done, and allow the Holy Spirit to redirect your thoughts toward truth.
You may have to do it more than once. Sometimes that old channel tries to come back on, especially when we are tired, disappointed, or under pressure. When it does, simply redirect your mind again. There is no condemnation in having to renew your thoughts repeatedly; that is part of learning a new way of thinking.
The pearl is not that negative thoughts will never enter my mind again. The pearl is discovering that they do not have to stay there.
I can change the channel.
Prayer of Faith
Precious Heavenly Father, thank You that I do not have to believe every thought that enters my mind. Help me recognize thoughts that are rooted in fear, condemnation, rejection, offense, or anything else that disagrees with Your truth.
Holy Spirit, renew my mind and teach me to think according to Your Word. When my thoughts begin moving toward fear, remind me of Your faithfulness. When condemnation speaks, remind me of the righteousness I have received in Christ. When circumstances look hopeless, help me see them through the truth of who You are.
Today I exchange lies for truth, fear for faith, condemnation for righteousness, and hopelessness for expectation. Let my thoughts increasingly agree with Your heart until the way I think begins to shape the way I live.
I am loved by You, precious Heavenly Father, filled with Your Holy Spirit, and alive in You, my precious Savior, Jesus Christ. In the powerful name of Jesus, amen.
