Pray to stand guard over our minds

We pray to stand guard over our minds.  A good friend of mine shared with me that we all have walls to watch and guard – around our country, states, cities, and homes. But the most important, crucial and usually most difficult, is our minds. My comment back: Isn’t that the truth!

We are instructed in Proverbs 4:23 (CEB) “More than anything you guard, protect your mind, for life flows from it.” We are admonished to take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ – to bring it into alignment with the mind of Christ (2 Cor. 10:5). Aren’t we told to let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus in Philippians 2:5? And if we think this is impossible, He provides us with the promise “But we have the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:16).”  

We are encouraged in Psalm 101: 3 (NASB) to set no worthless thing before our eyes! I am sure we all do this way too much, and it only produces fear and anxiety, or anger, frustration and sin; all unproductive and unholy thoughts that affect our character, our behavior, our influence. But thank God, He gave us Philippians 4:6-7 “Be anxious for nothing, but…by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God …will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” We are also encouraged not to succumb to fear, doubt or worry, as we have been given a sound mind (2 Tim. 1:7). 

What about when we let our guard down on what we are thinking about, unconscious of where our thoughts are heading? Like thoughts of jealousy, comparison, competition, or pride, haughtiness, sarcasm, or greed, lying, judging, or blaming, criticizing or lustful thoughts. Or feelings of no self-worth, failure, unworthiness, or bitterness, unforgiveness or unable to let go and move on. There is an old axiom that if you do not change the direction you are going, you are likely to end up where you are heading. Folks, we are listening to the lies of our enemy. 

So, what do we need to do? Acknowledgement; Repentance; Then turn our thoughts on Jesus, fixing our eyes on Him (Heb. 12:2), to set our minds on things above, not on earthly things (Col 3:2), keeping our mind on Him (Isa. 26:3). And Philippians 4:8 (NASB 1995) admonishes us “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute... dwell on these things.” We also need to be faithful in renewing our mind (Rom. 12:2) by daily reading, meditating, and praying out loud His powerful and effective Word. 

We must understand the authority we have been given in Christ Jesus, the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe (Eph. 1:19-23). That we have been raised up sitting together in heavenly places with Christ Jesus (Eph. 2:6). That we have been given weapons of divine power to demolish strongholds in the mind and to take captive every thought making it obedient to Christ (2 Cor 10:3-5). He has given us power and authority to do all He has commanded us to do (Luke 9:1; 10:19). We can be successful in standing guard over our minds; Let’s do it. 

Oh Jesus, You have called us, appointed us, to represent You to the world. To walk as You walked. To display Your love, Your character, Your thoughtfulness, to a hurting and needing people. And to be successful at it. You have given us Your Holy Spirit to lead us and enable us to be who You have called us to be and what you have called us to do. May we learn the anointed word NO, and say it often to our flesh, our feelings, our thoughts. We commit to daily, earnestly studying, praying, and obeying Your glorious and powerful Word, that has all the power of heaven behind every word written. We choose to walk in joyful gratitude of all You are Jesus, and all You have given us.