Key scripture – “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 thereis any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.” (Philippians 4:8)

Joy is the theme of the book of Philippians and when Paul wrote it he was suffering from extremely adverse conditions. Now, if Paul had written this epistle while he was sitting on a Mediterranean beach, catching some rays, and sipping an iced tea, that would be one thing. But that wasn’t the case. Paul was in a prison in Rome when he wrote this letter to the believers in Philippi. Even though he was writing from a place of difficulty, Paul wrote a letter that resonated with joy.

You are probably thinking, “How could Paul be so joyful and jubilant under such adverse circumstances? And is this joy something that I can experience in my life today?”

The answer is yes. In fact, we should experience this kind of joy for ourselves. This joy wasn’t unique to Paul; it is available to any follower of Jesus Christ.

In addition to the word “joy”, there is another word that we find used frequently in Philippians, and it is the word “mind”. In fact, the word mind is used ten times, and the word think is used five times. Add to these the time Paul used the word remember, and we have sixteen references to the mind in Philippians. In Philippians, Paul is telling us about his mind, his attitude, and his outlook.

Like Paul, we need to think along scriptural lines. The secret of Christian joy is not found in a problem-free world, because that world doesn’t exist. Rather, it is found in the way we think.

If you want to change the way you think about your problems you need to read, meditate and memorize scriptures from The Word of God. By doing that you will be able to replace the negative destructive thoughts that you have, with what God says about you and your situation. That is what it means when it says take your thoughts captive and put them under the obedience of Christ. “Casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:5).

When you remove the negative destructive thoughts you need to replace them with the Word of God and for us to be able to do that we need to know the Word of God.

“Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge, for it will be pleasant if you keep them within you, if all of them are ready on your lips.”
(Proverbs 22:17-18).

Pray this – Our Precious Heavenly Father, I thank You for Your Word and for showing me how important it is for me to watch what I think because that has a direct effect on my peace and joy. This is also why it is so important that I monitor very carefully what I let into my mind through my eye gate and ear gate. Give me the wisdom to keep my focus on You and Your Word and nothing else. Father, “Put false ways far from me and graciously teach me your law! I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I set your rules before me. I cling to your testimonies, O Lord; let me not be put to shame! I will run in the way of your commandments when you enlarge my heart!” (Psalm 119:29-32). When I receive bad news, I will immediately stop and come to You in prayer and meditate and proclaim what You say about my problem in Your Word. That is why it is so important to store Your Word in my heart and “With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Blessed are you, O Lord; teach me your statutes! With my lips I declare all the rules of your mouth. In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches. I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.” (Psalm 119:10-16). In the Precious Name of Jesus, I pray, Amen.

 Laura Ingle