Think Upon: The End

Finally! The end is near! The battle field of the mind is a hard place to conquer. However, meditating on Philippians 4:8 will create freedom, positivity, and peace into your life. Thank you so much for going on this journey with me! I hope victory has ventured into your life and you're winning the battle! Since its been so many weeks, let's review each word and practical tips to achieve victory.

Think upon whatever is true. Another word for true, is truth. Where does truth come from? That's correct, the Bible. If you are not in the Word of God daily, how do you except to replace negativity with truth? It is quite nearly impossible. Even if you have trouble believing the Bible, try listening to it explained by a reputable teacher. Many times when my faith is lacking, looking into scripture gives my heart an extra nudge to hope and have faith once more. Isn't the gospel enough? Because that's what the entire Bible is. If you believe Jesus was born, lived, died, and rose no other lie that arises in your mind should have power to replace truth.

Think upon whatever is noble. YOU ARE ROYALTY! Although not in the fancy dresses, huge rings, and a throne type of royalty. Rather inheriting all of heaven one day. Don't allow negativity to distract you from taping into all God offers you both now and in heaven. His power, peace, and ultimately the joy of knowing where you will end up one day, just to name a few. If you're going to worry and focus on the future, keep looking toward the crown of jewels and endless joy of eternity with Jesus.

Think upon whatever is right. Put God at the forefront of your mind, because He is the ultimate definition of right. Be attentive to each characteristic of God that you've learned personally and fight back with the knowledge. "For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ," 2 Corinthians 10:3-5.

Think upon whatever is pure. The real issue when it comes to thinking upon purity is not the lustful thoughts, the ungodly desires, or the act of choosing God second. It is the sin of selfishness that leads into impurity. If you choose to act in humility instead of living life alone, without Jesus and other believers, victory is attainable in every thought/emotion.

Think upon whatever is lovely. During this blog, I stated that replacing things in our mind that our negative with things that are lovely can be faulted. That is still correct. Replacing negative thoughts with things that we find pleasant/enjoyable can lead to sin. Therefore, we should focus on what God thinks and defines as lovely. But first we defined lovely as, satisfaction, allowing our senses to be happy, and something that has extreme beauty. Now let's combine what God thinks with our definition. Satisfaction is found in Christ alone because He will never leave or forsake us. Senses become happy by choosing to live in victory which brings about joy. Extreme beauty is the nature around us and the creation of our own selves. Win the battle with God's thoughts of loveliness, not our own.

Think upon whatever is admirable. It isn't all about the thoughts but rather who we choose to look up to and spend time with. Don't admire the way someone looks, don't admire your own actions, but rather admire Jesus. Allow Him to be your standard and act as He did while living on earth. Don't admire from afar but get up close and get to know Jesus personally. It's totally worth it.

Think upon whatever is excellent or praise worthy. Sing! And then sing some more! Tell God just how amazing, sovereign, and worthy of praise He is. Negativity cannot overtake the mind if praise is currently there. Remember, it is okay to distract your thoughts with excellent (outstanding) subjects. Just don't allow yourself to avoid or hide from situations. (Definition of distract: prevent from giving full attention to something. Definition of replace: to put something new in the place of). It's okay to take a break!

Well that was a LOT! If you were confused by anything you read, take a minute and reread a subject. Don't allow yourself to simply scan this blog and be done for the day. Ponder it all in your heart and mind. Allow God to speak to you. Be open about your flaws, get an accountability partner or two and WIN! Win the battlefield in the mind. Choose the joy God has already given you. Do it all afraid. Continue to read and replace negative thoughts with Philippians 4:8. If you haven't already, memorize it. And last but certainty not least, Philippians 4:8 states, "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."