“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. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” (Philippians 4:8-9)
In the months since I last shared a blog post, there have been many good and lovely moments. One of the most joyous was traveling home to Minnesota to spend time with my parents and sisters. Our family celebrated the life of my sweet grandma, and it was touching to sing with her other grandchildren and great-grandchildren in her little country church. My little California family has experienced the blessings of a college graduation, the beginning of a new school year with in-person graduate, law, college, and high school classes, and an engagement!
However, even amid the blessings, uncertainty and fear can creep in. Hospitals are again overflowing with COVID patients; our country continues to experience division; there are fires, earthquakes, hurricanes, and terrorists.
This summer, my favorite Bible study book was Priscilla Shirer’s The Armor of God. In this study, Priscilla reminds us that we are at war against an unseen enemy. Thankfully, she also reminds us that God has equipped us for battle.
“Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Ephesians 6:14-17)
I find one of the most critical places the enemy attacks me is within my own mind. Priscilla Shirer offers a battle plan for defeating the enemy’s attacks on our thoughts and minds. The battle plan includes recognizing negative thought patterns, confessing those destructive thought processes to God, and taking those thoughts captive and replacing them with God’s truth.
The battle belongs to the Lord (2 Chronicles 20:15), but when I arm myself with the equipment God provides, I can stand firm when the enemy strikes.
Dear Heavenly Father, help us to focus on things that are true, beautiful, and praiseworthy. When anxious thoughts creep in and threaten to destroy us, please remind us to replace those thoughts with remembrances of your faithfulness, provision, and love. Amen.
Amen. Yes, LORD, please help us win the battles in our minds. Those intrusive and untrustworthy thoughts can be all consuming unless we replace them with thoughts of you. It is so hard. Please help us!
Kristen, I rejoice with you over all your happy celebrations and wonderful news. He is faithful and may we not allow the negativity of everything else to overshadow the good he has done and continues to do. Love ya.
Thank you, friend, for praying and rejoicing with me! It is becoming so clear that taming my thoughts is an ongoing process. I have to be on guard so those negative thoughts don’t creep in. Gratitude for all the goodness is a great place to start. Love you! ❤️
Our women’s Bible study just did that in the spring. Ride the mountain top, girl with all the fun stuff going on in your life.
We rejoice with you
Hi, Kate! Priscilla’s book is amazing! I want to read it again. It is not leaving the end table next to my recliner. 🙂 I heard a podcast today about a man who always answered the question, “How are you doing?” with, “This is the best day of my life!” I want to be like that–thankful for each new day and recognizing it as the best day because it is the one I am living right now. Love you! ❤️
Taking captive thoughts is definitely a huge challenge. It makes me all the more in awe of how Jesus was fully God and fully man! Thanks for sharing, mom! ❤️
Thank you, sweet girl! I am so grateful we have Jesus’ example as He experienced life in human form–and did it so well. Love you! ❤️