Set Your Mind on God

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

~ Colossians 3:1–4 (ESV)

​This will be the most obvious advice you ever read:  what you intake in your mind is what you think about and thus what influences your actions in daily life.  

It is obvious and yet very few people will put this advice into action.  Most will not question the messages that are broadcast to us on a daily basis through streaming, social media, or targeted ads.  Our standards of entertainment have dropped to the point that we pay money and then justify “turning our brains off” in order to enjoy the film.  The era of bingeing is normal and hardly anyone would question it if you spent seven straight hours watching a show. 

Paul advises us to keep our minds on Godly things because we are more likely to continue in our walk with Jesus.​

​The deeper reason to keeping our minds on Jesus is because that is how we stay in the peace of God.  As humans, we are not designed to have our minds overloaded with information that the smart phone age has ushered in.  We do much better when we can focus on one thing - and the only thing worth focusing on and pursuing is Jesus.  

In 2015 I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and a year later the doctors would add panic disorder to that diagnosis.  In short, my brain has a chemical imbalance which can lead to bouts of depression or mania.  My panic attacks have ranged from not a minor annoyance to trips to the ER.  The lesson that I have learned through this is: where I focus my mind is one of the most important actions that I can take.  

One particular bad episode lasted for a couple of days.  It started with a tough job performance review when I was still working a secular job.  The review was not an attack and, to be honest, I made a poor salesman.  However, that began an cyclone of negative thinking that spiraled into a full blown panic attack ending with my wife driving me to the hospital.  All of my negative feelings controlled my thinking.  In this instance, I did not go to the Lord, nor my Bible.  

I learned the hard way that there is a better way to live your life.  What you intake in your mind will have a direct impact on your actions.

​We have to renew our minds every day because we are a forgetful people.  

God’s mercies are new every day.  Jesus told us to pray by saying “give us our daily bread”.  The manna from heaven only lasted one day.  

If you suffer from anxiety, chances are, your mind gets stuck in a loop much like mine.  This is why the focus on God’s word every day is so important.  God’s word will guide you through each day and the Holy spirit will lead your steps along the path that God has laid down in front of you.  You will need to aggressively keep to the bible, you will need to be vigilant on what you consume from the world.  The truth is that world and the enemy wants you as far away from God’s word as possible.  If you are busy filling your mind with things that are not of God, then you are not living out the will of God in your life.  You are not living up to your own expectations for life.  The flow of your thoughts will directly impact the flow of your day.  

When you renew your mind every day, when you fill your mind with things that are above, you will spend the day in the will of our Lord.  You will see a joy and a peace wash over your life that you have not experienced before, but it takes discipline.  You may miss out on popular shows, but there is no worldly media that compares with the great knowledge of God.