“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast.” Isaiah 26:3 NIV
Your mind is the seedbed for your attitudes, beliefs, and behavior.
My thoughts and comments today are about “a resolute mind.”
The mind is not an easy thing to control, and never easy to get settled once and for all. Just when you think you have, you wrestle with second thoughts. James describes, “A double minded man, unstable in all he does.” James 1:5-8 NIV. Unless steadfast, thoughts can be inexplicably whimsical, easily reversing themselves with growing confusion and uncertainty. When that happens, peace of mind is elusive.
Here’s where the real issue lies, “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in You.” Isaiah 26:3 NIV. Read again the closing, qualifying condition in that verse, “because he trusts in You!” An unchanging trust in God steadies and strengthens a steadfast mind. I have observed that a person does not really choose what they believe. You choose who you believe and that ultimately shapes what you believe. Foster a resolute mind to believe God and His Word, every time, all the time. Choose each day to believe God – what He says and what He is doing – trusting His wisdom, His righteous character, His eternal Word, and His faithful works.
Until those are non-negotiable in your life, everything else remains open for discussion. “For as [a man] thinks in his heart, so is he . . Meditate on these things . . which you learned . . and the God of peace will be with you.” Proverbs 23:7 NKJV/Philippians 4:7-8 NKJV. You will hear contradicting, opposing opinions from the surrounding culture. You will feel peer pressure to recalibrate your thinking, “just a little bit.” Read Psalm 1:1-3 NKJV. Circumstances and appearances will tempt you to reconsider your position of trust and obedience.
Be steadfast in your mind. Resolving the trust issue simplifies every other area of daily life. A steadfast mind makes life simpler and choices saner. Make no mistake about it; there is a battle for your mind. Every political commentary and editorial, every politician and special interest, TV program and musical lyric, every movie script and advertising appeal, and every fad and fashion that comes along is persuasive – in subtle or blatant ways. Your mind is the seedbed for your attitudes, beliefs, and behavior. Every voice and influence gaining access into your thoughts is selling something – much of it challenging or even contradicting “the mind of Christ” within you. Read 1 Corinthians 2:12-16 NIV.
Paul provided counsel for how you win the battle for the mind and keep that victory, “The weapons we use in our fight are not the world’s weapons but God’s powerful weapons, which we use to destroy strongholds. We destroy false arguments; we pull down every proud obstacle that is raised against the knowledge of God; we take every thought captive and make it obey Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 TEV.
The secret of mental, moral, and spiritual victory lies in those words. Determine that every thought will be “made to obey Christ.” The mind is at peace when the heart is steadfast in God. Jesus said, “I am leaving you with a gift – peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn’t like the peace the world gives. So don’t be troubled or afraid.“ John 14:27-28 NLT.
My prayer for you today is to have a heart and mind that is at perfect rest in God.