One of my favorite scriptures, Philippians 4:8 says to “fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable.” In other translations, you might see “keep your thoughts,” or simply “think” or “meditate on these things.” However, I love the New Living Translation because that phrase “fix your thoughts” speaks to me.
Personally, it signifies more than just positive thinking. It is a powerful command to shift my focus with intention and purpose. Fix is the root word of fixate, which means to concentrate, gaze, or dwell upon something with intense or obsessive focus.
In a world where we have so much data to consume, it seems harder and harder to fixate on anything in particular. But the Word is still alive and still very relevant. In fact, I would argue that this particular scripture is even more critical in today’s culture than it ever was.
As myriad attention grabbers – good, bad, and ugly – attempt to reel us in, it is more important than ever that we have something true, honorable, and pure on which we set our gaze. Our mental, physical, emotional, and most of all spiritual health depends on it.
As I’ve been meditating on this verse, I’ve become much more aware of what I consume, mostly through my eyes and ears. If you’re anything like me, the more “tabs I have open in the background,” the harder it is for me to focus my attention on one thing.
So the first thing I’ve done to put myself in a better position to obey this verse is to get quiet. Shut some things down. Start from a blank slate.
For me, that looks like having quiet time instead of playing the radio during my commutes or while I make breakfast. Instead of letting the TV play as I fall asleep, I now drift to sleep in quiet.
Next, I started searching for those things that God would consider pure, lovely, and admirable. Where did you go for that? The Word, of course.
That’s where I found scriptures like Galatians 6:9, which is now in rotation as the screensaver on my phone – the device that gets most of my attention throughout the day. I’ve now replaced some of that radio time with my favorite praise songs.
These are seemingly small shifts that are making a big difference in supporting my new fix.
Why should we do these things, you might ask? I’m glad you did. You can find it right in the next verse of Philippians 4 verse 9. If you keep putting into practice all that you’ve learned, verse 9b says, “Then the God of peace will be with you.”
Here’s what I’ve learned. God is always with us and His peace is always readily available. But when we do these things (like mentioned above), we will feel His presence and experience that peace He brings more deeply. And who wouldn’t want more of that?
So, my friend, what will you fix your thoughts on this week?
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