Think Right

 

Philippians 4:8 

SUBJECT: ANXIETY

THEME: Part of the Secret to Victory Over Worry and Anxiety is Right Thinking, coupled with the “God of peace” to guide us and the “Peace of God” to protect our feelings and thoughts against worry.                              

RELEVANCE: Often, we forfeit the joy of the Lord through worries that plague our minds and hearts. Fears, worries, uncertainties, and even people can literally rob us of our joy, leaving us anxious. Yet the Lord wants us to have a heart that is joyful and uninfluenced by the uncertainties life will present. We can have strong joy when we Pray, Think, and Live right, but we must rely on the “God of Peace” to give us the “peace of God” as we meet these conditions.

INTRODUCTION:

In Phil 4:6 the word “careful” means “to be pulled in different directions.” Our hopes pull us one way; our apprehensions pull us in the contrary direction; and we are pulled apart with worry and anxiety. The key is not succumbing to victimhood, but to consciously choose Christ for victory.

The antidote to worry is God’s peace. “And the peace of God ... shall keep [garrison, guard like a soldier] your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:7).

When you have this:

          1. The “peace of God” guards you (Phil 4:7)

          2. The “God of peace” guides you (Phil 4:9)

          3. With such protection there is no need to worry!

If we are to conquer worry and experience peace, we must meet the conditions God gave. There are three:

     A.  Right Praying (Phil 4:6-7)

     B.  Right Thinking (Phil 4:8)

     C.  Right Living (Phil 4:9)

MESSAGE:

RIGHT THINKING; PEACE THROUGH CORRECT THOUGHTS.  (Phil. 4:8)

    * This inner peace involves the heart (feelings) and the mind (thoughts).

Isaiah 26:3, Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

    * Wrong thinking leads to wrong feeling, and before long the heart and mind are pulled apart and we are strangled by worry.

    * We must realize that thoughts are real and powerful, even though they cannot be seen, weighed, or measured. We must discipline and train our minds to be obedient to Christ. This is challenging, but very possible. 2 Cor. 10:5, Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

QUOTE: "Sow a thought, reap an action. Sow an action, reap a habit. Sow a habit, reap a character. Sow a character, reap a destiny!"— Unknown

Paul spells out in detail some things we ought to think about as Christians.

A.  THINK ABOUT TRUE THINGS. Phil. 4:8

The first place to focus is on true matters. Concentrating on the facts and giving preference to what can be verified by the evidence. There is something else here that must not be missed; it is the concept of focusing on the positive.  

Now the apostle gives a closing bit of advice concerning the thought life. The Bible everywhere teaches that we can control what we think. It is useless to adopt a defeatist attitude, saying that we simply cannot help it when our minds are filled with unwelcome thoughts. The fact of the matter is that we can help it. The secret lies in positive thinking. It is what is now a well-known principle—the expulsive power of a new affection. A person cannot entertain evil thoughts and thoughts about the Lord Jesus at the same time. If, then, an evil thought should come to him, he should immediately get rid of it by meditating on the Person and work of Christ. The more enlightened psychologists and psychiatrists of the day have come to agree with the Apostle Paul on this matter. They stress the dangers of negative thinking.^[1]

   1.  Most of Us Worry About Things We Cannot Control.

QUOTE: “Dr. Walter Cavert reported a survey on worry that indicated that only 8 percent of the things people worried about were legitimate matters of concern! The other 92 percent were either imaginary, never happened, or involved matters over which the people had no control anyway.” — Warren W. Wiersbe

   2. We Can Control Our Minds by Believing the Truth.

“True” has the sense of valid, reliable, and honest—the opposite of false or speculative. Such ‘uprightness’ characterizes God (Rom 3:4) and should also depict believers. The idea is what really is or what is so or what has happened.

Romans 3:4, God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.

1 Peter 5:12, By Silvanus, a faithful brother unto you, as I suppose, I have written briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God wherein ye stand.

True (alēthē) things are of course the opposite of dishonest and unreliable things (cf. Eph. 4:15, 25). ^[2]

A believer that is consistently truthful builds authenticity into relationships; they are transparent and can be counted on for honest feedback that edifies others. He does not resort to lies, manipulations, or flattery.

       A.  Satan Attempts to Controls Our Minds with Lies.

Certainly, we don’t want the devil in our heads!

              1.  Satan is the liar (John 8:44).

John 8:44, Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

             2.  Satan wants to corrupt our minds with his lies (2 Cor 11:3).

 2 Cor. 11:3, But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

ILLUSTRATION: “Yea, hath God said?” is the way he approaches us, just as he approached Eve (Gen 3:1).

       B.  The Holy Spirit Controls Our Yielded Minds Through Truth (John 17:17; 1 John 5:6).

John 17:17, Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. 

1 John 5:6, This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.

APPLICATION: But bear always in mind that the devil tries to control our thoughts through lies. Whenever we believe a lie, Satan takes over. He effectively won that battle on that occasion. We must rely on the Holy Spirit to remind us of the truths from God’s Word to help us combat the lies of Satan. It helped us greatly to live by Bible principles and direct statements from the New Testament especially. Also, we must bring our minds under the influence of God’s Word with even greater concentration when we are most inclined to worry. It is both a protective and guiding measure. Submitting our minds to Christ is a pre-conflict decision each believer must make to be obedient to him and to steer clear of the devil’s influence. Remember, Satan will try to manipulate us using his lies, the promise of independence of God, riches, power, pride, and our worship. Often these temptations (the lust of the flesh, lust of eyes, and the pride of life) are hidden or concealed; so, we must be discerning.  

B.  THINK ABOUT HONEST AND JUST THINGS. Phil. 4:8

This means “dignified and worthy of respect.” It speaks of what is morally attractive and deserving honor.

   1. Think on the Things That Are Worthy of Respect.

There are many things that are not respectable, and Christians should not think about these things. This does not mean we hide our heads in the sand and avoid what is unpleasant and displeasing, but it does mean we do not focus our attention on dishonorable things and permit them to control our thoughts. You must discipline your thought life. (1 Tim. 3:8, 11; Titus 2:2)

   2.  Think on Things That Meet God’s Standard.

“Right” speaks of what is upright or just, conformable to God’s standards and thus worthy of his approval.

The word “just” is from the Greek word meaning both “just” and also “righteous,” here, “righteous” in a comprehensive sense.^[3]

APPLICATION: We can help our thoughts, and we can choose to think about things that meet with God’s approval. I must hasten to observe that if we expose our ears and eyes to filth then that is exactly what your thoughts will consist of. Avoid working against yourself by cleaning up the stuff you expose yourself to. Fill your reflections with “right,” respectful, and holy concepts and notions. Good books, healthy Christian biographies, wholesome music with great God-centered lyrics, and Christ filled movies are a great starting place. Remember also, that everything that claims to be godly or Christian is actually worldly, carnal, and devilish!

C. THINK ABOUT PURE, LOVELY, AND GOOD REPORT THINGS. Phil. 4:8

These observations must not be overlooked or diminished in their importance.

    1. Concentrate on Pure Thinking.

“Pure” probably refers to moral purity, since the people then, as now, were constantly attacked by temptations to sexual impurity (Eph 4:17-24; 5:8-12). Our life situation, TV, radio, magazines, and the internet are filled with vile content so, this idea of remaining pure will require real discipline. Songs often portray some scandalous behavior and ideas that we would be wise to guard against. Preaching, teaching, counseling, and instruction in righteousness must contrast wickedness with purity for clarity’s sake but spend the necessary time making the wholesome very clear to the listener also. For example, if the awful imagine of a worldly-wise wicked women come to mind; well, this can be defeated with the image of Christ on the cross willingly suffering for my sins. Another example would be counteracting angry hasty decisions by featuring Abigail armed with a future vision and wise counsel calmly talking David into cherishing the will of God more than personal revenge. Be sure to emphasize the positive solutions and procedures not merely indicating what was wrong.

    2. Concentrate on Lovely Thoughts.

“Lovely” means “beautiful, attractive.”  This relates to what is pleasing, agreeable, or amiable.

APPLICATION: In verse 7, Paul had assured the believer that God would safeguard their hearts and minds through the Lord Jesus Christ. But it is also required that we maintain our responsibilities in these matters.  God does not protect the person’s mind who does not want it to be kept pure. (Dr. W. W. Wirsbe)

Thinking about the “lovely” leadership qualities of David, the inspiring patience of Job, the desirable traits of Daniel, the motivation of Paul, the obedience of Peter, and the devotion of the apostle John is desirable. What about the attractive qualities of Sarah, Mordecai, Ruth, Hosea, and Joseph. While just about anyone can be critical, there is something to be said for a person who can spot these beautiful qualities in others. 

    3. Concentrate on Good Reports.

“Of good report” means “worth talking about, appealing.” It denotes what is praiseworthy, attractive, and what rings true to the highest standards. Our minds are naturally focused on the bad, evil, negative, and shameful. We must fight against this natural tendency to emphasize the good report.

APPLICATION: The believer must major in the high and noble thoughts, not the base thoughts of this corrupt world. The secret to this kind of thinking is to focus on Jesus Christ as soon as an evil thought comes to mind. Whenever we are tempted to think wrong toward someone we have forgiven, we divert our thoughts back to their qualities and the things we can appreciate– refusing to think on matters we have forgiven them for.  Often it helps if we feel compassion for them in their predicament it helps. If we feel tempted to say something nasty or unkind about someone, we must discipline ourselves to report the good and express words of praise and appreciation for what we can because it’s inappropriate to criticize in most cases. Truly our thoughts are a formidable battleground.   

D.  THINK ABOUT VIRTUOUS AND PRAISE-WORTHY THINGS. Phil. 4:8

Now we look at the last area of mental concentration and focus, the virtuous and that which is worthy of praise. Consciencely thinking on outstanding goodness in general, the glory of knowing God and sharing His great power, moral excellence of character, and things deserving of celebratory expressions—matters we can applaud, support, or admire (2Pet. 1:3).

     1. If it Has Virtue, it Will Motivate Us to Do Better; and If it Has Praise, it Is Worth Commending to Others.

     2.  We Cannot Afford to Waste “Brain Power” on Thoughts That Tear ourselves down or That Would Tear Others Down If These Thoughts Were Shared.

ILLUSTRATION:  If you will compare this list to David's description of the Word of God in Ps 19:7-9, you will see a parallel. The Christian who fills his heart and mind with God's Word will have a “built-in radar” for detecting wrong thoughts. “Great peace have they which love Thy Law” (Ps 119:165). Right thinking is the result of daily meditation on the Word of God.  Through the Word we can have peace through Thinking! (Dr. W. W. Wiersbe)

Psalm 19:7-9, The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. [8] The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. [9] The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.

One caution here: we do not automatically accept information because it is positively presented, and we do not automatically reject something if it is stated negatively. Evidence is what we need…solid incontrovertible proof is what we require. Alignment with God’s Word is the standard for each of us; our own thought or conclusion may be misinformed, but God’s Word when properly interpreted and applied is totally reliable. It helps us to be thoroughly familiar with it.

CONCLUSION:

Right praying, right thinking, and next right living: these are the conditions for solid peace and victory over worry. There is no middle ground. Either we yield heart and mind to the Spirit of God and practice right praying, thinking, and living; or we yield to the flesh and find ourselves torn apart by worry. Again, worrying is sin! We have the peace of God to guard us and the God of peace to guide us!

Many are motivated to protect their ‘peace,’ and they make major decisions to secure their own ‘peace.’ Usually this means avoiding drama, disorder, confusion, and chaos that is generated by others. They opt for an environment filled with quietness, tranquility, and calmness, which is admirable in many regards. But we can be thankful that God’s brand of “peace” provides protection for us! His “peace” keeps us…garrison us about and protect us from excessive anxiety regardless of the external conditions.

Psalm 19:14, Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer. We desire that our spoken words, and internal thoughts would be pleasing and acceptable to the Lord. So, we embrace the connection between our inner thoughts and outward expressions. We seek alignment between our external speech and internal reflections and want harmony with God’s will and character. We long for a life of integrity, where thoughts and words are rooted in God’s eternal truth, bringing honor to the Lord as our Rock and Redeemer.  

---

^[1] William MacDonald, Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments, ed. Arthur Farstad (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1995), 1979.

^[2] Robert P. Lightner, “Philippians,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 664.

^[3] Kenneth S. Wuest, Wuest’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: For the English Reader, vol. 5 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), 110.