A healthy state of mind is crucial for us to properly function daily. When our thought life is unwell, we tend to easily get stressed or mentally worn out. Therefore, it is vital that we learn to train our minds to focus on things that will help us remain positive. And what, or rather Who, can keep us in this fit mental condition but our Lord Jesus Christ?
When we feed our minds with the right thoughts, our emotions are affected, and our actions will follow suit. Remember the TEA principle? Thoughts translate to emotions and then to actions. That’s why it’s important that we have the right perspective, and that we choose to dwell on these godly thoughts.
As Philippians 4:8 [NASB] says:
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
I must admit that it is easier said than done. It takes a lot of practice to be able to train our minds to function this way. Moreso, we need the enabling of the Holy Spirit every moment of every day for us to win the battle that is constantly raging in our heads.
However, though it is difficult, one thing we can do is to have a fixed pool of thoughts that we can run to whenever we come across what I shall call the “gaps” of life.
What are these gaps?
Gaps are things that bring pause to our lives, like when activities suddenly come to a halt. At times, right when everything is going well, we find ourselves before a huge pit, a giant hurdle that we need to successfully go over before we can move forward.
The road of life is full of gaps like these and among the typical ones are our concerns for our well-being, our daily needs, and thoughts about our future.
As I was driving the other day, God and I were talking about these breaks in my life and I just want to share with you what He impressed upon me. These are truths that can help us have the right thoughts whenever we are faced with the gaps of life.
God always protects
One of the things that concern a lot of people today is their safety, either from diseases or from any type of physical harm. Times sure are tough. In fact, as we are all probably aware, there is an ongoing worldwide pandemic that has already crippled nations.
Many are afraid to contract the virus and to die from it, apart from other illnesses that can ravage our bodies. Also, there are accidents and other crimes which are also causes of distress and worry.
The reality is that we fear a lot of things. However, I like this acronym which I heard from the pulpit. Fear is actually “False Evidence Appearing Real.” When we examine our lives, how much of the things we feared eventually came true? In my case, most of them didn’t. It seems that I wasted too much time worrying about matters that I should not be overly concerned about.
So, folks, when we are face to face with the gap of fear, this truth is one that can counter it: God always protects. He promised never to leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). He is our hiding place, He will protect us from trouble (Psalm 32:7). He is always with us, nothing will come to us without His permission (Psalm 118:6).
God’s promises of protection are abundant. He knows that we tend to be overcome by this emotion, and He does not take it against us. Instead, He gave us His comforting words so that when we feel hopeless, we will remember that He is our Protector, our Refuge, and our Strength.
God always provides
Provision is another gap in life that we face quite often because we have constant day-to-day needs. We are concerned about what we will eat, how we can save for our children’s future, what will happen if we lose our job during this pandemic, how we can pay our monthly dues, and so on.
If we endlessly look at these things, we will never run out of reasons to worry because these are daily necessities and so they will always be there. Sadly, this reality is why we are often stressed out.
In fact, this scenario also plays out in the context of marriage. Married couples go through conflicts that seem to never end especially if it concerns money or provisions.
When we are in front of this gap, one thing that we must remember is this: God always provides. He supplies our needs, according to His riches (Philippians 4:19). If we understand how lavish God is, we will not fear. He owns everything that we can see around us. Thus, if it is a “need,” He will definitely provide.
He even gave this reassuring truth in Matthew 6:25-26:
“For this reason, I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is life not more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the sky, that they do not sow, nor reap, nor gather crops into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more important than they”
God is a faithful provider, and we shall never lack. The problem often lies in what we see as our wants and our needs. But if we trust God, we will understand that He knows what He is doing, and what He gives is sufficient for our needs today.
God always prevails
The last thing I want to focus on is the gap of uncertainties about what will happen in the future. Many people today are overburdened by events that they cannot control. Indeed, there are so many things to be worried about.
As a Christian, one of the issues that bother me is the continuous decline of morality all over the world. It seems like we are fighting a losing battle because many are supportive of the things God is explicitly opposed to.
When we look around us and see only the things that have gone wrong, we tend to feel hopeless. When we see injustice, crimes, poverty, corruption, and all these negativities, we feel helpless and exasperated. We often try to deal with these issues using our own sheer will and at times we even end up fighting against each other.
It is not wrong to stand up for what we believe in, but what we must remember is that God always prevails. No matter how bleak and gloomy the situation is, even if it feels as if everything is going wrong, keep in mind that victory is with the Lord (1 Corinthians 15:57). For as long as God is on our side, no one can be against us (Romans 8:31).
We don’t have to always battle against these things using our own voice and strength. God can fight for us as we keep still (Exodus 14:14). The ultimate war is over. God has already won.
So, when we face this gap, always remember that we are on the winning side.
Fill the gaps with God
There are many other gaps in life that we will encounter every day. It’s part and parcel of our journey as children of God, living in a world as fallen as we are. So, if we do not train our thoughts to focus on the truths of God, we will surely fall into these traps.
It is then very crucial to remember that in all things, at all times, and in every place, God is ever-present. He will fill these gaps with Himself and will allow us to cruise through life safely until the day when we shall be with Him.
The Fit Stewards 