ICS Daily Devotions
Meditating on the Word to Guard Your Heart and Your Mind
When we pray we should give thanks to the Lord after our prayer because we know that He has heard our prayer. It is an act of faith to believe that God has heard our prayer and He will deliver us. Praise and Worship keeps us focused on God rather than on the problem.
It is in His presence where He infuses grace into our hearts to strengthen us. Praise and worship is also a form of prayer because when we do not know what else to pray, it is then best to praise Him. It is a declaration that our dependence is upon Him.
Philippians 4:7-8 (NKJV) and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. FINALLY, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.
“Finally….”, said The Apostle Paul in verse 8, there are certain things that we need to do after we have cast our cares upon God. He asked us to meditate on the truth and keep our eyes fixed on God SO THAT WE CAN KEEP THE PEACE.
The key to keeping the peace of God in our hearts and our minds is meditation. God’s peace will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
The Greek word for “guard” (Strong’s Concordance 5432 “phroureó”) is a military term that means to surround and protect a garrison or a city.
This peace is very different from the peace that comes from the world which is subject to the circumstances. The origin of this peace is from God that dwells in our heart. However, there is another kind of peace that guards our minds because the mind is the last frontier.
When we are fearful, our mind is meditating on the unknown, the different possible negative scenarios which might not happen. The mind is racing and turning like a dynamo. Our brain or mind is able to only think of one thing at a time. We should determine what our brain thinks about. STOP the devil from inflicting fear through our thoughts. Guard our thoughts and close the door to the devil. Don’t entertain those thoughts. We should take charge of our thoughts so that we will keep the peace in our mind.
Isaiah 26:3 (NKJV) You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.
Our mind will have perfect peace when we stay focused on God by trusting Him rather than be affected by the circumstances. Worship helps us to keep our mind on God. It reminds us of the greatness of God.
Psalm 34:15 (NKJV) The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their cry.
Sermon Series: Don’t Panic
