May grace, mercy and peace be to each of you from God our Father and our resurrected Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen
Prayer: “Father, we have all been guilty on many occasions of simply not paying close enough attention to what kind of thoughts are taking up my mind. Some of them are good, but often, we find ourselves thinking negative things toward ourselves, others, and sometimes even you. Would you forgive us for that as we begin this series, and would you allow us and help us to change our thought processes? In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen!”
I have a very vivid memory of my high school football playing days. When I was a junior and a new starting tackle, going both ways on offense and defense, I remember very early in the season that Coach Geldien and I had a come to Jesus moment.
He took me aside, and told me that I was not focused enough to play at the level he needed me to play. He just simply said, “I need you to FOCUS on developing better techniques to become the best player you can be.
I need you to FOCUS and help lead the other players to be better as well.”
His message drove us to become the state champions, and for two of us to become high school All-Americans.
Focusing on a vision is important in order to accomplish meaningful things in life.
Today, we are beginning a new sermon series revolving around this concept of FOCUS. It is a word and idea we hear in more places than just school, and it is also something God desires from us each day.
However, here is the truth we should all recognize … the world around us loves to be a distraction when it comes to us FOCUSING on God and anything RELATED to Him.
And one of society’s greatest distractions comes from social media. It is far too easy to scroll for hours on-end through social media, and before you know it, you are late to a crucial appointment, or you did not get your homework finished.
In another perspective, you can be so focused on someone’s negativity that you lose sight of what’s positive IN your life.
Or, you can be so focused on your past that you miss what God’s doing in your present, and what He’s leading you to in your future. Simply put our focus influences everything in life, including our faith …
Focus Influences Our Faith.
Over the next few weeks, we are going to allow God to influence our focus in a positive way. It may require some changes in us, but trust me when I say it will be worth it.
As we kick things off, out text verse for today is Philippians 4:8. Here Paul talks about the importance of what we THINK about, the thoughts that come in and out of our mind each day.
If you will allow Him, I believe God desires to show us today how we can Focus On The Good, which is the title of my message.
Let’s jump in now by reading together our text from Philippians 4 together…
“…whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.” Philippians 4:8
Paul mentions different words in this verse when encouraging us what to think about, which can all be defined as GOOD, wouldn’t you agree?
However, knowing what good thoughts are is one thing…putting them into practice, and choosing to focus on them, is quite another thing.
So, how do we do this consistently? I believe there is a 3-step process that can help us think thoughts like the ones the Apostle Paul mentioned.
The first step is simply to Recognize the Wrong.
Oftentimes when we are thinking, we are subconsciously having a dialogue with ourselves. Naturally, many of our thoughts revolve around us, some good and some bad.
If we know how to point out something that is wrong in the world around us or in the conversations we are involved in, we also have to practice that with ourselves.
If we want to see your negative thoughts leave your minds, you have to be willing to focus on them when they come into your minds.
You see, the Bible gives us categories, even in our text verse in Philippians, that show us what a positive thought looks like. The way we recognize the negative thoughts includes filtering them through these categories.
For example, Paul tells us in Ephesians 4…
“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Ephesians 4:29
I believe God’s desire is for us to not just use words to encourage others, but also to encourage us.
But the truth is, unfortunately, we will naturally place our focus on things that distract us.
This is why social media has become such a large distraction, because it gives us a sense of peace from what we may be facing in the real world.
If you have been searching for a sense of peace lately, the root issue may very well begin with what is coming in and out of your mind.
If you want to get your peace back, maybe you start with recognizing what caused you to lose it in the first place. Therefore, once you recognize your negative thoughts, you have to follow the second step, which is to Rediscover the Replacement
There are countless times in scripture where we get the sense Jesus does not just desire to take some things away from us, like sins and struggles in our life, but He intends to put something better in their place when He does.
For example, instead of sitting around worrying about catching the Covid-19 Virus, fill your mind with God’s Words … like these few examples from Gospel of John…
John 1:17, “…grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”
John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Or, how about
And finally, how about Jesus’ answer to the Apostle Thomas in John 14:6, “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
These are all positive and lasting thoughts we can fill our minds with, and as Paul said, “think about such things.”
God’s desire is not for us to be weighed down by negative and unhealthy thoughts. Instead, He wants us to concentrate on positive things, the “good things”, such as the things mentioned by Paul in our text Philippians 4:8. So, how do we do this?
I think the writer of Psalm 1 lays it out for us clearly in verse 2, where he says…
“Delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night.”
The law of the Lord is often interpreted as strictly the Ten Commandments listed in the Old Testament. However, I believe in the context of this verse, the law of the Lord applies to all of scripture … all of God’s commands and prohibitions.
The good things listed by Paul in Philippians can only come through when we know the Word of God. There are so many incredible stories and teachings in the Bible that can influence the way we think day-to-day.
Whatever we immerse ourselves in the MOST will eventually come out of us. This is why I firmly believe that God’s Word and thinking about God leads to transformation.
Paul talks about this concept many times elsewhere in the New Testament.
For example, He says this in Romans 12…
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Romans 12:2
The replacement God wants to make for your negative thoughts are positive thoughts. And the most direct and effective path to positive thoughts is time spent reading and thinking about God’s Word, which allows Him to transform you day-by-day.
For example, I begin every day with devotions where I read and think about God’s Word. I even post a daily devotion on Facebook, and then send it in an email to each of you, who are listed in our master contact list.
If you are not receiving them each day, just let me know your email address, and I will add you to our master list.
Once I discovered knowing God’s Word was the key to finding the good things Paul talks about in Philippians, I was willing to do whatever it took to get those things in my mind.
However, this is not the end of the process. We, as people, have a tendency to get comfortable in our progress and eventually we will take steps backwards … return to old habits.
This leads me to the final step in the process. We need to Accumulate Accountability
If there is one thing I know about the Body of Christ, it is that we are not meant to live life by ourselves.
God has gifted us with fellow believers, which Paul talks about in Philippians, to hold us accountable as we seek to grow in our faith.
So, how DO WE go about entering into an accountability relationship with someone close to us?
The truth is, we all have friends for many different reasons. However, there is one reason that stands out to me as I grow older and make more friends. Good friends want to genuinely see me grow.
A true friend is willing to do whatever it takes to help one find growth in a healthy way. Entering into accountability requires honesty.
The reality of accountability is that you may NOT like what you hear sometimes. However, once you hear it, you have the opportunity to work to change it for the better.
In terms of emptying out negative thoughts from our minds, people close to you will be able to see what is in your head by what flows out of your mouth, combined with your body language.
If we are willing, those close to us can help us with accountability. One of the greatest relational situations you can find yourself in … is one where someone else is regularly checking in with you, and asking how your prayer life is going, how church has been.
This challenges you to take steps of growth by forcing you to focus on and think about your relationship with Christ, and His bride, the LOCAL CHURCH.
Focusing on the good things Paul speaks about is not easy … it requires getting to know God’s Word – the Bible. But you will be better able see the amazing things God desires for you, when you allow Him to transform you step by step.
Remember, you recognize the negative thoughts that enter and exit your mind. Then, you allow God to replace them with something better … more positive thoughts from His Word.
From there, accountability is the key to maintaining any form of transformation in your life. All that being said … here is what I recommend for each of you today…
This coming week, schedule a regular time to read the Bible … early in the morning, during a lunch hour, or late in the evening seem to work the best for consistency.
Along with reading the Bible, perhaps take some time to write down the specific negative thoughts you’ve had running through your mind. These could be thoughts about work, your significant other, your friends, your kids, God, the church, and the list goes on and on.
And finally, commit to meeting with a close friend or mentor to discuss what you are reading and learning. Pray with them. And ask them to help you identify any negativity or blind spots in your life.
As I said in the beginning, this may require some changes in the way we approach life, but trust me when I say it will be worth it in the end. AMEN