Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Becoming Like Christ – Day 60 – Isaiah 26:3 – Perfect And Constant Peace – Growing As Disciples
You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You. Isaiah 26:3 (AMP)
Battleground
My mind has been like a battleground. How so? I have been bombarded with troubling thoughts from every corner of life. Like what? You know my thoughts. Yes, I do know your thoughts. I know your thoughts even before you think them. Then why are you asking me about the thoughts that I have been thinking? I would like to talk to you about your thoughts. Why is that? You tell me. Why is what you allow your mind to think so important? Everything that I will say or do throughout life will start off as a thought in my mind. That is true.
You said something interesting. You have gotten my attention. How so? You asked me about what I allow myself to think. Yes, I did. Do I have a choice about what I think? Can I control what I allow myself to think? Can I welcome or reject thoughts from coming into my heart and mind? What do you think? Every so often, I will have a dark and depressing thought come into my mind that I would rather reject than welcome, I can tell you that for sure. Sometimes, I have found it difficult to kick discouraging thoughts out of my mind. I have had very little success telling myself that I would not think certain thoughts anymore. I once heard someone say, “Whatever you resist, will persist”. That certainly seems to be the case with the thoughts of my mind. That’s troubling. Yes, it is.
Let me ask you a question. Go ahead, I’m listening. When you hear something unpleasant or unedifying on the television or radio what do you do? I change the channel. Do the unpleasant thoughts keep coming from the television or radio? No, they don’t. That’s because you switched the channel. You didn’t keep listening. You didn’t attempt to resist. That’s true. You can do something quite similar with your mind. How so? You tell me. I can take my thoughts off of one thing and place them on another. Yes, you can.
What would you like to place your thoughts on? I would like to place my thoughts on your word. I would like to place my thoughts on you. I would like to place my thoughts on your plan for my life. I would like to place my thoughts on living a life that is pleasing to you. I would like to place my thoughts on the future I have forever in heaven with you. Keep your thoughts on me and these things and you will live in my peace. Yes, I will. That will be very good.
Lord, I know that my mind has been a battle ground. I have been bombarded with troubling thoughts form every corner of life. I have lived far outside your peace. Help me to keep my heart and mind and life focused on you. I want to live fully in your peace. Amen
Key Question… When has the Lord given you peace beyond your comprehension in very difficult circumstances?
Living It Out… Keep your thoughts on the Lord so you will be able to live in His peace.
Seeing It Happen… Have faith that the Lord will help you to live in His peace as you keep your thoughts on Him.
Get Ready To Share… Share with another person or your small group what has helped you to keep your thoughts on the Lord.
Prayer To Bless Others… May you keep your mind on the Lord so you can live in His peace.
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