Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – July 6, 2014
You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Isaiah 26:3
A beautiful mind believes God, for there is fidelity of faith that flows from a mind focused on the Lord. It is steadfast on its Savior because it trusts in Him. An ugly mind is contrary, conflicted, and unsure. Its focus fluctuates between fear and faith. In an ugly mind, there is a battle that fatigues faithfulness to the point of giving up. The mind’s eye can become trapped in the temporal and lose its willingness to trust God. This is tragic and terrifying for those whose minds become numbed to the things of God. Depart from this double-mindedness (James 1:8) or you will lose heart and fracture your faith.
The mind is a beautiful thing if it is focused properly, but it can be disturbing and destructive when it loses perspective. The mind can play tricks on you because Satan plays mind games. He tries to draw you in with his allure, but his thoughts lead to faithless living. Therefore, build up your intellectual stamina and trust in God so you can reject Satan’s lies. Reject his temptation to remain restless, for you can rest in peace because the Prince of Peace reigns over your life. Reject Satan’s leading into lust because you are loved by the everlasting love of your heavenly Father.
Moreover, fill your mind with good thoughts. “Finally, brothers, 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).
Good thoughts facilitate faith, and God thoughts bring about a beautiful mind. A mind needs to be stretched, as a heart needs to be exercised. An unused mind is a waste; it atrophies and becomes ugly. It is a waste of time to have an unengaged mind. Mindless activity will get you into trouble. Therefore, think. Be a thinker, not just a doer. Engage your mind with large thoughts about the Lord. Reflect on His righteousness and the grandeur of His glory. Get beyond trivial thoughts to thoughts that trust in God. The quality of your life follows the quality of your thoughts. Classical books—along with the Bible—provide fertile soil for great thinking. Great thinkers help you develop disciplined thinking.
Make it a goal to read, dialogue, and debate with wise thinkers. This will help you think well. A mature mind is a beautiful thing to behold. A messy mind never matures beyond just getting by. Therefore, discipline and stretch your mind. Most importantly, keep trust in the Lord top of mind. Trust in God is your catalyst for wise thinking. Legalism leads to non-thinking and little faith. Without trust in the Lord, your mind becomes fertile ground for deception. Therefore, allow trust to become the scope in which your mind’s eye gazes, and it will see perfect peace. The filter of faith massages your mind with God’s fingers of love, joy, and hope. The mind of Christ is worth a lifetime of study; it beautifies your thinking. A beautiful mind trusts and rests in the Lord.
Post/Tweet today: Build up your intellectual stamina by trust in God, so you can reject Satan’s lies. #wisdomhunters
Taken from the July 6th reading in Boyd’s 365-day devotional book, “Seeking Daily the Heart of God vol. 1” … http://bit.ly/Tv6y9a
Free eBook when you invite 5 friends to the free email devotional…https://www.wisdomhunters.com/invite-your-friends/
© 2014 by Boyd Bailey. All rights reserved. www.wisdomhunters.com
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Thank you so much for this beautiful mind reminder. I will share it with my family and friends that are battling the faith of life. I also need to remind myself while seeking a job for my family that the Lord is all I have in the mist of my desperation.
God Bless your ministry and promise to send a gift when I get that JOB !!
I m well pleased with what I just finish reading. I learn so much thru this
Beautiful mind that I had to share it with others. The mind is a battle field
And we all need to trust God with our hopes n dreams. That’s was something
I was not doing I I was afraid to do
But as I ask God to increase my faith
Over and over again He answer me
And I began to trust in Him with my
All… Thank You Jesus ..
Dear Edwin~
Thank you, brother for your encouraging words! We are thankful that you were blessed by the devotional, “A Beautiful Mind”. This is one of my all time favorites among the Wisdom Hunters devotionals (Yes, I realize I have said that about many of the other WH devotionals, but this is one is at the top of the list!).
The sentence in the devotional that seemed to clarify the importance of our own “beautiful mind” was : “The quality your life follows the quality of your thoughts”. What a powerful reminder!!
How right you are, Edwin, when you stated the “the mind is a battlefield”. We need to be aware of the evil one’s tricks with our minds. “Therefore, ground your intellectual stamina in God so you can resist Satan’s lies”, as the devotional reminds us.
Thank you Edwin for your wise words. We are so thankful that you are a fellow wisdom hunter and we look forward to hearing from you again.
A sister in Christ~
Gwynne