Picking what We Ponder

“Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life.” Prov 4:23 (NCV)

One of the most frightful times for me when my children were teenagers was when they got their license and they were free to drive alone. Handing them the keys to my car felt like I was giving them control over my future. My mind raced through every bad scenario humanly possible and was only at peace when I saw the car winding down our long driveway. The next morning as I awoke, I was always surprised at how anxious and fretful I had been the previous day.

Satan must be having a field day during this pandemic as we are all a captive audience. He doesn’t have to work as hard, be as crafty as usual or worry about timing. We are all sitting ducks periodically with worse case scenarios swirling above our heads. Yesterday by mid-morning I had already held up the keys to my mind and watched him drive off. From feelings of calm to chaos, peace to frustration and even a bit of anger my mind was all over the place, all before noon! I felt like a fraud as a devotional blogger and a failure as a woman who constantly claims that God is in control and works all things for our benefit. But what good is a testimony without sharing the test? Max Lucado, author of Anxious for Nothing summed up yesterday’s emotions by describing them as follows, ‘He [Satan] will lead you to a sunless place and leave you there…Exaggerated, overstated, inflated, irrational thoughts are the devils specialty.’ p. 122. Satan was probably smiling more than usual yesterday but it will not be repeated today! I am so grateful for authors who remind us of God’s word and what is Biblical truth. The phrase for today is ‘You can pick what you ponder.’ p.120. He writes, ‘You didn’t select your birthplace or birth date. You didn’t choose your parents or siblings. You don’t determine the weather or the amount of salt in the ocean. There are many things in life over which you have no choice. But the greatest activity of life is well within your dominion. You can choose what you think about.’ p. 121

When we hand over the keys to our thoughts to Christ during our exaggerated emotions, He will drive us to peace. He will help us capture what are 'head-on collision' scenarios and remind us of what is true and factual. Only when we think about the things of Christ will we experience true peace in our heart and calm in our soul. Today I will not allow Satan to run my thoughts or my life!

‘Finally, brothers [and sisters], whatever is true…noble…right…pure…lovely…admirable…excellent… praiseworthy…Think about such things.’ Phil 4:8-9