Where Are Our Thoughts?

Verse of the Day: 1 Samuel 11:14-15, Then Samuel said to the people, Come and let us go to Gilgal and renew the kingdom there. 15 And all the people went to Gilgal, and made Saul king before Jehovah in Gilgal, and there they sacrificed sacrifices of peace offerings before Jehovah. And there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.

In these verses we see the consequences of King Saul’s choice to forgive, rather than exact vengeance on those who rebelled against him at the outset of his reign as king. As God’s children, we must not forget that the choices we make have consequences, both good and bad. However, the one thing that remains constant is that God does not forsake us. Israel made some bad choices up to this point in their history, and made many more after this. Nonetheless, the one thing that was a constant was that God was faithful to Israel, even in their unfaithfulness. King Saul’s choice to forgive led to a celebration of God’s goodness in giving them victory over the Ammonites, and also opened up an opportunity for Saul to be installed as king, once again, but this time by the people themselves. Note, that even when we are tempted of our own accord, or when others tempt us, to focus on the negative things in life, we have a choice to focus on the positive, and God’s blessings. It does not mean that the negative will go away right away or never rear its ugly head again, but it helps us to preserve our peace and joy in Christ. The devils will do all they can to steal our joy by reminding us of our past mistakes and bringing to remembrance the things people have done to us, in order to put us in negative mindset, focusing on things that will lead us away from God’s peace and joy, and hinder our fellowship with Jesus. At times, what it takes for us to begin to focus on the blessings in our lives is for us to go back to our beginnings. The people went to Gilgal. One commentator wrote that Gilgal was the place where Israel first encamped after passing over the Jordan (Joshua 5). It was the place where the Tabernacle and the Ark were located, as well as the first place an altar was built (Joshua 22). In those moments when I cannot seem to focus on, or think of any of, God’s blessings in my life, because of tough circumstances I may be facing, I begin by thanking Him, in prayer, for my salvation, His mercy, grace, love, forgiveness, and so on. Before I know it, the blessings come into mind like a flood, and I realize that I am truly blessed, regardless of whatever circumstances, trials, or tribulations He might be currently allowing. Now it becomes my choice as to whether I focus on the negative or the positive. The following verses are very familiar to many of us, Philippians 4:6-7, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” How often do we read past these verses to see what follows? Verses 8 and 9 continue, “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. 9 The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” Our ability to make choices that put our focus on the blessings in our lives, rather than the negative that the devils want to point out, is a process. It is not something that happens magically. It is something we must practice; but in order to practice this, it means that God must allow some tough times to come our way. If we begin by bringing whatever the situation is to God in prayer, and truly leaving with Him, we must then focus our thinking on the Lord’s goodness in giving us salvation and, if needed, opening the Bible and thinking on the list that is given to us in Philippians 4. The bottom line is that we choose where we focus. We can allow the enemy to destroy us by taking hold of our minds, or we can give it over to Jesus, and in spite of the sorrow, pain, or whatever else we are experiences in our current circumstances, we can override it with an inner peace and joy that will baffle the unsaved, encourage the believer, and completely enrage those who desire to see us miserable and suffering. In the end, we give Jesus the victory in the situation and we enjoy the blessings, just as King Saul enjoyed the blessing of being a national hero and being acknowledged and installed as Israel’s king, by the people themselves.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).