Please Keep Your Wits About You

Beads of sweat course down my cheeks, and my pounding heart threatens to reveal my hiding place in the dark recesses of the night. I have run until my lungs can do no more. I feel his deadly presence close in the shadows. This is my chance. I must move now or I will most certainly die. Why do my feet refuse my command? Oh, the end is near; I can feel it. But what is that sound? Please be quiet – he will know I am here. There it is again. The ringing continues until my fearful eyes blink wide open. It is suddenly morning light. I am not fleeing; I am home, safe in my bed! No one is even chasing me. Yet my heart still pounds, and I am coated in the fresh dew of my imaginary morning run.

Have you been there? The strangest, most absurd events are so normal in our sleeping minds. Although I rarely remember dreams, one morning, as my alarm sounded, I rose angry, irritated, and cranky with my hubby. For hours I inwardly fussed at him, replaying in slow motion, how in my nighttime visions, he had stabbed me in the heart. (Some people think I can be dramatic. 😊) And like a true martyr, I continued to hit replay. Now why, you ask, would I entertain such a false and ridiculous notion? I was meditating on a lie! Thankfully, I am married to a thoughtful person who cares deeply about my feelings. He is my protector, provider, and best friend. Yet I still battled those silly thoughts; I still felt hurt. I finally had to say, “Girl, give it up! This isn’t true; it never happened!” You laugh, but I remember vividly how those thoughts stewed in my soul and threatened to ruin my mood for the entire day!

Have you ever believed a LIE? If we are honest, this is a daily battle. As true children of God, we must continually cast down every “high thing” that attempts to exalts itself over the knowledge of God and bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ (II Cor. 10:4-5). Although not armed with fleshy weapons like spears and swords, we are uniquely empowered to skillfully defend ourselves with mighty-through-God implements able to pull down these strongholds, footholds that the enemy of our soul seeks.

Often after long hours “meditating” on things that simply are not true and not edifying, we realize our peace has evaporated! We feel miserable, burdened, and hopeless. Our heart ponderations have not been based on God’s truth (or perhaps these truths are grossly exaggerated and out of balance); they are not honest, nor just and pure, certainly not lovely or of a good report, neither virtuous nor praiseworthy. And when this happens, even the smallest of tasks overwhelms us, sleep evades us, and the song of our soul becomes a dirge. Our feelings are shouting at us. By the way: we do not have to obey these shouting voices. Perhaps instead, it is time to deal with the root of our troubles, our toxic fueling.

Dear friend, God designed our emotions to flow from our thoughts, as our thoughts flow from our hearts and desires. When angry, worried, fretful, or anxious, God is shining the emotional “warning light” on the dashboard of our souls, shouting that our wrong desires or wrong thinking requires immediate attention. That “check engine light” is there for a reason. God so graciously signals, “Seek better heart and brain fuel!”

Paul, the prisoner, knew dire circumstances, poor government, deprivations, suffering, and trials such as our American minds can hardly comprehend. As Paul chats with his Philippian friends about God’s peace, he reminds them of the command to always rejoice in the Lord (v. 4). He repeats this just in case they missed the first admonition. He then reminds them that the Lord is “at hand” - so very near them - that they must conduct themselves in gentle and gracious ways (v. 5), letting their moderation be known to all. He turns them from anxious thinking (v. 6f) to careful, purposeful prayer and supplication (petitioning God!), continually leaving every request before the throne of God. Isn’t that brilliant? Does it not seem wise to seek assistance from the only One able to act on their behalf?

When peace was gone, they were to pray and offer thanksgiving, and quickly God’s peace returned! Harassing fears retreated in defeat. As they obediently followed this pattern, tranquility of soul and mind would guard their restless emotions (“keep our hearts”) and guard their minds through Christ. What a blessed promise for every believer.

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In our current situation, we gaze in any direction around us, and all is change, decay, turmoil, and chaos. Gravity is gone in the public sector. What used to be moral is now grossly lacking in virtue. If we are to entertain NO anxious thoughts (and Paul included no exceptions!), the only restful gaze that will keep our heart and mind is an upward one, dear sister. Pray, supplicate, and petition with gratitude; do not quit! When your heart is pounding, your thoughts are laden with fears, and seemingly every light on your dashboard is flashing, look upward!

But that is not all Paul had to say to his friends. If they were to maintain that peace, they better fuel their lives with the best of truths. It is our duty to discipline ourselves to think truth, and in my opinion, not just ANY truth or only one truth.

· While it is true that we will all die, the highest truth would be the best mental, emotional, and spiritual fuel: our last breath here is our first glimpse of glory - our first breath of celestial air! We are safe and secure on this planet until the day God takes us home. We really do not want to live in this dying body on this dying earth forever. And God is quite capable of caring for our responsibilities here and for all our loved ones when we are taken to Heaven.

· While it is true that our nation is decaying rapidly, the highest truth reports that here, we have no continuing city; we seek one to come. Of course, we should stand for righteousness and do our part to be good citizens, but ultimately, this world is passing away. We deliberately set our affections on a better and enduring city, one which is built and made by God. Now our daily joy and responsibility is to seek first His glorious Kingdom and seek to make other loyal subjects for our Sovereign.

Every time my whacked-out emotions keep my eyes open in the dark, replaying some video of violence or mayhem on the horizon, I must bring my thoughts into captivity to the obedience of Christ. And to obey, I must replace sinful worry with prayer, petition, and thanksgiving. This will require meticulous discipline of heart and mind. We will need to practice daily; this mental hygiene is not achieved in a day. It will be our life’s work!

But Paul was still not finished with his directives. I can almost see him leaning in closer to share this: “Dear friends, please do not become lethargic in your trials. Please do not just sit around allowing the dark clouds to gather over your souls! Those things which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do; and the God of peace shall be with you.”

“Get busy now,” he told them! Remember all those things that you learned and received and heard and saw in me while we were together? Get doing it! Practice all those things I taught you; *do* The Word! Resist inertia! Your circumstances may not change, but those ominous clouds of darkness and gloom will dissipate as you move forward, and His grace will rush in and enable you to do His will.

If I heed Paul’s exhortation, I enjoy such precious and inexplicable peace. As you do this, the God of Peace will be with you! What lovely bookends to this passage: the peace of God and the God of peace! When we are obedient, our anxious thoughts will not dominate, rule, or ruin our lives.

Instead of whirling anxious thoughts, let us:

· Pray! Run to God right away.

· Ask! Rush to the throne with every single request and leave it there.

· Thank! Be grateful now! Ask God to open our eyes to all our benefits.

· Think! Meditate upon the best and highest truths, thoughts worthy of Him – monitor our thinking.

· Do! The Word! As we stay rooted in its rich soil day by day, we will find ourselves calm, prepared, productive, and with abounding peace, sufficient to share with others.

Our Mother Eve was safe in the Garden of Eden as she carefully avoided that one forbidden tree. Her gracious Lord God bade her to freely enjoy every other fruit without restriction. Today we are given the sweet privilege to walk in God’s garden and feast from His nourishing trees of whatsoever things are true and honest, just and pure, lovely and of a good report, and all things virtuous and praise-worthy. God invites us to partake freely of this sacred fruit but avoid all the beautiful-to-the-eye - yet toxic to the soul - foods offered by the wicked one. Let us choose to enjoy His wondrous peace!