Benefiting From Your Mind-Time

July 8, 2008

By James Fields

“Think about such things.”

What things?

“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, NIV).

Do you know what God is saying to us? He wants us to benefit from our mind-time. We spend more time with our thoughts than with anything or anyone. We can’t escape our mind. We might as well benefit from the time we spend with our mind.

That’s why God tells us how to think and what to think about. He’s not trying to micromanage our lives. His infinite love motivates Him to show us how to think wholesomely.

Throughout the Bible, we find invitations to meditate on God’s Word day and night and to take delight in that meditation. God’s command to think about pure, honorable and praiseworthy things is best obeyed when His Word is our foundation. Mind-time spent in musing about Bible stories builds us up. Mind-time directed toward reading God’s Word, hearing it preached and taught or quoting it brings encouragement and confidence.

Listen to recordings of Scripture as you drive. Find Christian television programs that help keep your mind-time centered on the Lord. Make the most of every opportunity to join with fellow believers at church.

Friends, as we force our minds to stay Word-oriented, we reap a harvest of healthy thoughts. And that kind of thinking wonderfully transforms every other part of life.

— James and Delores Fields are veteran Assemblies of God pastors and former missionaries. They founded Comfort and Encouragement Ministries in 1997.