“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭8‬-‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Finally, one final thing!

God’s peace is real…present…active…in guarding our hearts and minds from the confusing thoughts that mess with our peace but…how do we keep it that way? What can we do to prevent the conflicting thoughts from intruding into our inner beings?

Paul gives us the practical steps we can take to guard the peace that guards us. Two  ways…

First, take control of your thoughts! Yes, we can discipline our minds to create paths of thinking that protect us from the random thoughts that get us into trouble. 

“Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”

Choose what you think about…and keep exchanging your random thinking for disciplined thoughts. When we allow our thoughts to roam…to follow what we see and hear without considering what these thoughts do to us…when it’s time to make decisions, we have no disciplined thought-paths to follow. 

The best way to organise our thinking into useful and positive paths is to fill our minds with God’s Word…what He says about Himself, about us, and about what He thinks of us. When we have issues to face and decisions to make, our thoughts will guide us towards His way, undergirded by His truth. 

When we actively work at disciplining our thoughts, as  I have so often said, we become partners with God. He does something special!

There is a path towards God’s interventions on our behalf that goes even beyond His promise never to abandon us. Yes, He is within us by His Spirit. Yes, He fills heaven and earth. Yes, it is impossible to escape Him, even if we tried, but…

…for those who actively pursue Him…purposefully obey Him and seek His will…there is something more…favour!

“Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭5‬:‭12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

There are two men in Scripture…who experienced God’s favour in a profound way…

Joseph…

“The Lord was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the home of his Egyptian master.”

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭39‬:‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

David…

“David continued to succeed in everything he did, for the Lord was with him.”

‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭18‬:‭14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This “with” suggests that God’s favour rested on these men so profoundly that they were far more successful in what they did than their peers. 

Paul uses a similar idea…that God will personally accompany those who follow the path of peace with His favour… by walking on the same road that He walks. 

What is that road?

“Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment. Wisdom will multiply your days and add years to your life. If you become wise, you will be the one to benefit. If you scorn wisdom, you will be the one to suffer.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭9‬:‭10‬-‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Solomon, the wise man, gives us the prescription. 

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

God’s presence…favour…active intervention…is guaranteed to those who fill their hearts and minds with His word, keeping them at peace by blocking anything that tries to intrude.  There will be no place for Satan’s thoughts…to distract and cause confusion…when the mind is pre-occupied with God’s thoughts. 

So, Paul counsels…

“Let the peace of Christ rule (govern our prevail), in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.”

‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭15‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“In the Bible, peace is not merely the quiet absence of trouble or war. It means complete wholeness, health, well-being, and right relationships.” (Source: Google AI)

This is the peace that follows a disciplined thought life and governs everyone who walks on God’s road of wisdom with Him because He is actively for them. 

To be continued