Settled Mind

So this ends my four posts on joy. I have laid out the different mindsets that we are to have if we want to be a joyful person. We are to have a mind focused on living for Christ, a mind submitted to the will of the Father, and a mind that measures everything of significance (past, present and future) against knowing Jesus more intimately. With that I now add the settled mindset to the list. Our minds can be like a choppy stormy ocean or like a calm glassy lake, all because of the filters we choose to use or not use. Paul lays out the set of filters that we as followers of Jesus are to have in place:

"Finally, brothers and sisters, 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

We have all met people, and we are from time to time these people, that worry about everything. Or have an amazingly depressing outlook. People who are heavily influenced and concerned with what they hear on the 10 o'clock news right before falling sleep. The movies, television, internet, social media, and conversations around the water cooler have a way of infiltrating and affecting our thoughts and emotions.  That is why Paul lays out this list to filter out the junk that we as children of the King of kings have no need to thinking about.

It is hard to be joyful when we are consumed by all that the culture around us puts in front of us. It is Jesus' desire that we be a people marked by joy. He wants us to have his joy and for our joy to remain full. So why do we fill our minds with rumors and gossip, discouraging and depressing topics, sinful and grotesque images? Simply because the enemy uses these tactics (which are everywhere) to invade our minds and rob us of our joy. Because a joyless Christian is a bummer to be around not to mention is an ineffective witness for Jesus and his Kingdom.

So how do we fix this? You and I have the ability to control what enters are minds (what we read, hear, and see). If you are one that is over taken by worry, focus on the promises of scripture. If you are a media junky, change or limit what you take in and balance it with prayer, praise, and the Bible. Let us as the Church be a people that are wholly marked by joy (whose minds are constantly washed by the Water of the Word), and not known for our fear, worry, or negativity.