I taught a bible study last year on Phil 4:8 based on the book "Loving God With All Your Mind" and believe this is my life goal... I personally believe that if we could learn the discipline of a godly mind all of our "problems" really wouldn't be problems...
Below is my speaking notes for the first day of the study. Warning!!! It is a bit long but I had 45 minutes to teach it... Enjoy if you dare to read it all!
"Weed'em & Reap" by Pam Helm
Have you ever planted a garden? Maybe you have started off by doing a lot of research, reading books upon books and searching the internet on all types of topics regarding gardening from soil content, types of plants and what plants work best in you environment, how to actually plant the seeds – how deep the hole needs to be for the seeds to grow correctly, how much sun and water the plant will need. Maybe you have mapped out the yard on a piece of paper and figured out where you wanted each plant to be located. Once you have done your research and planned out the garden, you are now ready to prepare the site. A lot of time and energy goes into prepare the site and get the soil content just right. You worked hard to clean the site by removing all the twigs, weeds and rocks. You turn the soil, pull out old roots and level the ground. You actually get excited because you finally got to the point of planting the seeds… by the end of the day you have watered the soil gently and you are able to take a step back and reflect on all you have accomplished. As the days and weeks go by, you go out to enjoy fruit of your labor and what do you find? You find weeds grow in its space. Did you ever notice that you don’t need to plant weeds into order for weeds to grow?
It is the same with our thought life… Unhealthy, unbiblical thoughts such as regrets, fears, covetousness, greed, bitterness, hatred, discontentment, and murmuring – they are all as natural to us as weeds are to soil. We do not need to sow thistles, thorns and weeds – they come up naturally enough on there own. It is the same with unhealthy, unbiblical thoughts. We do not need to teach a person to complain, to be discontent and to covet, to be bitter and envious, to fear or to even have regrets. Take a child playing in a nursery room filled with other children. One child is playing with a shinny red ball and another child sees him. What does the child do, he becomes discontent with what he has and he covets after the shinny ball and he goes and tries to takes the shinny red ball away. When he has succeeded – What happens next… the one that now has the ball gets greedy and fears that it will be taken away. Now let’s look at the other child, the one that had the shinny red ball first and has it taken away from him – what does he do? He gets greedy and wants the ball back and when he is unable to get it back, he becomes bitter and discontent. Are either one of those children right? Isn’t it amazing to think that no one taught them to be that way, to complain, to be discontent and to covet, to be bitter and envious, to fear. It doesn’t change as adults… how often are we looking at what others have and want what is theirs… when we get it want we want how often do we try to hold on tight to it and when something is taken away how often do we become bitter and discontent.
Just like a garden which needs to be cultivated, pruned and continually weeded, so do we. Healthy thoughts (which by the way do control our behaviors) are like a garden – if we want to fully enjoy the fruit of a godly mind – a godly mind of contentment, we need cultivate it in our lives. Godly thoughts and contentment will not grow in our lives if we are not actively cultivating, pruning and weeding regrets, fears, covetousness, greed, bitterness, hatred, discontentment and even murmuring from our lives.
Tonight we are going to talk about our minds… we are going to focus on our thought patterns. How often do you stop and think about the thoughts that go through your mind each day. How often do you compare your thoughts to what God’s word says? Each day we have thousands and thousands of thoughts that go through our mind. Wouldn’t you like those thoughts to be pleasing to God?
Let’s take a few minutes to think about what we fill our minds with. For some of us it is dwelling on our pasts, for others it is dwelling on the future, for most it is be discontent with what we have. Let’s think about the regrets in life? How often do we focus on our “if onlys”? If only I had done that or if only that hadn’t have happened, if only he or she would have done this or if only I would have said that… things would be different. Hmmm, how often do we wish we could go back in time and change things. To be able to redo and change something in our past. Ladies: Are those thoughts pleasing to God? Are those thoughts biblical? We will answer that in a little bit…
For some of us it is dwelling on the future – You know, I hate to tell you but we don’t just dwelling – we worry and have crippling fear at times regarding our future. We think… what if this happens or what if this never happens… Crippling fear comes to each of us in a variety of ways.
For example:
· In India and Thailand they have been consumed with the “what if there is another Tsunami. Do you know that there are people that have a hard time not staring out at sea, looking for signs of another wave….
· After September 11 people wouldn’t fly and more recently people since the London attacks a lot of us do not want take the train or subway into the city in fear of “what if it happens here.”
· People in CA are afraid of earthquakes
· Let’s think about our finances – for some we fear the thoughts of what if I get layed off or fired
· Some fear the possibility of having to return to work after years of staying home
· Others it is the what if I have to always work due to money struggles.
· There are those that fear what if I loosing my home or what if the economy collapses…
· When you are in school you fear what if I fail or flunk a exam
· When you graduate you fear what if I can’t find a job or a place to live,
· For some it is the fear of what if I remain single
· Others it is the fear – oh my what if I have to be married to this man for the rest of my life
· For some it is the fear what if he divorces me, or cheats on me again, what if he leaving me for another woman and what if he dies and I become a widow.
· For some it is the fear what if I can’t get pregnant and when you do get pregnant – it is the fear what if the baby isn’t healthy.
· For most of us that is when the fears really begin. As children grow parents fear what if an accident happens, what if someone molested them, what if there is abuse, the raise in crime and violence, what about environmental pollution, and the future of the world.
· For some it is what if I get ill and have to suffering…, the fear of death and dieing.
Fears and worries, worries and fears - Ladies: Are those thoughts pleasing to God? Are those thoughts biblical?
Maybe our thoughts are focused on discontentment… discontentment regarding our husbands, our children or lack of a husband or child, maybe it is our job, our boss, our siblings and parents, maybe it is our home, finances, our appearance. All of these kind of thoughts steals and robs us of our joy – John 10:10 says “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy, I have come that they may have life and have it to the fullest.” Are we living to the fullest?
If we really stop to think about our thoughts – we are often dwelling on thoughts that are not biblical and fall under lies (lies about God and who he says he is, lies about ourselves and who God says we are in Him, and lies about others an who God says they are in Him). The Mind. The mind is a battlefield for most of us in our walks with Christ. Are we acknowledging that we are at war? What can we do to overcome our thoughts? How can we stop these thoughts from robbing us of our joy? How can we stop thinking thoughts that hurt us?
Philippians 4:8-13 “Finally, brothers, 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. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
Philippians 4:8 however sets the parameter – the boundaries – for where our thoughts should fall
Finally, brothers, 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. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
I have four point that I want us to focus on based on Phil 4:8. The first is
Recognizing the commandment – the commandment is to think of such things… What things are we to think about? We are to think on things that are
True
Noble
Right
Pure
Lovely
Admirable
Excellent and praiseworthy
Let’s take a deeper look at each of those 6 items we are to focus our minds upon but before we do that I want you to do an exercise. Take a few minutes and think about the thoughts you have been dwelling on lately. What are some of the thoughts that have been captivating your mind. List them. Now take a few minutes and answer the following. What does Paul mean when he says whatever is true? What does Paul mean when he says whatever is noble?
Whatever is True – what does it mean to think of things that are true? The Greek word for true is alethes which means unconcealed, genuine, real or true to fact. What is true is what is real – what we know for a fact. Facts based on actual reality or evidence.
Truth about God and who he says he is, truth about ourselves and who God says we are in him and truth about others and who God says they are in him. Those are the truths we are to be dwelling on.
So many times as women we focus on our intuition, we come up with conclusions because we think we know the truth but in reality are our thoughts really based on facts? For example, our husbands or friends seem moody and we ask them if everything is ok. They says there is nothing is wrong but we don’t take them at their words. We read into things and come up with our own conclusions rather than taking them at their word. Do you know that it is up to them to be honest with us – not up to us to determine what is wrong…. How often do we get caught up in our own imagination? A friend gives us a funny look and we assume she is mad but in reality she had an itchy noise. Or we imagine something to happen when in reality that is not the case. For example, I have found myself thinking about what if my mom dies and I have let my mind gone down a path of dwelling on life without her. Dwelling on what ifs – is not dwelling on reality – it is not dwelling on truth.
Phil 4:8 however teaches that our thoughts should “belong to the nature of reality,” what is real – it is a guideline which rules out any fearful dwelling on the future or regrets about the past. Our “What if and If Onlys” are not reality. God says to think of things that are true – what is real….
Whatever is Noble – what does it mean to think of things that are noble? The Greek word is semnos. Noble thoughts that are honest and honorable – to be highly thought of, to be revered for ones character. Thoughts that are good, moral and ethically right. Noble thoughts stay within the boundaries of God’s laws – His 10 commandments. What are His 10 Commandments?
1. You shall have no other God’s before me
2. You shall not make yourselves any carved image – idols
3. You shall not take the name of the Lord in vain
4. Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy
5. Honor your father and mother
6. You shall not murder
7. You shall not commit adultery
8. You shall not steal
9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor
10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house, wife, servant or lot
Whatever is Right – what does it mean to think of things that are right? The Greek word for right is dikaios which means upright, just, holy, righteous – a way of thinking, feeling and acting that is wholly conformed to the will of God. Right thoughts are thoughts that are submitted to the will of God… His plans, His desire for our lives.
Whatever is pure – The Greek word for pure is hagnos which means thoughts that are chaste, clean, clear. Pure from carnality, pure from every fault, to be immaculate and clean. It is not lusting for things we do not have.
Whatever is lovely – The Greek word for lovely is prosphiles. Lovely thoughts are thoughts that are acceptable and pleasing to God.
Whatever is admirable – the Greek word for admirable is euphemos which means sounding well, uttering words of good report. Good report about God, good report about ourselves and good report about others. How often are our thoughts a good report. Our thoughts need to be based on who God says He is, Who God says I am in Christ, and Who God says other are in Christ. Our “what ifs and if onlys” are they based on good report of God. Are we believing that God is involved with our past and will be involved with our futures? The way to let go of our what if and if onlys is to draw close to God and acknowledge His presences, His power and His love.
In order to do this, we need to turn to God’s word and be reminded of the many promises he offers. God is the God of our past, our present and our futures. What does God say about our past - God says in Phil 3:12 – 14 “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” We are to forget what is behind… The past is now behind us.
What does God say about our future… Matt 6:34 says “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Our” what if” and “if onlys” fail to acknowledge God and therefore is not a good report – it is not thoughts that are admirable.
Whatever is Excellent? The Greek word is arête which means virtue, praise, a virtuous course of thought, feeling and action, any particular moral excellence
Whatever is praiseworthy? The Greek word is epainos which means a virtuous course of thought, feeling and action of praise, extol honor to God. It’s thoughts that are giving honor and praise to our God.
So, how do we respond? We first Recognizing the commandment to think of such things such things - things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely and admirable and secondly we
Respond in Obedience – Phil 4:9 says “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice.” We need to respond in obedience by put what we have learned into practice. This is a discipline… Just like you need to continually go out the garden and pull out those weeds and prune back the branches – we need to continually put it into practice by weeding and pruning our thoughts. How are we to put it into practice? 2 Cor 10:5 says “We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” Thoughts that are not within the boundaries of God’s word… thoughts that are not true, not noble, not right, not pure, not lovely and not admirable is SIN. Our what ifs, if onlys, fears for the future and regrets in the past is SIN. Do we really believe that? Do we really believe God’s word to be true if so… He calls us to be obedient to him with our thoughts 2 Tim 3:16-17 “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” He gives us his word so that we may be equipped. God’s word speaks directly to our concerns about the past, the present and the future. His word speaks directly to us of God’s constant and unconditional love. Thoughts that are not true or real are mere speculations. They are lofty things raised up against the knowledge of God and they have to be taken captive in order to be obedient to Christ.
Hebrews 10:16 says “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts and in their minds I will write them.” This is going back to the 10 commandments – He says he will put His laws into our hearts and in our minds he will write them. We need to know God and his word. We have to mediate on his word and let his word be placed into our hearts. Are you allowing God to write his laws in your minds. It is only though knowing God and his word that we can be obedient with our thoughts. Rom 12:2 says “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Rather than being conformed to the world, we need to be transformed by the renewing of the mind. The Greek text uses the present tense which emphasizes a continuous process. The point is that we must continually renew our mind.
What does it mean transformed by the renewing of our minds? First, we need to have the mind of Jesus. In I Corinthians 2:16, it says that “we have the mind of Christ” To have the mind of Christ means to understand the deep things of God. We need to know how to bring every thought into captive obedience. We need to know how to meditate upon the Word of God. As we meditate, Scripture will permeate and renew our mind.
Did you hear Pastor’s sermon on Sunday. How he pulled up a plant and the roots were still lumped like they were when he first planted it? Are we like that plant? Are our roots shallow? Or do our roots grown deep? In order for our roots to grow deep we need to be deep into the word of God… that is the only way we will grow, that is the only way we will be strong when the winds and storms of life go by.
By the way, please know that I do not stand here in front of you and take this lightly. We shouldn’t be quick to teach unless it is a divine calling from God – there is a huge responsibility that comes with teaching. When you teach you are standing in between God and individual. Please know that all I am doing is sharing with you, what God has been teaching me. By no means should you take my word for it… I challenge you to do your own study on your thoughts and what God tells you about having godly mind. With that said – let’s take a few minutes and focus on how we can allow our roots to grown deep into God’s word.
Take a few minutes to go over the handout on meditating on scripture.
We first need to Recognize the commandment to think of such things – things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely and admirable and secondly we Respond in Obedience by putting into practice and taking every thought captive and as a result the third point is that we will Reap the Benefits.
Recapping the Benefits – What is the benefit? Phil 4:9 says “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” The benefit is Peace. Please note though that the peace of God follows our choice to be obedient to him. Did you get that – the peace of God follows our choice to be obedient to him. It says put it into practice and the peace of God will be with you. When we acknowledge God’s command and take steps to obey it, we will find ourselves living in peace. Thoughts that are untrue and unreal will drain our lives and zap us of energy. But thoughts based on what the bible says about God replaces our fears and doubts with the truths – truths of His love, His wisdom, His mercy, His power, His forgiveness, His healing, His patience and ultimately our victory through Him. I challenge you to take a thought that you have been dwelling on and hold it up to God’s word – find what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy about that thought and allow God to transform your mind – peace will come.
I can tell you that I am living proof of living in peace. I am not saying that I have obtained a godly mind 100% of the time. I have struggled for many years with unwholesome, unbiblical thoughts about myself, my past, my present, my future, I have struggled with unbiblical thoughts of God. I struggled with thoughts of suicide and depression and was in tangled with the weeds of an ungodly mind. But I have learned to be obedient to God by taking my thoughts captive and claiming his promises – it is a daily some times hourly and sometimes moment by moment choice to take my thoughts captive and keeping my thoughts within the boundaries of God’s word. I can tell you that there is peace when you trust God with your thoughts.
Paul goes on to say in Phil 4:11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.
These words show us that contentment is not a natural tendency of man – it has to be learned, it has to be cultivate. Do you know what that means to cultivate? Cultivate means = to improve and prepare by plowing, fertilizing, tilling the ground. To loosen or dig, to grow, tend, promote growth, nurture, foster. Do you know that in the beginning Paul did not know how to be content. Paul had to “learn to be content.” Contentment is learned by understanding or increasing one’s knowledge, to learn thru experience and practice what it means to be sufficient, to be enough. He had to increase his understanding / knowledge thru experience and practice. Do you know that by the time Paul said “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances” he was an old man.
Phil 4:12 “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”
Very few of us, if any, have endured worse circumstances than Paul. What makes what Paul says in these verses amazing is that he wrote this to the church at Philippi while he was in prison. In this letter to the church, Paul reminds the reader that he has known hunger and he has known plenty. He has worked hard for the gospel and as a result he has be tortured, received forty lashes several times, been beaten with a rod, he has been stoned, he was shipwrecked three times, he has been thirsty, hungry, cold, naked and imprisoned, he has gone without sleep and he was eventually martyred all because of his faith. Through it all, Paul says that as believers, NO matter what our circumstances are, we can be content. How did Paul learn to be content? It goes back to what I have said before, Paul knew who God was, he knew God’s attributes, he knew God’s promises and believed them to be true.
Contentment is a command of God’s – I Tim 6:6 it says “Godliness with contentment is great gain.” Hebrews 13:5 says “Be content with what you have.”
We first need to Recognize the commandment to think of such things – things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely and admirable and secondly we Respond in Obedience by putting it into practice and taking every thought captive and as a result the third point is that we will Reap the Benefits. What’s the benefit? The benefit is Peace. “And the God of peace will be with you.”
The fourth point is that we need to Remain in Christ? Phil 4:13 says “I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength.” What does through Christ mean? In order to answer that, let’s look at the following verses…
John 15:4-5 says “Remain in me, and I will remain in you…. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” What this is saying is that we can do all things through him, and apart from Him we can do nothing….
So back to the question - What does it mean “through Christ” or better yet what does it mean “to abiding or remain in Christ”? It has to do with aligning our lives/purposes up with God’s plan for our lives. It means relying on Him for the strength to do what God has called each of us to do. It means infusing our lives with Christ. In gardening, when your graft a branch – you infuse it to the core of the plant. My father’s mom (we called her Nana) lived in Florida and she often grafted cactus. I have some history on grafting however I really didn’t know much about it so I looked up what it meant to graft a plant. Do you know that if you just toss some seeds into the soil it does not guarantee you will have a hearty plant? In order to get a hearty plant gardeners graft the weaker to the stronger plant. Grafting is an ancient skill with all kinds of modern applications. Almost any plant you buy these days in the nursery has been grafted--or infused--with a strong and healthy rootstock. Do you know that it is important that the rootstock be disease-resistant in order to produce a hearty plant. A bud or branch is taken from the weaker plant you want to propagate and it is inserted into the plant that serves as rootstock. In order for the bud to be infused and latch on to get nutrients, the rootstock needs to be cut. I think it is interesting to note that the rootstock has to be disease-resistant – it has to be pure and it has to be cut in order to allow the sap to infuse the bud to the rootstock.
Read Isaiah 53 1:7
God required a perfect, spotless sacrifice for the atonement of our sins and that was Jesus Christ. Jesus grew up like a tender shoot, a root out of dry ground. He was pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities. Jesus had to shed his blood for the forgiveness of man. It is only through the shed blood (sap) of Jesus that we can be grafted to him. That’s the key to a godly mind – it is only found through Jesus and His shed blood that we can do all things.
If you don’t know Christ
Decide today to surrender your lives him – Godly minds, biblical and wholesome thoughts have to do with the attitude of the heart and will. We need to be willing to see our lives as not our own but as God’s. We need to let him reign in our lives as King.
Direct your thoughts – God commands us to “be content” and not “be content if… “how do we direct our thoughts – we need to be in God’s word and to meditate on His word. We are going to talk about meditation in a moment…
Do you know that the key to a good garden isn’t just weeding even though weeding is important but it also has to do with having GREAT soil. Three necessities are: nitrogen, phosphate and potassium. Nitrogen helps promote root growth. Phosphate helps the growth of leaves. Potassium helps regulates the plants nutrients which in return promotes blossoms. My girlfriend Gayle gets the soil from her garden tested every spring in order to find out what she needs to add to the soil in her garden so that she gets the best growth from her plants. Are we making sure that we have the right soil in order to grow? Are our roots strong through being in God’s word? Are we meditating on his laws day and night? Are we like a tree in Ps 1 that is planted by the streams of water which yield its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Are we bearing the fruit that God calls us to in Romans 5:22 which says "The fruit of the spirit is Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control. Against such things there is no law."
Finally we need to test our soil. Ps 139 23 – 24 says “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."
How often do you stop and think about the thoughts that go through your mind each day. Thousands of thoughts go through our mind – wouldn’t you want them to be pleasing to God.
