Context!

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (Phil 4:6)

“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4:7)

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Phil 4:8)

In his letter to the church in Philippi, Paul was reminding them of the powerful force our minds can be.  There is a section of verses in here that are oft quoted, many times not as one passage but separately. We’ve all seen them on their own used for different purposes.

But Paul wasn’t writing his letter to be read in separate distinct sentences. Is that how we read letters from friends? NO – we read the entire letter! While certain sentences in a letter will stand out, we read them with the entire letter to understand what the writer is trying to convey.

So, when you read these verses together I believe Paul is talking about our minds and how to control our thoughts and attitudes. Read them again as one passage:

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Phil 4:6-8)

Think about Paul’s situation – he was in prison, not a free man, and uncertain of his earthly future, yet he was telling his friends on Philippi not to be anxious, speaking of the peace of God, and telling them the proper things to think about. Paul understood that as the mind goes, so does the heart. Paul knew the Old Testament scriptures by heart, so he was echoing Proverbs 4:23, which tells us we need to be careful of what we think because our thoughts control our lives.

There is power in controlling our thoughts.

Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 10:5 that we are to “demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”  Use the Word of God to be a filter so that you can focus your mind on “whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable.”

Don’t believe everything you think.