How To Live A Life Of Joy Using These Quick And Dirty Tips - Tip 1
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How’s the quality of your life?
Do you feel like life has more stresses than victories? Do you ever feel mentally overwhelmed and don’t know what to do about it? Do you ever feel sad or depressed and you’re not sure how to dig your way out?
A victorious life is first won in our thoughts.
No area of our lives is untouched by our thoughts.
What we think on is what we’ll say and do. So, what we think on will determine the quality of our lives and the level of joy we experience.
Philippians 4:8 NIV
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.
Right here Paul is giving us insight into how to think right.
If we can think right, we can live a victorious, joy-filled life.
When you select your thoughts, you shape your future.
Continually thinking on these Philippians 4:8 thoughts can be challenging. But, you have complete control over your thinking. Sometimes we just need some help.
I’m going to give you quick and dirty tips to a clean thought life.
Now, I don’t mean quick & dirty tips to help you not swear. I’m talking about cleaning up your thought life so we can think these Philippians 4:8 thoughts and live the victorious, joy-filled, life of faith Jesus paid for us to have.
Quick & Dirty Tip 1: Filter Your Thoughts
An effective way to clean up your thoughts is to Filter Your Thoughts.
A filter strains out junk and lets the good stuff flow through.
“The mind feasts on what it focuses on. What consumes my thinking will be the making or breaking of my identity.” - Lysa TerKeurst in Uninvited
Step 1 - Filter Out The Negative
What we put in our minds is what we think on.
What do you spend your time watching, listening to, or scrolling through?
Ask yourself is this going to help me feast on things that are pure and lovely or is it going to cause me to gorge myself on negative sludge of life?
If what you are feasting on causes you to dwell on the negative–filter it out.
Step 1 - Soak Up The Positive
You can’t just filter out the negative, you need to replace the negative by soaking up the positive.
The best way to soak up the positive is to spend time with Jesus each day.
As you spend time with Him, you soak Him up, His love for you and His word. This is what changes you.
Romans 12:2 NKJV
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Think of yourself like a sponge and God’s Word like water.
As you soak up our Heavenly Father’s love by spending time with Him and His Word, you fill your mind with God’s thoughts.
And, when life squeezes you–out comes Jesus and His Word.
If you’re thinking to yourself, “I don’t have enough time!”
Ask yourself, “what could I possibly do with my time that would bring me greater benefit?”
That’s were we’re going to stop today. So, your first quick & dirty tip to a clean thought life is to Filter Your Thoughts. We’ll delve into Quick & Dirty Tip 2 next time we meet.
This week I want to challenge you to take a look at what you are feasting on. Do you need to filter it out?
Next, spend some time with your Heavenly Father soaking up His love for you and His life changing Word. He’s the one that makes it all worthwhile!
As you take this challenge, you’re filtering your thoughts and making changes to your thinking that will bring victory and joy into your life.