A Prayer to Set Your Mind on Things Above
By: Alisha Headley
“Set your mind on things above, not on things of this world.” (Colossians 3:2)
Thinking about “things above” sounds fantastic in theory. It would keep our minds from constantly dwelling on the local news, world pandemics, political controversy, or even the mundane life tasks in front of us.
But how is one to possibly think about thoughts from above, when we are inundated with thousands of thoughts all day? Research shows we can think up to 60,000 thoughts each day. 80% of those thoughts tend to be negative.
In today’s verse, Paul instructs the Colossian church to think on things above. He means, keep a heavenly perspective as you go about your day. How can we do this when our natural tendency is to think from an earthly perspective?
Paul encourages us to think about what God is thinking about. To see life from God’s perspective and not the world’s perspective. To do this, we must go to the source of God’s thinking: the Word. We must put God’s Word above the world’s word each day, all throughout the day. We see life from God’s perspective when we know His Word above all else.
If we don’t have God’s “word so engraved on the tablet of our heart,” as Proverbs 7:3 says, then the world’s perspective on our lives will soon overtake us, overwhelm us, and ultimately become what we think about and begin to believe as truth.
In a world full of negative thoughts and evil ideas thrown at us every day, let’s be warriors for our minds, and to do so, let’s know the Word. Let us know God’s “living, breathing and active word” (Hebrews 4:12) more than we know the world’s word. We must fill up with the truth of God’s Word over the lies of the world, for the world is led by the enemy and he is “the father of all lies.” (John 8:44)
So, let’s take Paul’s instructions today, and begin to think about things above, things that our Creator thinks about and His purposes, rather than what we can see in the world around us.
Let’s pray:
Father,
We need you. We need your strength to be aware of our thoughts. We need your discernment to bring Scripture to our mind, to fill our minds with your truth. We need the reminder that anything that contradicts your Word is a lie. And if what we are thinking about doesn’t align with your Word that you speak to us in the Bible, help us to see it for what it is and to stop thinking about it.
Thank you that you left us with the Bible to walk through this world, so that we don’t have to walk around aimlessly. Thank you for leaving us with the Holy Spirit to guide and continually lead us back to your truth. We ask that you would prompt us throughout every day to ask ourselves with every thought that enters our mind if it is from your Word or the world’s word. We want to be servants for you and warriors for you, and there is a battle for our minds, and we ask that you remind us that we serve you – the one who conquered this war years ago by sending your son to die on the cross for us defeating death (Colossians 2:15).
Thank you for giving us the “power and authority to tramples on snakes and scorpions and to overcome the power of the enemy” (Luke 10:19), and to overcome the battle for our thought life. We are victors though you.
In Jesus’ name we pray,
Amen
Alisha Headley is a writer and speaker who has a desire to meet the everyday woman in her everyday life with biblical truth. Healing from a chapter of life consumed with lies she once believed about herself, she is inspired to point women to Christ to experience the freedom and power to overcome those lies with the truth written in God’s Word. You can follow her blog by visiting her website or connect with her on facebook + instagram.
Teach Us to Pray is a FREE prayer podcast hosted by iBelieve writer Christina Patterson. Each week, she gives you practical, real-life tips on how to grow your faith and relationship with God through the power of prayer. To listen to her episode on What to Pray in the Morning for a Worry-Free Day, click below!
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Originally published Monday, 22 November 2021.
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