“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.”
Isaiah 26:3

Another way we break the chains of worry, anxiety, and fear is to guard our thoughts. What do we allow ourselves to think about? Paul reminds us in Philippians 4:6–7, “Be anxious for nothing, 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 minds through Christ Jesus.” But then he goes on to say, “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.”

What do we spend our time thinking about? Some of us replay anxious thoughts over and over in our minds, imagining the worst in every situation. Today’s verse reminds us to fix our minds on the Lord, not on our situations or circumstances. David could say, “I sought the LORD, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears” (Ps. 34:4). The key for us is to seek the Lord, to have our minds “stayed” on Him!

This is the importance of the helmet of salvation in our spiritual warfare (Eph. 6:17). It is to guard our minds and our thinking. In 1 Thessalonians 5:8, it is called the helmet of hope. Satan knows he can affect our hope by getting our minds off the Lord and onto the concerns and cares of this world. These things are important, and we are to do what we must to fulfill our responsibilities while, at the same time, committing our cares to the Lord (1 Pet. 5:7).

The Lord reminds us in Isaiah 41:10, “Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” In fact, sit down sometime and read through Isaiah 41–46. Seven times we read, “Fear not!” Our God is greater than all our fears, and He is an ever-present God!

The poet Henry Ward Beecher wrote, “Every tomorrow has two handles. We can take hold of it with the handle of anxiety or the handle of faith.” Enjoy the peace of God by fixing your thoughts on Him!

Anchor For Today:
Stayed upon Jehovah, hearts are fully blest
Finding, as He promised, perfect peace and rest.
-Frances Havergal