What are you setting your mind on? Daily Devotional January 16, 2010

Daily Bible Reading - Genesis 17, Matthew 16, Nehemiah 6, Acts 16

What are you setting your mind on?

With each circumstance we face in life we get to choose what our response will be, one of faith or of fear. Our response is determined by what we are setting our mind on. Long ago I learned this phrase: thoughts become actions, actions become habits, habits create character and character determines our destiny. It all begins in our minds.

Matthew 16 is such an interesting passage of scripture. One moment we see Peter responding to Jesus' question, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon BarJonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 16:15-17) Peter had his mind set on the Kingdom of God and therefore God revealed to him who Jesus was. However, just a few short verses later we see Jesus telling the disciples about how He must suffer and be killed and raised on the third day. In this passage Peter's response is much different. Matthew 16:22-23 says, "Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!" But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men." In this first passage we see Peter with a mind set on the Kingdom of God and in the next we see him with a mind set on the things of men.

How about you? I know that many times I have been much like Peter, one moment filled with faith responding to circumstances in faith and the next moment reacting in fear. The only difference in those cases is where I was choosing to set my mind. Every day we have a choice, are we going to set our minds on the things of God or the things of man. When we set our minds on the things of God we are able to respond to every circumstance we face with faith, with an assurance that God will work all things out. However, when we set our minds on the things of man we see every circumstance from such a limited perspective and often times respond in fear. Mark 10:27 says, "...With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible."

So today let's set our minds on the things of God so that our thoughts are ones of faith, resulting in right actions, that become good habits, that develop a great character, that result in an amazing destiny!

Tomorrow's Bible Reading - Genesis 18, Matthew 17, Nehemiah 7, Acts 17

Dream Big,
Katie