Philippians 4:7-8 (NKJV) And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 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.
After telling us to cast our cares upon God, the Apostle Paul instructs us to meditate on the Word of God so we can maintain His peace in both our hearts and minds. This divine peace surpasses human understanding, and acts as a fortress in guarding our minds and hearts through Christ Jesus.
The concept of “guard” in the original Greek suggests a military defense, encircling and safeguarding like a garrison. This peace differs from the world’s peace, which is fragile and dependent on circumstances. It originates from God Himself, residing within our hearts.
On the other hand, our minds can be susceptible to fear, dwelling on unknowns and potential negatives. Because the mind can only hold one thought at a time, to maintain the peace in our minds, we need to guard our thoughts by closing the door to the devil and stopping him from inflicting fear through our thought life.
Isaiah 26:3 (NKJV) You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.
To keep perfect peace, we must keep our minds steadfast on God and trust in Him. Worship is a powerful tool to focus our minds on God’s greatness, reinforcing our dependence on Him. In addition, we need to meditate on the Word of God.
For example, in times of job uncertainty, we can meditate on these biblical promises:
God has inscribed me on the palms of His hands, and my life is continually before Him. (Isaiah 49:16)
The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and He listens to my cries. (Psalm 34:15)
Memorising and reciting these truths will anchor our minds in God’s promises. Spiritual warfare primarily takes place in our thought life, where either fear or peace resides. The Apostle Paul urges us to demolish wrong thoughts and arguments and replace them with the truth of God’s Word. Meditating on the Word replaces fear with faith and fills our minds with God’s promises.
Paul advises us to think on what is true, noble, just, pure, lovely, admirable, virtuous, and praiseworthy. Meditating on these qualities helps us cultivate a positive thought life, aligning our minds with God’s goodness and pushing out fear and negativity.
As believers, we have a renewed spirit, but our minds remain a battlefield. Meditating on God’s Word empowers us to conquer our thought life and maintain God’s peace within us. The Word becomes a weapon in spiritual warfare, casting down arguments and capturing rebellious thoughts, leading us to victorious living.
Sermon Series: Keep the Peace (Part 1)
神的话语是我们的武器
腓立比书4:7-8 神所赐出人意外的平安，必在基督耶稣里保守你们的心怀意念。 弟兄们，我还有未尽的话，凡是真实的、可敬的、公义的、清洁的、可爱的、有美名的，若有什么德行，若有什么称赞，这些事你们都要思念。
在教导我们要把忧虑交托给神之后，使徒保罗接着嘱咐我们要默想神的话语，好使我们能在心思意念上持守祂所赐的平安。这平安超越人的理解，就像一座坚固的堡垒，在基督耶稣里保守我们的心思意念。
在原文希腊文中，“保守”带有军事防卫的意思，像军队设防一样环绕守护。这种平安不同于世人的平安，世人的平安是脆弱的，依赖环境而存在；而神的平安却从祂自己而来，安居在我们心里。
然而，我们的思想却容易被惧怕影响，常常停留在未知或负面的可能性上。由于心思一次只能容纳一个念头，为了保守我们的思想不失去平安，我们需要谨守自己的意念，关上撒但的门，不让他借着思想把惧怕加给我们。
以赛亚书26:3 坚心倚赖你的，你必保守他十分平安，因为他倚靠你。
若要持守这完全的平安，我们必须让心思坚定地仰望神，并且信靠祂。敬拜是一个强有力的方式，能使我们把思想专注在神的伟大上，加深我们对祂的倚靠。同时，我们也需要不断地默想神的话语。
举例来说，当我们面对工作不稳定时，我们可以默想这些圣经的应许：
看哪，我将你铭刻在我掌上，你的墙垣常在我眼前。(以赛亚书49:16)
耶和华的眼目看顾义人，他的耳朵听他们的呼求。(诗篇34:15)
将这些真理背诵并反复思想，会使我们的心思稳固在神的应许之上。属灵争战的主要战场就在我们的思想里，惧怕或平安都在那里争夺位置。使徒保罗劝勉我们要攻破一切错误的思想和辩论，并用神的话语真理来取而代之。默想神的话语会驱逐惧怕，取而代之的是信心，使我们的思想充满神的应许。
保罗教导我们，要思念那些真实的、尊贵的、公义的、纯洁的、可爱的、值得称赞的和有德行的事。默想这些品质，会帮助我们建立正面的思想生活，使我们的心思与神的美善对齐，并将惧怕和负面驱逐出去。
作为信徒，我们的灵已经更新，但我们的思想仍然是一个战场。借着默想神的话语，我们就能得力，胜过思想中的争战，并在我们里面持守神的平安。神的话语就成为属灵争战中的武器，攻破一切计谋，掳掠一切悖逆的思想，使我们进入得胜的生活。
讲章系列: 保持你的平安 (第一部分)
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