This fragment comes God By Wynter Pitts, a devotional focused on showing two girls from 8 to 12 years old how God’s love for them changes everything. Today’s dedication is investigating why our thoughts matter and gives five tips to put them on things above. Share this with your daughter today.
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When I was a little girl, we often went to church. We went on Sunday morning and came back for a second service on Sunday afternoon. We also went to the Bible study on Wednesday evening, and there were also services on Friday. We did not go to every service, but we have certainly been to many of them!
I usually enjoyed going to church because my friends were there. There was usually a program for the children to participate while the adults were in their service, and we have always done something fun. But occasionally I should go to a “big” service with my mother and grandmother. And that was a bit complicated when it became a bit complicated. It was always difficult to sit and pay attention through the service. It seemed that it didn’t matter how hard I tried my mind would just not be concentrated. I would start thinking about school, camp, roller coasters … and that really funny story that my brother told me during dinner! All kinds of thoughts would take over my mind and it felt like I couldn’t control it.
Have you ever felt like that? Maybe not in the church, but maybe everything you can think of while sitting in the English lesson is lunch. Or when you are on your way to sleep, your mind starts to think of scary things. Or you can’t stop thinking about how angry you are with the boy you stumbled in the gym. Or maybe you think too much about the next exciting thing you are going to do.
You may not realize it, but your thoughts are important and controlling your mind can be difficult. Not all thoughts are good for you! For example, average or scary thoughts influence your behavior and the choices you make.
God wants your Spirit to be full of Him and to point your thoughts to him and his love. In the Bible he tells us: “Put your thoughts on things above, not on earthly things” (Colossians 3: 2).
God knows that if we spend too much time thinking about the things we can see and how we feel, then we will miss the focus on Him!
God’s Word can change everything. For example, do you have problems paying attention to one of your classes? Proverbs 4:25 says: “Let your eyes look straight ahead; repair your gaze immediately for you.” This is just a simple memory that if you look straight ahead, you have a better chance not to miss something important!
Do you want to know how you can establish your mind on what is for you? Here are five tips to help you.
- Read your Bible often. This helps to fill your spirit with thoughts of Jesus and gives you an example for how you can live your life. You can also find special writings and post them around. A few good places to place a fresh or two are in your cupboard, on your notebook or on your mirror.
- Listen to worship music. Sometimes our thoughts can really get out of hand, especially if we are scared or angry. When this happens, look for a few worship songs that you love and play them time and time again. Singing songs from and about God is a great way to help control the other things that you think about.
- Be careful with what you look at. Watching your favorite TV programs is not a bad thing. Sometimes the shows we view can influence how we think about our parents, our friends and our lives. Make sure you choose shows that keep you more of God and people around you. If a show gives your thoughts that you talk to your sister, mum or dad in a way that God does not pleasure, ask yourself: “Do I have to view this?”
- Spend time with people who love God. Just like the shows we view, the people with whom we spend time can influence our thoughts. If your friends gossip a lot, treat each other unfriendly or make bad choices, that behavior will certainly rub on you and your thoughts! Try to spend time with people who are ‘like voted’ and also want to monitor their eyes on God.
- Ask God to help. Pray and ask God to help you keep your thoughts about him and his love. God always waits to help us and love when we ask him what we need.
Dear God, thank you for giving me a brain that can think! Sometimes it becomes difficult to keep my mind on you, because there are so many distractions around me. Do you want to help me to remember that the more I look at you, the more I will understand and know what you want me to do? In the name of Jesus, Amen.
Philippians 4: 8 reminds us: “What is true, whatever noble is, what is good, what is pure, what is beautiful, whatever is admirable – if something is excellent or commendable – think of such things.”
Can you rewrite that scripture verses in your own words? What do you think God says to you? Don’t be afraid to use a dictionary or ask for help if you are not sure what some words mean!
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You are God’s girl! Through Wynter PittsHelps your daughter discover God’s truth – who he made her, how unique and special she is and how she fits into the world. It contains daily devotions full of God’s promises that will model kindness, obedience and loyalty to her while she walks hand in hand with him.
Share this with her today so that she can learn to see herself – the real one, where her – through God’s eyes!
Read more about the book and how you can buy here.