Setting The Channel Of My Mind
A quiet desk with a silenced phone and open notebook, a simple picture of setting the channel of the mind.
Devotional Credit: His Victorious Indwelling, Psalm 119:113 with reflections by C. H. Mackintosh, compiled by Nick Harrison
Photo Credit: Unsplash
Some thoughts lift us. Some thoughts drain us. The psalmist said he hated vain thoughts, then added that he loved God’s law. C. H. Mackintosh takes that contrast and walks it right into our Monday minds. He does not shame the believer for being tempted by mental noise. He simply points to a better way.
His counsel is gentle and practical. We cannot always stop an intrusive thought from knocking, but in Jesus we are free to refuse it a room. More than that, we can be preserved from the stream of suggestions by being preoccupied with the Lord Himself. When the channel of the heart is cut deep toward God, the current of imagination and feeling begins to flow in that bed. It is not repression. It is redirection.
Mackintosh takes us by the hand to Philippians 4. Think on what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable. Not as a mental trick, but as a response to the God of peace who is with us. This is the more excellent way. Occupied with Jesus, the mind is no longer a hallway crowded with worry and accusation. It becomes a room where peace is at home.
I am grateful for Nick Harrison’s careful curation. He keeps pulling us back to a Person. The abiding life is not me wrestling my thoughts into submission. It is Jesus, alive in me by the Spirit, forming a new center. As my attention rests on Him, vain thoughts lose their grip, and real self-control looks like steady communion.
Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
I am the Holy Spirit, and I dwell in you. I set your mind on the things of the Spirit. Life and peace rise there. I renew your mind so you can discern what is good and acceptable and perfect. I draw your gaze to Jesus, the Pioneer and Perfecter of faith, so that you do not lose heart.
When stray thoughts knock, I remind you that you have the mind of the Messiah. You are not debtor to the flesh. You can take captive every thought to the obedience of the Anointed One. You put off the old ways and put on the new self, created after God in true righteousness and holiness. I cause the word of the Lord to dwell in you richly. I set the peace of the Anointed to rule as an umpire in your heart.
Self-control is fruit I grow in you. You are crucified with Jesus, and you live by His life within you. Your old person was buried with Him, and you walk in newness of life. I steady your attention on whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, and admirable. I keep you in perfect peace as your mind stays on the Lord who saves. I guard your heart and mind with the peace of God that surpasses understanding.
So turn the channel toward the Lord. Meditate day and night on His word. Prepare your mind for action. Resist the evil one, and he will flee. Make no provision for the flesh. Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify its desires. I am with you in the very moment you are in, and I make the quiet path plain.
Real-Life Analogy
Think of your phone when notifications start stacking up. The screen keeps lighting, banners keep arriving, and your focus scatters. You tap on Focus mode, and the noise stops. Your attention returns to the one thing you meant to do.
Vain thoughts feel like those notifications. The Spirit of Jesus in you sets the focus of your mind toward what is true and good. If your thoughts start to spiral during a work email, you might say, Lord, I trust You to set my mind on what is true and kind as I write this. Then write the first clear sentence, remove the unnecessary line that stirs anxiety, and send a concise, gracious note. Let the Lord carry the tone and the outcome.
Prayer of Confidence
Father, thank You that in Jesus I have peace with You and the mind of the Messiah. Thank You that the Holy Spirit renews my mind and turns my attention to what is true and lovely. Thank You that self-control is fruit You already grow within me. I receive Your peace guarding my heart and thoughts today. I rejoice that my mind is a dwelling place for Your word and a channel for Your life.
Scripture References for the Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture Section
Psalm 119:113. Philippians 4:8-9. Romans 8:5-6. Romans 12:2. Hebrews 12:2-3. 1 Corinthians 2:16. 2 Corinthians 10:5. Ephesians 4:22-24. Colossians 3:15-16. Galatians 5:22-25. Galatians 2:20. Romans 6:4-11. Isaiah 26:3. Philippians 4:6-7. Psalm 1:2-3. Joshua 1:8. 1 Peter 1:13. James 4:7. Romans 13:14. Colossians 3:1-2.