I was playing in a church softball game once where two guys nearly got into a fight… not over the score… but over whether the the ball that was hit was a fair ball or a foul ball.
Now mind you… these are grown men… and I now this comes as a complete shock that there would be an argument in a church league game.
One of the guys in the fight was the one that had prayed before the game. And he prayed for good attitudes to reflect Christ.
So the ump calls it a foul ball. The one guy in the fight was the first baseman and had a pretty good angle on it. And ump yelled foul ball.
The guy who hit the ball, was arguing that it was fair. The guy on first said it was definitely foul. Suddenly they’re nose-to-nose arguing like Game 7 of the World Series is on the line.
The guy who hit it says… “I’m telling you — I SAW CHALK-DUST!”
The guy playing first says, “You’re crazy!!!” or something to that effect. And right about the time it looked like someone might need pastoral counseling… the umpire calmly said,
“Gentlemen… this is slow-pitch church softball. No one is going to get a ring or an endorsement deal because of your athletic ability.” And they eventually calmed down.
But here’s what strikes me… (no pun intended) That fight didn’t start at the base… It started in their heads… A thought… an assumption… a reaction.
And that’s true far beyond the softball field. Because whether we realize it or not… every one of us lives on a battlefield…
the battlefield of the mind.
Oh… for the record, I was not either of the players involved.
Whether we realize it or not, every one of us lives on a battlefield.
It’s not a battlefield you can see… It’s not one fought with weapons you can touch.
But a battlefield that is active every waking moment. It is the battlefield of the mind.
Most of the victories or defeats in our spiritual lives do not begin with actions… they begin with thoughts.
Long before we say something we regret… Long before we drift from God… Long before peace leaves our soul… A thought was allowed to settle in.
Paul understood this. Writing from prison, chained, restricted, uncertain of his future… yet he writes about peace, joy, and the discipline of the mind.
He is writing to the Church at Philippi basically encouraging them to have the mind of Christ. He writes this in verse 8…
And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts… Philippians 4:8
That phrase matters: “one final thing.” This is not an afterthought. This is Paul saying, “If you miss everything else, don’t miss this.”
The life you live will be shaped by the thoughts you allow.
So today we’re going to talk about this truth: What you dwell on and what you walk in determines your closeness to God.
If you don’t feel like you are very close to God right now… I want you to think about what you think about most often. So… as we wrap up this 6-week series called, “Every Thought Captive”…
I want us to dive into what Paul says will help us to draw nearer to the Lord and walk more closely with Him on a regular basis.
Here is the first thing I think we need to understand.
1. The Battle for the Mind is Real
Paul doesn’t say, “If negative thoughts come…”
He know they will… He knows that it’s a part of being human. Because Paul understood this reality.
The enemy knows something we often forget: If he can influence your thinking, he can eventually influence your living. That’s why Scripture is constantly addressing the mind.
“Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” “Set your minds on things above.” “Take every thought captive.”
Listen… This is not just poetic language… This is war language.
Every day, thoughts enter your mind:
Some are planted by God, Some rise from your flesh, Some are whispered by the enemy. And here’s the danger: not every thought that enters your mind deserves permission to stay.
We have a tendency to believe the lie that… thoughts are harmless — “I didn’t do anything.” But Scripture never treats thoughts as neutral.
Unchecked thoughts become: Attitudes… Attitudes become behaviors… Behaviors become habits… Habits shape character…
And character determines direction.
This is why anxiety doesn’t start with panic — it starts with what is called rumination…. That’s basically reflecting or even fixating on something and it eventually causes anxiety.
This is why bitterness doesn’t start with rage… it starts with rehearsing an offense. We play it over and over in our minds. This is probably why Jesus said…
Anyone who hates another brother or sister[a] is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don’t have eternal life within them. 1 John 3:15
Temptation doesn’t start with action… it starts with imagination. This is probably why Jesus said this… But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Matthew 5:28
Paul says, “Fix your thoughts…” That word “fix” means: To carefully consider. To dwell on. To let something take root
You are always fixing your thoughts on something. The tense of this word in the Greek implies on an ongoing action that is commanded…
It is suggesting a continuous and deliberate focus on virtuous thoughts and it emphasizes the necessity of this action in the life of the believer.
So… the question is not whether you are thinking… everybody does that… well… most everybody! The question is what is shaping your thinking.
Let me give you a picture of how thoughts work.
I heard someone say once that your mind is a lot like your email inbox. Every morning you wake up… and there they are… messages you didn’t ask for.
Spam. Promotional Ads. Questionable investment opportunities. Someone promising you six-pack abs in nine minutes.
And you know this as well as I do... just because it showed up… doesn’t mean you ordered it. And nobody walks into the office and says…
“Well… it was in my inbox, so I bought the miracle beard vitamins, sent money to a prince overseas, and clicked the link that crashed the company network.”
No… you delete it. You mark it junk. You block the sender.
But spiritually… we don’t always do that. A thought shows up: “You’re not good enough.” “You deserve to be angry.” “Go ahead… nobody will know.”
And instead of hitting delete… we open it… we reread it… we star it… we archive it… and by lunchtime we’ve built a theology around it.
Church… not every thought deserves a reply. Some thoughts need to be captured, judged, and escorted out by security. Because what sits in your inbox long enough… eventually shapes your decisions.
Paul says fix your thoughts… because if you don’t choose what to dwell on, something else will choose for you. And then he follows up the “fix your thoughts” command… and that is exactly what it is… this is not a suggestion.
The Greek word for “fix” (katanoeo) is in the imperative mood and Paul is saying… if you want this peace in your life… “you have to fix your thoughts on the following things.
And then he goes on to give us a list of items that we can fix our mind on that will bring us peace. And these items… are basically filters to run all of our thoughts through.
2. We have a filter for our thoughts
And I love the fact that Paul doesn’t leave us guessing. He gives us a divine filter… a set of spiritual lenses through which every thought should pass. He says…
“Fix your thoughts on what is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable — things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”
This type of filtering system moves beyond nominal Christianity…
This is practical discipleship.
I’ve been told lately that I need to drink more water… Now… I want to go on record and let everyone know…
There’s water in coffee. There’s water in Mountain Dew Zero.
There’s water in tea.
So when someone says, “You need more water,” I’m like —
“I’ve had four cups of coffee and two Mt Dew Zeroes and it’s only lunchtime. My bloodstream is basically a flowing river.”
Apparently… that doesn’t count. Because I’ve learned something:
If your primary hydration strategy is caffeine, carbonation, and mystery syrup… that’s probably not good for you.
So a little while back we made a change. We got one of those water filtration tank thingy’s… and you pour the water in… It runs through the filter… It pulls out the impurities… And what comes out is clean, clear, healthy water.
And this is great… because now… because the impurities have been eliminated… my coffee tastes much better.
But here’s what struck me. That filter is doing exactly what Paul is doing for us in Philippians 4:8–9.
Because just like my body was taking in all kinds of questionable liquids… our minds take in all kinds of questionable thoughts.
Stress. Comparison. Bitterness. Worst-case scenarios at 2am.
Arguments we rehearse in the car ride to work… where we finally win.
And Paul says… don’t just let anything flow through unchecked.
Run it through the filter: Whatever is true, Honorable, Right, Pure
Lovely, Admirable
Let God remove the impurities… because just like my body doesn’t need more Mt Dew and Coffee pretending to be hydration… Your soul doesn’t need more junk pretending to be truth… it needs living water.
Let’s walk through this filter slowly.
Whatever Is True
Not what feels true. Not what culture repeats. Not what fear exaggerates. Truth is rooted in God’s Word and God’s character.
Many of us suffer… not because of facts… but because of false narratives we keep telling ourselves.
Whatever is honorable
Thoughts that carry weight, dignity, and moral substance.
I think there are some thoughts that can cheapen the soul. Other thoughts elevate it.
Think those thoughts that are going to raise you to another level, spiritually.
Whatever is right
These are thoughts that are aligned with God’s standards… not just socially acceptable.
A thought can be common and still be corrupt. One passage of Scripture that I learned a long time ago that comes to mind often is this…
And I learned it in the King James Version so it’s hard to get that language switched… but it’s from James 4:17
"Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin,"
I don’t believe this just applies to our actions… I believe this applies to our thoughts as well.
Whatever is pure
Pure thoughts are not polluted by lust, malice, or hidden agendas.
Purity is not naïve… it is guarded.
Whatever is lovely
This speaks to beauty, grace, and goodness.
I think what some people have a tendency to do… especially if they are not seeking the mind of Christ… some only meditate on what is broken. Paul says don’t forget what is beautiful.
Photographer, Matt Gundrum said…
“Beauty isn’t rare — attention is.” - Matt Gundrum
That’s true, isn’t it? Many of us have trained our minds to notice what’s broken… what’s wrong in the world, wrong in people, wrong in ourselves.
We replay disappointments and dwell on frustrations until brokenness feels like the whole story. But Paul says, “Whatever is lovely… think about these things.”
He isn’t asking us to ignore reality — he’s reminding us not to overlook beauty. Because beauty is evidence of God at work.
Whatever is admirable
These are thoughts worth repeating… Thoughts you wouldn’t be ashamed to say out loud.
Whatever is excellent and worthy of praise
If God cannot be praised through that thought… it does not deserve space in your mind. So… If a thought does not pass the filter test, it must not be given residence.
Now… you can’t stop every thought from entering your mind… But you can decide which ones get to stay. Now… here is the next thing we need to consider as we take every thought captive and as we think about these things as listen in Philippians 4
3. Right thoughts must become lived truths.
Paul doesn’t stop at just thinking about it... Look at verse 9
“Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing.”
I think this is where a lot of Christians stumble. We think spiritual maturity is thinking correctly… that’s part of it… But Paul says maturity is living consistently.
Right thoughts that never become action eventually lose power.
You can.. Know Scripture, Quote Scripture, Agree with Scripture
And still not experience peace… if it never moves from the mind to the feet.
Truth has to be lived out in your life, not just admired from a distance.
Paul says: What you learned — doctrine, What you received — personal instruction, What you heard — teaching, What you saw — example
In other words: “Don’t just listen — imitate.” Christianity is not theoretical. It is embodied truth.
Again… the goal of right thinking is not just information… it’s transformation. When thought and action disconnect, our faith can be pretty weak.
If we don’t put into practice the things we’ve learned from Jesus… we will never experience the peace that He offers.
But when truth is practiced it won’t take long for peace to follow.
And that leads us to the promise.
4. What you dwell on and what you walk in determines your closeness to God.
Paul ends with a stunning promise:
“Then the God of peace will be with you.”
Notice what Paul does not say.
He does not say: Then you will have fewer problems. Then life will be easier. Then prison doors will open.
Paul writes this from prison. You see… something we have gotten wrong down through the years is that we think if we don’t have any trials then we will be at peace.
But I think Paul is teaching us that peace is not the absence of trouble… It’ s the presence of God. And closeness to God is shaped by:
What you allow in your mind. What you practice in your life
You cannot dwell on fear and walk in faith at the same time.
You cannot have bitterness and experience peace at the same time.
You cannot feed your flesh and expect spiritual intimacy.
But when your thoughts are aligned with truth and your life is aligned with obedience God draws near.
Not because you earned Him… But because you have positioned yourself to experience Him.
I remember talking with someone who bought a beautiful home out in the country. It had everything… space, quiet, a great view. But there was one issue: cell service was absolutely horrible.
They’d walk around the house holding their phone up like they were searching for divine revelation.
“No bars here… nope… wait, I got one bar by the window… don’t move… don’t breathe…”
Now… the cell tower hadn’t moved. The signal wasn’t gone.
But their ability to receive it depended on where they positioned themselves.
And I think about that when I read Paul’s promise:
“Then the God of peace will be with you.”
Let me leave you with a final story. Several years ago, author and speaker Elisabeth Elliot reflected on one of the darkest seasons of her life.
Her husband, missionary Jim Elliot, had been killed while trying to reach an unreached tribe in Ecuador. She was left grieving, raising a young daughter, and facing questions that didn’t have easy answers.
She later wrote that in those moments, peace did not come through explanations. God did not give her a detailed plan.
He did not remove the loss.
Instead, she described making a daily decision… sometimes moment by moment… to place her mind on what she knew was true about God’s character, even when her emotions argued otherwise.
She wrote:
“The secret is Christ in me… not me in a different set of circumstances.”
- Elisabeth Elliot
That’s pretty profound. She didn’t escape pain.
She didn’t avoid grief. But she positioned herself… through surrender, obedience, and disciplined trust… to experience God’s nearness right in the middle of sorrow.
And over time, peace took root. Not because life became easier…
but because God became nearer.
Church… that’s exactly what Paul is telling us. You don’t experience the peace of God by rearranging your circumstances.
You experience it by aligning your mind and your walk.
What you dwell on
What you practice
What you surrender
These shape your closeness to Him. And when your thoughts are fixed on truth And your life moves in obedience… you don’t just get calmer emotions… you get Presence.
“Then the God of peace will be with you.”
So as we close this series… Remember the battlefield is real.
The mind matters. Your focus matters. Fix your thoughts.
Live what you know. Position your heart toward Christ.
And you will find… a life that isn’t free from storms…
but a soul that is anchored in the peace of God.
