1 Corinthians 10:13 is a very well known verse. It says, “…with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” The way is to flee. Though most of you reading these devotionals are not youth ~ this verse still applies. 

2 Timothy 2:22 says, “Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” In my daily reading I am in 2 Corinthians.

2 Corinthians 6:17 says, “…come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean…” 7:1 Amplified says, “…cleanse ourselves from everything that contaminates and defiles the body and spirit…” Contamination permeates. Leprosy, which represents sin, goes systemic. Our cleansing agent is God’s pure word. Hebrews 4:12 says that it pierces in order to discern our thoughts and intentions.

Meditating ~ thinking through the truths of Scripture in a systematic way. It is line upon line. Isaiah 28:10. It is not mindless, it is purposeful, mindful, and intentional. It is very focused and strategic.

Have you ever listened to someone talk and your mind wandered? Then they asked you a question and you never heard them. Why? We did not discipline our mind to stay on task. Isaiah 55:3 says, “Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live.” 

Incline means to listen favorably. Tuning out a truth will cause us to veer off course. Paul said that he preached the whole counsel of God. Acts 20:27. When we read God’s word systematically, we are bringing in His whole counsel. Picking and choosing what to believe will bring us into doctrinal error. Meditating organizes our mind through disciplined thought patterns.

We lose peace when we are in the flesh. It is a signal that we need to course correct. A caustic mindset is an internal stronghold. It is demonically influenced through thoughts that control us. They seep into our thought processes. The dictionary says that a mindset is an established set of attitudes held by someone. 

Prejudice is a mindset that can be passed down through generations. Habitual negative thinking is a mindset fed by the lies we have believed. 2 Corinthians 10:4 says, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds.”

As we meditate on God’s word, His sharp two-edged sword pierces through to discern our hidden thoughts and intentions. Meditating will set us free from the lies we have unknowingly believed. It is bringing the word in, and chewing it thoroughly so that our heart can digest it. Meditating transforms ~ spiritual metamorphosis. 

The world’s way of meditating is to not think. When I am meditating on Scripture, I am constantly thinking. I’m matching up and connecting truths that correlate to the part of the verse I’m meditating on. 

I finished memorizing Romans 6. Once I memorized it I was able to sing it, and personalize it. That was my goal. Personalizing Scripture drives home the truth in an impactful way. Let me give you an example.

‘Shall I continue to sin so that grace may abound? Certainly not! How can I sin when I died to sin? It is only because I have momentarily forgotten that I was buried with Christ Jesus in the baptism of death.’

I meditate while I am eating. I am chewing the word at the same time I was chewing my food. I started meditating on Romans 8. Walking according to the flesh: fleshly mindset, enmity against God, cannot please God. 

Do you have triggers? Do people push your buttons? Triggers are unresolved issues from our past. They enslave us to unrighteous reactions. Since we died to sin, we need to let them go. They are only camping out in our mind. Our past is passed. 

We need to process them to acceptance. We acknowledge that it happened. We had no control over the adverse circumstances. We forgive the person who hurt us, or the circumstance that derailed us. We catch and release. That stops them from circling the wagons in our mind and enslaving us.

In Galatians 2:20 Paul wrote, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Christ in me, and I IN Christ ~ one in newness of life.

2 Corinthians 5:17 says that we are new creations ~ the old has passed away. New clothes have never been worn before. We don’t put new clothes over old ones. At salvation we become a new man. We have never experienced this before. Our old man died with Christ and was buried. We don’t put our new man over our old man because it is gone.

Romans 6:2 says that we died to sin. Verse 11 says, “Reckon yourselves dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Verse 12 says, “…do not let sin reign in your mortal body…” The suggestion to sin is a hidden trap ~ don’t take another step towards it.

Newness of life is present. It is our flesh that holds onto the troubles of our pasts. We cannot walk in newness of life while dragging our past along. Walking in newness of life is synonymous with walking in the Spirit. Galatians 5:16. Sin is always a choice.

Romans 6 is a powerful chapter that I have been committing to memory. Since I finished meditating through Psalm 119 twice, I’ve started meditating on Romans 6. Verse 4 uses the words newness of life. What is it?

When I meditate I break it down into tiny particles. Newness of life is living IN Christ, in the same power that God used to raise Jesus from the dead. John 10:10 says that He came to give us abundant life. Ephesians 3:20 is about His power that is working in us. 

Ephesians 1:19 says, “…the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His might power.” Hebrews 13:21 says, “…working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ…” He works His resurrection power in us, like a wheel potter works water into clay to make it moldable.

Peace is an irrevocable gift given to us at salvation. John 14:27. It is an inner peace that remains no matter what our circumstances are. However, we can cover it up and not experience it when the gate to our words is not guarded.

Isaiah 26:3 revealed the two keys to maintaining our gift of peace. It says, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” Where our focus and trust lies determines our level of peace.

Our thoughts orchestrate our activities like a band leader leads. When our thoughts are synchronized with God’s word there is harmony. When we are off “key” then there is chaos.

Meditating on Scripture in context has really opened a new season for me. I’ve been struggling to memorize Romans 8. However when I began to meditate through it, my understanding opened. Meditating is a little like looking into a tide pool. In the quiet focus of repetition, hidden truths emerge.

We put up a fence to keep things in or out. However, if we don’t add a gate, we have no entrance or exit point. If we have a puppy in the backyard, we keep the gate closed so it can’t get out.

Let’s switch gears. Psalm 119:171-172 says, “My lips shall utter praise, for You teach me Your statutes. My tongue shall speak of Your word, for all Your commandments are righteousness.”

Our lips are the gate for our tongue.  We can’t express words without opening our lips. Isaiah 28:6 says, “…for strength to those who turn the battle back at the gate.” I used to consider this verse in regards to my mind.

Our mind is the battleground. The devil wants to control our mind ~ the house of our thoughts before we speak them. Is your gate open or closed? I love David’s prayer. Psalm 141:3 says, “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips.”

Ephesians 4:32 says, “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” Kind means to be gentle and pleasant. I want to stop right now. Think of someone that you are struggling with. Please take a moment and think kind thoughts.

Proverbs 4:23 says that unresolved issues will spring up when we least expect them. If we are entertaining unkind thoughts about someone we need to beware. They will become unkind words at some point.

Matthew 15:19 says, “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts…” Our heart is our belief center. If we believe that we have been wronged and we stuff it, it will seep into our thought processes. Allowing an offense to fester, not only destroys our health, but it defiles those around us. Hebrews 12:15. Forgiveness is a command not an option. Agape is kind. 1 Corinthians 13:4.