It’s a scary time right now, with rising grocery prices, AI, social media, and a political divide marked by anger and hate. We’ve got some real tension in our world. So, more than ever, it’s essential to set your mind on the things above. Keeping a heavenly mindset lowers anxiety and brings healing to your own heart.
Many of us are feeling more anxious and have had more down days lately.
Thankfully, God knows the things of this world and gives us advice in Scripture on how to deal with our current difficult times.
The apostle Paul uses the book of Colossians to teach how to set your mind on things above. Specifically, it speaks to implementing the following behaviors to set your mind on holy and heavenly things instead of earthly pleasures.
Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.
Colossians 3:1-4 (NLT)
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What Are ‘The Things Above’?
Understanding what is meant by setting your mind on things above is important. Certainly, it’s about having heavenly-mindedness. But thinking of heaven as a whole isn’t enough.
You must go deeper.
The first step is identifying precisely what the Scripture text tells you to do, say, or think.
The verse above tells us that ‘things above’ refer to things in heaven, but it also instructs us to think of the things in heaven and what Christ has done for us and then apply them as we perform activities in our lives.
Hence, we’re to think of the blood of Christ shed for us and how He has given us a new identity and is changing who we are.
Focusing on things above serves as the process for renewing your mind. Instead of seeing situations as earthly matters, one can see struggles as temporary or even as potential ways to perform good works related to ‘Kingdom of God’ matters.
Since we have a merciful God, focusing on spiritual things is comforting when we feel anxious because it helps us focus on our loving and powerful God instead of ourselves.
Thinking about God, his character, and his power can remind us that He is in control, lest we worry about controlling such things.
8 Best Ways How to Set Your Mind on Things Above
Emotions, trials, and earthly circumstances can drive our thoughts. But God’s word tells us to focus on heavenly things instead of worldly things. God’s request helps us remain spiritually minded and obedient.
Another key point is to remember to look toward heaven in all situations. Below are 8 ways to focus on things of God as we go through daily life.
Stay Aware
We can’t forget and let our earthly nature and worldly lusts blindly take over our daily lives. Remembering is not about keeping it in our minds but incorporating God’s morals into every aspect of life.
But relying on our strength isn’t easy. Our thoughts and emotions can trick us into believing we don’t have the freedom to ignore this world’s pattern and follow Christ Jesus.
So, we need God’s help to maintain our heavenly focus.
For this purpose, prayerfully ask for the Lord’s help.
Feed Your Mind to Set Your Mind on Things Above
Many people believe they’re self-sufficient.
But God teaches us ways to live differently.
We must fight ourselves and be a living sacrifice to maintain a heavenly mindset. Immersing yourself in daily Bible reading, prayer, and spiritual songs is a great way to set your mind on things above.
Daily doses of Scripture can remind us not only to be aware of our free choice to be spiritually minded but also to encourage and arm us with truths to overcome any type of evil desire or temptation.
Examine Your Thoughts
Knowledge and information enter our minds almost constantly, sometimes passively. So you must take specific action to put the word of Christ in your mind.
To do this, you can:
- Ask the Holy Spirit to help you capture your thoughts before they take you down a path of lies.
- Pay attention to your thoughts and thought patterns. Does your mind immediately jump to worse-case scenarios about people or situations?
- Stop negative thoughts and think of good things. Do you find yourself frequently thinking negative thoughts outside of what is real?
I call that wasted emotional energy and work hard to avoid wasting my emotional energy on untrue thoughts about things that will probably never happen.
Stay aware of your thoughts to recognize lies and untruths and replace them with pure and truthful thoughts.
“We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.”
2 Corinthians 10:5 (NLT)
Follow God’s Guidance to Set Your Mind on Things Above
Following God keeps your mind on heaven. Conversely, if you hear God’s instructions and do not obey, your mind is not set on the things above.
God’s ways and wisdom are bigger than our thoughts and ways. Trust Him and choose to listen to Him.
Seek God’s favor.
Keep connected to heaven through God’s love because He is the perfecter of our faith.
“But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.”
Hebrews 11:16 (NLT)
Be Ready
Of course, following your desires is exactly what the enemy prefers. The enemy would love for us to talk with filthy language, have earthly masters, or partake in sexual immorality.
So pray that you’ll be ready when the enemy tempts you to listen to your voice, thoughts, and desires instead of God’s.
The enemy is the father of lies and will stop at nothing to convince you to forget the Spirit of God.
Be ready for the enemy to tell you God has left you alone because you’ve sinned one too many times (which is not true). Prepare yourself to hear the lies about God not loving you.
Full Armor of God Ephesians 6: 10-18 provides us with great wisdom and strong strategies to be ready for the enemy:
“A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
(NLT)
Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.”
Turn to Him
God is always present and always with you.
Remembering this is not only comforting but also healing. One of the most important things to understand is you don’t have to wait for any signal or particular time to turn back to the Lord.
You can turn to the Lord when you need Him or realize you’ve strayed from the path He has set. Things can get fuzzy when you’re on that different path, but you must always believe God is still with you and will never leave.
You must not consider any lies that God will abandon you.
Remember He is Good
God is an all-powerful and ever-living God. Prayerfully remember God’s perspective.
He has infinite wisdom, and His plan is good.
God’s character is good.
Let Go of Your Old Self
In Christ, your old self is dead. Be that as it may, you must let go of your old self daily. This is the difficult part.
Your thoughts and emotions should be on God, not yourself, as a source of good.
As you move forward with your new self in Christ, look to Him for direction and wisdom on how to conduct your new life.
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The 3 Benefits of Setting Your Mind on Things Above
When we become alive in Christ, we become dead to our human selves. Below are the good fruits and blessings of keeping your mind on heavenly truths.
Peace and Happiness
In essence, we renounce our earthly lives as our source of happiness. Instead, we seek peace and joy in the Lord.
Does this mean we ignore the happy and fun things here on earth? No, but we have to understand explicitly how temporary they are.
“So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.”
Romans 8:6 (NLT)
For example, as we’ve seen in wars, economic turmoil, and the pandemic, those sources of happiness and peace can quickly disappear —for a short time or forever.
But peace and happiness in Christ are eternal.
While everything else changes daily, we can trust that Christ is consistent and always unchanged.
Less Anxiety
It can seem like you’re losing everything during the chaos and challenging times. But when you set your mind on things above, you see all you have gained through your faith in Jesus.
Christ is alive and cares for you.
When you focus on heavenly matters, you can feel His presence.
So, even though your world may change as it has never been seen, you can still feel His peace and calm, release fear, and worry less.
Learn Who You Are in Christ
When you identify with heavenly ways, you can guard your heart and put away the tendencies of your old life. As you become more intimate with Christ, your thoughts and affections can more easily focus on Him.
Your new aim is to behave more like Christ and less like your earthly self.
Scripture and prayer illuminate ways to focus on pure things.
Set Your Mind on Things Above for Your New Life
Now, nourish your mind with the meaning of ‘set your mind on things above.’ As Christ moves closer to the center of your life, earthly things become seen from an alternative perspective.
What we can see is temporary. Nothing here is eternal. That’s why setting your thoughts on things above is vital.
It’s an honor and a privilege to serve the Lord Jesus. As you grow closer to your new potential in Christ, your aim becomes more about eternal things and less about earthly business.
When you fix your thoughts on things above, you take the necessary steps away from thinking only about earthly activities.
In closing, as Christ-followers, we can take comfort in knowing when we set our minds on Christ, we have something special, heaven, waiting for us when we go to our final home. Until then, through some spiritual effort, we can be more comfortable during difficult times if we set our minds on the things above.
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originally posted on 2/10/2020
Be sure to grab your FREE Self-care Starter Guide! Lisa Kimrey is a 33-year veteran registered nurse (RN), speaker, and author of the Bible study, The Self-care Impact: Motivation and Inspiration for Wellness. At Mylifenurse, Lisa combines her nursing expertise with Scripture-based encouragement to show readers who serve and care for others how to begin and maintain their self-care journey – without feeling guilty or overwhelmed – to feel happy, healthy, and rejuvenated.