Win the Mental Battle

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Philippians 4:8 NIV

In an article titled “New to running? Here are some tips for your upcoming Turkey Trot” published by the DeseretNews Sunday, the writer gave this important tip first: Remember that many runners struggle mentally with the task at hand. The writer went on to explain, “Many experienced runners, such as Olympic Marathon trial competitor Teal Burrell, have found themselves in the position of wanting to drop out of the race they signed up for. “Everybody is struggling with the same mental battle of, ‘This is really hard. I’m not gonna get through this,’” Burrell said, according to The Washington Post. “I wish I had known that. It’s just like a universal truth of marathoning.’”

And you know, when it comes to a universal truth of running the Christian race, it’s this… every believer will struggle with mental battles. It's just the way it is. And whether that battle is to conquer fear, doubt, enemy attacks, anxiety or temptation, Paul tells us that we overcome these struggles by fixing our minds on “ whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable." These, Paul would say, are the fruit and the food of the mind that is guarded by the peace of God. Which is the very reason the apostle said, "Think about such things." 

So whether you're a new believer or a mature one, be sure practice this important tip... keep your mind stayed on God at all times. Meditate on the Word without fail so that you can take every thought captive that is contrary to those that bring peace and replace them with those thoughts that are excellent and praiseworthy. This will ensure that you make it across the finish line with a smile on your face. 

Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding us that the devil will always wage war in our minds and in our hearts. Help us to keep our minds focused on You and the fruit and food that is guarded by your peace so that we can wage war with and win every mental battle that we encounter. It's in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!