10th Day of LENT: Invisibilia

Over the past few weeks I've been listening to an NPR Podcast called Invisibilia. It had it's last episode a couple of weeks ago, and I was crushed, because I had become used to listening to Alix and Lulu while I worked out, or while I was doing mindless data entry (which is about 20% of my job sometimes) at the office. I sometimes would burst out laughing at something they said or did, and since I work in an open floorplan...was given the opportunity to spread my love of Invisibilia to all the inquiring ears around me.

solids, liquids, gases, plasmas...thoughts?

Invisibilia is about the unseen forces that control or significantly impact human behavior. The show super "sciency" but that never stopped me from thinking about all of the faith-based invisibilia that I also believe in, as a Christian. The very first episode is about thoughts. Strangely, I never thought about thoughts as invisible. Clearly, they are invisible, but I guess I've never put much thought into how important my thoughts were. In another episode of the show, someone says that thoughts are matter. Matter as in the substance or substances of which any physical object consists or is composed; something that though seemingly intangible, occupies a space that we haven't yet measured. 

Today's reading was in 40 Days of Growth was: 

 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 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. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. - Philippians 4:4-9

There are two conflicting invisible things in this scripture. And both of them are related to our thoughts: 

1. Anxiety
2. Peace

They way we think determines which one of these invisible things we invite into our life. It seems simple: focus on the good thoughts and let the bad ones simply float away. Or if you have to focus on them...you have to capture them and change them into beneficial thoughts: 

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 

- 2 Corinthians 10:5

The scriptures are full of verses about our thoughts. I've read all of them (because I finished my Bible in a Year plan), but yet...why have I not put a lot of focus on my thought-life? As a Christian, I know the first thing we try to change. From the moment we come to Christ, to all the little moments after that when we're confronted with moral failure, we try to change the same thing: our actions. 

Yet, this is likely incorrect. Our actions are secondary. Maybe even tertiary. We want to change the visible first. But...the invisible deserves our primary attention.

Three ways to control your invisible thoughts:

• First, of course, we must put our faith in Jesus Christ, the visible image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15). That's our first faith in the invisible: salvation faith. 
• Second, we have to yield ourselves to that invisible God, for him to do a supernatural (and invisible) work in our natural bodies. We yield ourselves to God for a transformation that is described as "the renewing of our minds" (Romans 12:2). In other words, we open ourselves up to a new way of thinking. This is faith in God's sanctifying power. 
• And lastly, we just trust and keep reminding ourselves that invisible things are happening ALL around us, and trust that God is working all things both visible and invisible to our ultimate good according to His will and purpose (Philippians 1:6; Romans 8:28). And then...dwell on it.