“Finally brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” Philippians 4:8.

Today, the Lord is giving to us clearly, what we should occupy our thoughts with. We should occupy our thoughts with truths, with honest, just, and pure information. We are instructed to occupy our minds with lovely thoughts, with good report, with things of great virtue, with things of praise.

What you think affects what you become. Proverbs 23:7 says, ‘as a man thinketh in his heart so is he’. When your countenance is sad, it is because of what is on your mind. When you are thinking of impossibilities, you are likely to experience impossibilities. If you expect prayers to be answered, you must think on what the word of God says about the request you have brought before God. If you are trusting God for your healing, let your thoughts be filled with the honest report about your health; truth about your health.

The truth is in the word of God. So your challenge is to guard your, mind. If you want to live a pure life, think on truths that are in the word of God. Today, what you are requested to do is to think on the word of God. The result will be clear, your lifting will be evident and your profiting will appear to all. Guard your thoughts.

 ‘Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would show the king the interpretation’ Dan. 2:16

King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that terrified him, but he had forgotten the details when he woke up. He was so troubled that he was unable to sleep for days thereafter. So, he made a decree that all the wise men; the astrologers and soothsayers, would be killed if they could not interpret his dream. Nebuchadnezzar was correct in his assessment that the dream was grave. However, the fact that he expected the wise men to tell him the dream and the interpretation is callous! Daniel however went in and requested the king to give him time, after which he will give the dream and the interpretation!

I want to believe that this situation is applicable to you because there is a God in heaven that reveals secrets. The world is ruled from the realm of the spirit; it is those that have access to the reveler of secrets that will be able to decode the language that controls in the atmosphere. You as a believer have an advantage. As Daniel said, ‘give me time’, all you need is time to access the divine secrets.

Verse 22 says ‘He reveals things that are deep and secret; he knows what is hidden in darkness, and he himself is surrounded by light‘! The light dwells with God and He knows what is in the darkness! I give you a challenge today; if you would spend time with the one that reveals all secretes, there is nothing that will be hidden from you. There will be nothing impossible for you – you will come out from your hiding with the light that will show you the direction to overcome all of life’s issues.     

 ‘The thought of the diligent tend only to plenteousness; but of every one that is hasty only to want’ Proverbs 21:5

If you want to be successful in life, you need to be clear of what you are up to. Many people are in too much of a hurry to become rich or to succeed, but do not have a clear goal. Clarity is very vital in leadership, in communication, in business, in relationship and in life generally.

On the one hand, it is good to work diligently, but hard work without first diligently thinking through leads to frustration.  There is a popular phrase; ‘Quo Vadis’, ‘where are you going’? Is your vision clear, do you have clarity of purpose about the subject in hand? If you know where you are going, you will be focused on what you need to do, while you avoid irrelevancies.

Anyone that is hasty in thoughts will tend only to lack! Once you have been able to identify your goals, you must engage in focused thinking to arrive at clarity of thought. Even when you need to multi-task, ensure you think through on one task at a time; this helps to ensure your perception is very precise. Start this day with clarity of purpose and goals and you will surely return with singing. Have a glorious day.

‘O Lord, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom hart though made them all; the earth is full of thy riches’. Psalm 104:24

I like the Contemporary English Version of this scripture; ‘Our Lord, by your wisdom you made so many things …’ God wants to give you a portion of the wisdom by which He has made all things. As you spend time with Him daily, reach out for the divine wisdom from God on all life’s issues. Reach Out for it. Make the most of your time in God’s presence. God actually instructs us to make a demand on Him for this! Look at Contemporary English version of James 1:5; ‘If any of you need wisdom, you should ask God, and it will be given to you. God is generous and won’t correct you for asking’. This is a special invitation with and an open cheque to ask for as much and however varied wisdom we need. God is waiting on you to ask, He wants to help you through everything in life.

Ps 104:24 concludes by saying, ‘… the earth is full of your riches’. When you access divine wisdom, you will access a portion of the riches that fills the earth. This is the truth. Eccl 5:9 says; ‘… the profit of the earth is for all: the king himself is served by the field’. You have equal right to earth’s riches.

You will access the riches that the earth offers if you will daily invest time to access wisdom from the maker of heaven and the earth. Deliberately spend some time today and REACH OUT for heavens wisdom as you meditatively think-through.  

 ‘An idea well expressed is like a design of Gold set in Silver’ Proverbs 25:11 GNB

‘A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver’ Proverbs 25:11

For you to get to the point where your ideas are well coordinated, you must have thought about them over and over again. The business idea that God gives you must not be rushed into the market place; you need to think through them until you arrive at a way of expression; so fitting that it is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.

Analyse the ideas well enough until you can present it with an advantage. Don’t waste your God given ideas because you rushed out from your thinking closet too early; invest adequate time to think. You might need to do some indebt facts finding around the matter. Carry out some SWOT (strength, weakness, opportunity and threat) analysis and this will guide you on how to approach the implementation of those divine ideas.

Pr. 20:18 says ‘every purpose is established by counsel: and with good advice make war’. Remember, you have access to divine insight that the world does not have! So, in these uncertain times, you can still take steps with certainty and fly with clarity. You will know when, how, and where to launch your ideas. Plus, you will receive strategic ideas on who should be present at your first presentation! The message version of Pr. 25:11 says ‘The right word at the right time is like a custom made piece of jewellery’.

‘…It is the glory of God to conceal a thing; but the honor of kings is to search out a matter. The heaven for height, and the earth for depth, and the heart of kings is unsearchable’ Proverbs 25:1-3

Verse 1 indicated that these are some of the proverbs of Solomon copied out by the men of King Hezekiah of Judah. Every leader needs to give attention to them. 1Kings 4:34 says ‘And there came of all people to hear the Wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth, which had heard of his wisdom’. Leaders are keen to spend adequate time to search out the mind of God on various matters. It is the honour of kings to search out a matter.

Think through as you meditate on God’s word to search out secrete things of God on each subject. Ps 119:18 says there are wondrous things in the word of God. Be a king as you develop the habit of thinking through in your closet, to search out God’s mind on different issues before you act. The saying goes ‘great leaders are great thinkers’.

Consider the message version of verse 3. ‘Like the horizon for breath and the oceans for depth the understanding of a leader is broad and deep’. For you to be successful in leadership and in business, you need to invest time before God in thinking through. You will receive light concerning dark difficult things; and when you come out from your thinking corner, you will act appropriately. Then you will not have any reason to worry!

Other Scriptures: Ps 92:5;

 ‘A person’s thoughts are like water in deep well but someone with insight can draw them out’ Proverbs 20:5 GNB

Diligence at work is more than working harder, it involves working smarter. Diligently thinking through on different issues will lead to smart working. It takes someone with insight to draw out counsel from great depths to the surface. Consider ‘water in a deep well’ – it is not contaminated but pure; however it takes time to get to it.

Take your time and reach to attain counsel through your regenerated mind; do not rush, always allow adequate time to think through. There is treasure in your regenerated mind!

It takes deep thoughts to search out the mind of God on issues of life (be it marriage, carrier or ministry). When you successfully think through, light will come to you and you will be able to take your next flight. Then gentiles will come to your light and kings to your rising (Isaiah 60:1-3).