Instead of fixing our thoughts on all that is wrong in our world we need to be fixing our thoughts on Jesus because we must live as Jesus did (1 John 2:6). We must acknowledge Him as our apostle and high priest. We must fix our thoughts on the uniqueness of Jesus. He is fully God but fully man. He experienced everything we feel yet He never sinned. He fulfilled the law and overcame death and in doing so gave us the victory (1 Corinthians 15:57). Romans 8:1-2 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. So fix your thoughts on that.
We must fix our thoughts on the Jesus we saw in Revelation 1.The Jesus that is right here among us(Revelation 1:13 “and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man”.) We must fix our thoughts on the Jesus who is the first and last and who holds the keys of death and Hades. We must fix our thoughts on the Jesus that is alive forever and ever (Revelation 1:17-18). We need to fix our thoughts on the perseverance, the expectant faith, the wisdom, the stability, and the sovereign authority of Jesus.
We need to follow the example of Jesus in not tolerating what we know is wrong. We need to hate what is evil and cling to what is good (Romans 12:9). We need to have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness but rather expose them (Ephesians 5:11). We must focus on being kind, compassionate, and patient, but never tolerant of the evil in this world.
We need to fix our thoughts on the Jesus that was wise in how he handled disingenuous people. We need to be wise in the way we act toward outsiders and make the most of every opportunity (Colossians 4:5) like Jesus did.
And finally we need to treat others the way Jesus did. We need to love the unlovable. We need to forgive others and give people second chances. We need to be patient with those who doubt. We need to reach out to those who are sick, the spiritually ill. We need to be kind to those who are despised in this world. And we need to comfort those who are sad.
Psalm 37:1 reminds us to not fret because of those who are evil. Jesus didn’t fret because of the evil that surrounded him, he overcame it. John 16:33 says “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Through Christ we can overcome the evil in our world. 1 John 4:4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. How do we do this? Romans 12:21 says “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Hebrews 3:1 “fix your thoughts on Jesus”. We overcome evil with good when we fix our thoughts on Jesus and live like he did. This is where our focus needs to be moving forward.