Recently, while looking on our bookshelf, I came across the Bible I used in high school. I paused for a moment to allow the memories of that old navy blue leather Bible wash over me.

I thought back to when my best friend (who would one day become my sister) gave it to me for Christmas, and how truly special that gift had been. She had my name engraved in silver lettering, and I remembered lovingly tracing my name so much so that the letters one day disappeared from the front flap.

I thought of the missions conferences and chapel services that sweet Bible had attended with me, and as I began to thumb through the pages, I smiled at my adolescent hand writing–big and bubbly, “i’s” dotted with hearts, and I read the notes I had taken during those years.

As I was reminiscing, I flipped the page and found a simple hand written note, and with all of the beautiful and clear memories swirling around in my head, I was instantly reminded of specific scripture and prompted to pray for the preservation of my mind.

I attended a small Christian School during my high school years, and one of my teachers was the author of that note. Every day, we would gather in a circle in a little trailer-turned class room to sing, pray and recite Scripture from memory together.

One morning, as Mrs. Collett began to pray, she prayed for the “Preservation of our minds”.

To begin with, I thought I understood; “Yes! Please, Lord, preserve my mind with all of the information I studied for that test today!” but no…that’s not at all what she meant.

She later told us a story of someone in her life who had suffered with dementia. She spoke of how heartbreaking it was to see someone lose a part of them that no one can replace; their mind.

She urged us to ask God to preserve our minds, and over the years, I’ve given great thought on how to do just that.

1. Fill your mind with the Word of God. Up until that moment in high school, I had looked at Bible memorization as either a requirement for school, or motivation for a prize. While I had stored plenty of verses blankly to my mind, I had not fully committed many of them to my heart. I had not allowed the Bible to permeate my mind and compel my actions for the Lord. Romans 12:2 “ And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”                                                                                                                              
2. Chose to have a willing mind. Decide early on to be willing to seek the thoughts of the Lord concerning your life, knowing that He does have thoughts about YOU! Sometimes we want to believe that His plan for us is hidden, never to be found, but he promises that when we seek Him, we will find Him. 1 Chronicals 28:9 “⁹ And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee;…”                                                                                                    
3. Guard your thoughts, and know that there is one who seeks to overtake them. Just as Satan sought to deceive Eve, he seeks to deceive us also with lies that we are all too eager to believe. Ashamedly, I can recount so many times that I was quick to believe something impossible to God’s character. I’ve been guilty of allowing my thoughts to guide me to believe the God was not aware or involved in the circumstance of my life. 2 Corinthians 11:3 “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.“

So many years ago, and I still pray often for the preservation of my mind. I think back to how it felt that day as I realized, ‘God is interested in my life’. That He was interested in not only the outward actions in this life, but in the thoughts that will ultimately provoke them.

Preserve the seeds planted in the mind, which will grow on to form what we will do and become with our lives. Guard the mind, as it is the place most sought after to attack; and commit His word to your heart as a weapon to defend the very thing that is ours alone…the mind.