Think about What You Think About
Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if thereis any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. (Philippians 4:8 NKJV)
When you sit down to eat, you have to think about how the food will affect you. For instance, I love spicy food. But I have to think about when I eat it. If it’s eight or nine o’clock at night, there’s no way I’ll eat spicy food, because I know it will disturb my sleep. So I have to make other choices.
In the same way, we have to think about what we think about. Philippians 4:8 tell us, “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if thereis any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things” (Philippians 4:8 NKJV).
If you want personal peace, it involves the heart and the mind. Isaiah 26:3 says of the Lord, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You” (NKJV).
We need to ask ourselves, “This show I am going to watch on television—what kind of effect will it have on me?” “This movie that I’m about to go to—what effect will it have on me?” “This music I am going listen to—what effect will it have on me?”
If you want personal peace, it comes down to right thinking and right praying. And it comes down to guarding what you put into your mind, because when you stop and consider it, most temptations you have faced have come first to your mind. The mind is command central. With it we reach to the past through memories and to the future through imagination.
We want to learn how to think biblically, not emotionally. Apply the Scriptures to everything that you’re facing in life.
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