Oct 4

Think About These Things

"Finally, brothers, whatsoever 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." Phil 4:8

These words written by the Apostle Paul are not a suggestion or something that would be helpful for the Christian; they are a command from the LORD. I was recently convicted of the fact that I spend a lot of time thinking about things do not fit into the above criteria. I daydream and think about scenarios in my mind which will probably never happen. More importantly, they do not synch with the words in Phil. 4:8. If someone has wronged me, do I spend time giving him or her motives, which I have no idea whether they even have? If so, those thoughts may not be true or right, and they definitely are not pure or noble. When I think about trials in my life, do I worry about the worst possible outcome? If so, my thoughts again have not passed through the gates of Phil. 4:8. What we put into our minds determines what will come out of our mouths and through our actions. Paul tells us we need to program our minds to think about what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy. Boy that eliminates a lot! What are we putting into our minds; we need to replace the harmful things with positive input, primarily the Word of God. It does not mean that improper thoughts will never come to us, but we, like Jesus, can rebuke them with the Word of God. We need to ask God for help in the area of our thoughts. We may have developed some very bad habits in the area of our thought processes. It will take time and prayer and perseverance, but we can have victory.

 Father, thank you for revealing to me the need to take control of my thoughts. I cannot do this without your help. Help me to dwell on the things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy. Help me to fill my mind with Scripture so when improper thoughts surface I can instantly fill my mind with holiness. Father, forgive me for surmising about others' motives. Give me a pure and holy heart and mind that will bring you glory and honor. Amen