Using Caution In What You Fill Your Mind With

In summary of Philippians 4:8 it says, “Fix and fill your minds with those things that are good and that deserve praise: things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honorable.  Don’t ever stop thinking about things that are excellent and truly worthy of praise.”

Bottom Line:
Fill your mind with and concentrate on things that are good and not the worst stuff.  Don’t stop thinking about these good things; weigh them and take account of them, all them to fill your conscience thoughts..

What this means to me:
I am so much better off filling my mind (meditating) on the things that are true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling and gracious - all the best things, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things worthy of praise, not of cursing.  I should think on, weigh, and take account of these things continuously, mainly because the more I think about something, the stronger it can take hold of me.  In my life temptation begins by capturing my attention and arousing my emotions.  My emotions then activate my behavior and I end up acting on what I feel.  Overall it would be better for me to ignore temptation than it would be to try fighting it.  I might need to physically leave a situation, turn off the TV or change the channel, or re-direct an internet search.  My mind can be my most vulnerable organ, so I can choose to keep my mind occupied with God’s Word and other good thoughts to help me ignore/reduce temptation (defeating bad thoughts with good ones.)  Today (and over the next several days)  when I find myself in the midst of temptation I will consider what will be the “true, noble, right, pure, lovely and honorable things” instead.  I will manage what is feeding my mind.  This means I need to monitor my media intake and avoid those things that would entice me away.