What Am I Feeding My Mind With

In Philippians 4:8 I read, “Brothers and sisters, whatever 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.” (NIV)

I can learn a lot about a person’s physical health by simply looking at their physical diet. Are they eating a variety of whole foods? Are they eating a lot of fast food? Is their diet full of foods that help them grow strong and have energy, or is the food they consume wearing them down?

The same is true spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. I can know a lot about my spiritual, mental, and emotional health by looking at my mental diet.

Consider hours of talk radio, cable news, soap operas, social media, and binge watching is the equivalent of mental junk food. It’s not healthy for me. In fact, it’s poison. It is wearing down my ability to live a life of purpose.

Proverbs 15:14 says, “A wise man is hungry for truth, while the mocker feeds on trash” (TLB).

I have a choice—and every day, I must choose to feed my mind with the best thoughts.

Philippians 4:8 gets specific about the kinds of thoughts that are best for my mental, emotional, and spiritual health: “Brothers and sisters, whatever 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” (NIV).

Does this list of things describe what I think about most of the time? If I’m honest, the answer is “no.” My mind doesn't naturally go to these things because I am human and sinful.

So I have to train my mind to think thoughts that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. How do I do that? By doing it! I have to practice filling my mind with these things by reading the Bible, meditating on it, and memorizing it. I have to hunger for it.

How I think determines how I live. What I put in my mind is going to affect every area of my life—so I need a steady diet of truth from God’s Word.