Text: Philippians 4:8
'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 there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy– meditate on these things.'
One thing we must not take for granted is our thoughts. It determines the things we do, our worldview and how we see ourselves. If for some reasons, a believer thinks and sees himself as a failure, he will not have confidence and self esteem but the opposite is the case for a believer who sees himself through the eyes of God, that is, as God sees him. We are what we think we are! Our hearts are like doors. If we guard it well, we will determine what enters into it and what should not. Sometimes, negative thoughts come casually without prior notice but it takes discipline to ward it off the heart. It takes root in the heart if allowed to stay and results into negative and ungodly behaviour.
When the Pharisees confronted Jesus about His disciples on being defiled and unacceptable to God because they didn't wash their hands before eating, Jesus told them that it is the thoughts of the heart that makes one unclean and unacceptable to God. (Matt 15:18-20). Whatever sin is committed begins with what is in the heart of a man. This means that the things we do or say is a reflection of the things in our hearts.
To ensure that the words of our mouth and the meditation of our hearts are acceptable to God, we need to guard the loins of our minds (1Pet 1:13) through discipline.Yes, it is something that takes a lot of hardwork to achieve but it is not impossible. Let us fill our hearts with true, noble, just, pure, lovely and virtuous things. All these can be got from God's word, therefore, meditation of God's word is highly important. All these will make our hearts free and ready to hear God speak directly to us. Break the habit of feeding on negative or unrighteous materials as they defile a man and feed on God's word. Refuse to be like whitewashed tombs as Jesus described the Pharisees who seemed clean outside but dirty inside with hypocrisy, pride, malice, envy and so on(Matt 23:25-28) and let purity flow from the inside of you to everyone around you.
Shalom
