I still remember when I first let a curse word fly out of my mouth. I called a little girl a bad word right to her face, and I still regret it. I couldn’t explain to my parents then why I did it, but I have since realized it was because I was thinking those bad words long before I said them.
Filtering our thoughts through the truth of God’s Word is important. Keeping our minds filled with positive things is a biblical mandate. Paul tells us to be transformed by renewing our minds (Romans 12:2) and to bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5).
According to the writer of Proverbs, words begin with thoughts. “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Proverbs 18:21 KJV). Everything in our lives can be traced back to our thoughts. Thoughts lead to beliefs, then to actions, then to habits, and finally to a lifestyle.
The Greek word for “think” in Philippians 4:8 means “to reckon, consider, or ponder.” Doing so is to reason deeply—to ponder a long time about these good things, not to do a quick soundbite. This thinking is taking time to meditate and mull them over—something lost in modern Christianity.
We should constantly evaluate what we’re allowing to take up residence in our minds. Ask yourself if what you’re watching, listening to, reading, or meditating on is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, virtuous, praiseworthy, and worthy to be repeated. If not, get rid of it.
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Lila Diller has been married to the only love of her life for fifteen years. She is a homeschool mother to two energetic boys, ages eleven and six. She loves to scrapbook, sing, and read fiction. Lila is organized and loves lists but does not like cleaning or cooking. She grew up in church, accepted the Lord at a young age, and graduated from a Bible college with a four-year degree in Humanities. She recently published her first novel, Love is Not Arrogant or Rude. You can follow her on her blog at www.liladillerauthor.squarespace.com.