Philippians 4:8-9, New Living Translation

"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. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you."

We are shaped by the things we see and hear, but more importantly, we are shaped by the things we say and do. We come to believe what we pray. We also come to believe what we do, sing, and what we watch.

The next time you choose music to listen to, or select a movie to watch, ask yourself: what is this saying? Is there enough substance to this to spend our time putting it in our minds? Is it even true? The substance of what we allow to enter our minds matters. We need to use Scripture as the basis for what we allow in our minds and spirits. It’s tough to say that a text is garbage when it comes from the Bible. That doesn’t mean that Scripture is the only text worth singing, but it’s a good benchmark.

Pay attention to what you watch, listen to, the social media you spend your time on, the company you keep, and always be careful what words you put into the minds of other people.

We need to pay careful attention to the instructions of Philippians 4:8-9 because it contains much that can help us attain both good spiritual and physical health. 

In relation to anxiety, the peace of God, and coping with the problems of life, our minds should be occupied with things that are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, and praiseworthy. Through this discipline, we program our minds with the right things; what goes into the mind determines what comes out in words, actions, and attitudes.

This is a biblical version of the "garbage in, garbage out; wholesome in, wholesome out." It specifically expands on Jesus' statement, "For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks" (Matthew 12:34, NLT). You could take this further and say that out of the abundance of the heart the mind thinks and feels, and the body acts.

This is the “good stuff in” for the Christian. Paul gives us a list of the right programming that we need to put in so we can sustain the peace of Christ. He starts with the “whatever's.” Each thing could be a word study in itself but we should have a handle on the things that are true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent and worthy of praise. Paul then gives us the command, “think about these things." Let your brain run on those commands.

Put that list in terms of your daily life. Are the things you are looking at on the internet on this list? How about that magazine that you purchased? The novel you are reading? The show on TV that you regularly watch? If not, then it's the “garbage in” stuff. And what are you going to get out? 

Do you have peace in your life right now? Is there something that is troubling or that you're anxious about? Is your brain feeling torn? Then ask yourself: "What am I putting in?"

Take some time for self-evaluation. Think about what you are putting in and what is coming out. Maybe there are some activities that you need to cut. Maybe some material that you read, or watch needs to get dumped in the garbage and get replaced with things that fall into the list Paul gives us.

Remember, we are constantly bombarded by stimuli all around us each and every day. The decisions we make regarding where we go, who we go with, what we watch and listen to, etc. affect us in so many ways. Remember Paul's list and what the Bible says about the influences in our lives as well as ways we can protect our minds and hearts from Satanic influences... Don't forget to leave the garbage out!