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.

Feed My Mind with God’s Word

In Matthew 4:4 I read, “People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God." (NLT)

If I want a healthy mind, I must feed my mind with truth.

I know the importance of nutrition. Good food and good calories make me stronger and healthier and give me more energy. Bad calories and junk food harm my body. The same is true in my thought life. I must feed my mind not with junk or poison but with truth.

One time I had the privilege of lecturing at the University of Oxford. While there, I was invited to go to a meeting of Oxford Analytica—a group that has enormous influence in the world. Every day around 6 a.m., leading scholars would gather to get reports from all around the world about what’s happened in the last 24 hours, from crop prices rising in China to unrest in the Middle East. Then they would decide what needs to be said about it. By 11 a.m., a report would be given to groups that pay a lot of money for this information—such as governments and major corporations.

Oxford Analytica was founded on the idea that the best leaders make the best decisions when they have the best information. Even good leaders are more likely to make bad decisions if they don’t have good information.

To live the best life, the life God wants me to live, I need the best information. And I’ll find that information in the Word of God.

The Bible says in Matthew 4:4, “People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (NLT).

God wants me to make the best decisions and receive his best for my life. I do that by feeding on the Word of God throughout my day, every day.

In summary, I cannot not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. So if I want a healthy mind, I must feed my mind with truth. I must feed my mind not with junk or poison but with truth. To live the best life, the life God wants me to live, I need the best information. And I’ll find that information in the Word of God. God wants me to make the best decisions and receive his best for my life. I do that by feeding on the Word of God throughout my day, every day.

I may also be tempted to satisfy a perfectly normal desire in the wrong way or at the wrong time. If I indulge I am trying to satisfy God-given desires in wrong ways. Many of my desires are normal and good, but God wants me to satisfy them in the right way and at the right time. Jesus was able to resist the devil's temptations because he not only knew scripture, but he also obeyed it. Knowing and obeying helps me to follow God's desires rather than the devil's.