What is stress? In our definition of stress we discriminated between stress, stressor, stress reaction, and strain.
* Stress = a general concept describing a "load" on the system, usually external, but can also be initiated internally.
* Stressor = a specific problem, issue, challenge, personal conflict (External/internal)
* Bill Collectors or bills, People (bully, wayward child, spouse), Task or project on the job, Contest, Research or term paper
* Stress Reaction = an individual response to a given stressor (physiological, behavioral, emotional, cognitive, signs and symptoms)
* Parents – The way you respond when your child has broken that important “thing” in your home
* The way you respond when people “pluck your last nerve.”
* Strain = this is when the stressor exerts prolonged stress on the system (overload), fatigue, precursor to illness
* Unresolved problem(s), Due dates, Leaky roof, Ongoing contention in relationships
What does the Bible say about stress? The Scripture presents stress as the state of mind wherein one is concerned about something or someone. This state of mind may be the genuine concern one has for a person or thing:
The Apostle Paul experienced stress in the ministry
(2 Cor 11:28 NKJV) besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches.
The Stuff of Stress
What causes stress? Stress is a load on the system that usually results from worry or anxiety.
“Worry” –the Greek word translated “anxious” in Philippians 4:6 means, “to be pulled in different directions.”
There are people and circumstances in our lives that compete for our attention and pull and stretch us in different directions. For example:
* You’ve got to work to support your family but your job keeps you away from your family”
* You want to have a closer walk with God but your spouse says you shouldn’t spend so much time in church away from your family”
What is stress? Stress is a load on the system that usually results from worry or anxiety.
Stress manifests itself in many physical ways:
* General symptoms - Fatigue, aches and pains, crying spells, depression, anxiety attacks, sleep disturbance.
* Gastrointestinal Tract - Ulcer, cramps and diarrhea, colitis, irritable bowel.
* Glandular System - Thyroid gland malfunction.
* Cardiovascular - High blood pressure, heart attack, abnormal heart beat, stroke.
* Skin - Itchy skin rashes.
* Immune System - Decreased resistance to infections and neoplasm.
The Source of Stress
Where do wrong thinking and wrong feelings come from? Bad thoughts and bad feelings come from three sources:
World - We buy into the world’s way of thinking and feeling. We begin to rationalize in our minds, "Yeah, I do deserve a break today…" "That's right, I do want it my way."
Wrong thinking and feeling that leads to stress comes from the world which plays to this next source:
Self - Self says, "I want it; I deserve it; I must have it!" The stress comes as you seek to have your way with people, circumstances and things.
The third source of bad thinking and feelings that lead to stress is the devil:
Devil - The devil is the great deceiver.
* He can trick you into thinking wrong is right and right is wrong. He is the one who tempts you to doubt the love and concern of God.
* He will deceive you into thinking and feeling that people are against you when they are not and that people are with you when they are not.
* He is the one who says, "Everyone's doing it" when in reality, everyone is not doing it.
* He is the one who uses fear as a weapon against you.
Wrong thinking and wrong feelings, which lead to stress, come from three sources, the world, self and the devil. And just as there are three sources of bad thinking and feelings, there are three conditions that must be met in order for one to conquer worry and experience the secure mind: Right Praying, Right Thinking and Right Living.
Right Praying
(Phil 4:6 NKJV) Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
(Phil 4:7 NKJV) and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
“Worry for nothing” or “Don’t worry about anything…” Remember, “worry” –the Greek word translated “anxious” in Philippians 4:6 means, “to be pulled in different directions.”
“Don’t be pulled in different directions by anything…” This reminds me of a form of capital punishment called Draw and Quartering.
Draw and quartering was an ancient means of punishing that involved tying horses to each arm and leg of a person and then whipping the horses to make them run off in four different directions. The person being drawn and quartered almost always died.
Today, you can find people who are being drawn and quartered by their emotional ties to people, circumstances and things.
Several years ago before I began working full time at church I worked four days each week and ten hours each day in order to have Wednesdays off for church responsibilities. Some of those Wednesdays I found myself anxious about how I was going to spend my time.
Those feelings of anxiety were especially prevalent during the months we were renovating our church. Since I was spending so much time at church, some of my responsibilities at home were going undone.
So on Wednesdays I felt this pulling effect when it came to what I needed to get done:
I needed to cut the grass.
I needed to clean my car
I needed to clean my office at home
I needed to finish my work at church.
I needed to pick up the gas trimmer from the shop
I needed to go shopping for another suit
I needed to fix the refrigerator
I needed to take the van to the shop to get the brakes checked
I needed to clean up around my bed
I had to work on my sermon
And the list went on and on…
Some of us have, like me, experienced anxiety as a result of the pressures on the job, in your marriage, or maybe the pressures associated with ministry in the church or raising kids.
I remember one Wednesday morning at home I anxiously paced back and forth several times from my desk to the bathroom because I couldn’t decide which one I would clean first. I was doing this the thought hit me, “I need to pray for guidance, for discernment and for God’s peace…”
This is exactly what the Apostle Paul is exhorting us to do in our text:
(Phil 4:6 NKJV) Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
(Phil 4:7 NKJV) and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Here Paul is saying, “You conquer worry through right praying.
How does one pray right?
(Phil 4:6 NKJV) Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
(Phil 4:7 NKJV) and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
I want to share with you three ways to “pray right.” (1) Pray specifically; (2) pray completely; (3) pray with thanksgiving.
(1) Right Praying is praying specifically
“Everything” is the Greek word, pas, and means: “any,” “every,” and “as many as.” This is telling us that when we pray, we need to pray specifically.
There are many in the church who are what I call, “BE Prayer Warriors.” This is when they pray regularly, maybe even fervently, but their prayers are “BE” prayers or “Bless Everybody” prayers.
Someone might be thinking, “What is wrong with asking God to “bless everybody?””
The other day I was passing a brother in Christ in the hallway at work and I asked him how he was doing to which he replied, “Blessed.”
But what does the average person mean when he or she uses the word, “blessed?”
If I were to be technical about it, my mind would be drawn to the New Testament Beatitudes where Jesus says something like, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” or “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Here the word, “blessed” is the Greek word, makarios, mak-ar'-ee-os; which means, supremely blest; fortunate, well off and happy.
Some people pray this way, “Lord bless my mother; bless my father; Lord bless Aunt Martha and Uncle Joe.” Are they simply asking God to make their loved ones happy? Is that all they want from God?
When I pray for my wife and children I don’t pray “BE prayers.”
I have a daughter doing mission work in New York and another daughter and her husband in Kentucky expecting my 5th grandchild. I have other children who are raising their families—going to and fro in this world trying to make ends meet—I can’t afford to pray “BE prayers.”
When I know that my wife has to spend 24 hours a day, seven days a week homeschooling my younger children and caring for my oldest daughter who is disabled, I don’t pray “Lord bless her” I pray Lord give her the strength and the patience to minister to our family.
When it comes to you, would you rather I pray a “BE” prayer for you and your family or pray for specific needs? Would you prefer me to pray a “blanket prayer”—“Lord bless the Jones family” or a specific prayer for specific needs?
By the way, there is what I call “BM prayers.” This is not the prayer that is prayed when one is in dispose. This is the one who only finds time to pray “Bless me” prayers.
Are your prayers “BM prayers” and “BE prayers?” I believe that God would have us to pray specific prayers.
If one of my sons or one of my daughters came to me and said, “Daddy, will you bless me?” or “Daddy, I want you to bless my day” I would not know what they were talking about because they didn’t give me enough data.
Even though God is omniscient, He desires us to pray specifically. When Peter tried to walk on the water as Jesus did, Peter saw the wind and got afraid, and began to sink. As this was happening, he didn’t cry out, “Lord bless me!” he cried out, "Lord, save me!"
An Example of Praying Specifically
Paul prayed in specific terms for the Colossian believers:
(Col 1:9 NKJV) For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
(Col 1:10 NKJV) that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;
(Col 1:11 NKJV) strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy;
(Col 1:12 NKJV) giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.
In this passage, Paul’s requests to God were specifically suited to the needs of his readers. Here he makes four separate requests for the Colossians:
(1) Spiritual insight (vs. 9)
(2) A worthy walk (vs. 10)
(3) Abundant power (vs. 11)
(4) A thankful spirit (vs. 12)
In the prayer of Jabez, Jabez prays specific requests to the Lord.
(1 Chr 4:10 NKJV) And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, "Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!" So God granted him what he requested.
Jabez doesn’t lump all his concerns into a “BM” or “BE” prayer. Asking for God’s blessing on his life was only one component of the four contained in his prayer request.
Right praying is praying specifically.
(2) Right Praying is praying completely
(Phil 4:6 NKJV) Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
“Everything” also refers to, “the whole” of something or “thoroughly.” This means that when we pray, we should pray completely. In other words, we should pray about everything. Everything should be taken to the Lord in prayer.
There is nothing too great or too small for His loving care. Peter writes in 1 Peter 5:7, “…casting all your anxiety upon Him, for He cares for you.” In 1 Thessalonians 5, Paul writes, “Pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you...”
“Praying completely” is realizing that prayer is both an act and an atmosphere. We come to the Lord at specific times and bring specific requests before Him. But we also should endeavor to live in an atmosphere of prayer. Perhaps Paul is saying in verse 6 that the mood of our life should be a prayerful mood.
Notice that Paul says that one deals with stress by making both prayer and supplication to God about everything.
In the New Testament we find Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. He is about to go to the cross and take upon Himself our sin and our shame and our death. While his closest disciples were sleeping, Jesus was praying and while praying, sweating great drops of blood.
This is supplication. It is praying with urgency and intensity.
Paul prays in Romans 15:30-31, “Now I beg you, brethren, through the Lord Jesus Christ, and through the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in prayers to God for me, that I may be delivered from those…who do not believe.”
He writes in Colossians 4:12, “Epaphras, who is one of you, a bondservant of Christ, greets you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.”
This is supplication and this is “right praying!” “Right Praying” is praying specifically; “Right Praying” is praying completely. Finally, “right praying” is praying with thanksgiving.
(3) Right Praying is praying with thanksgiving
No parent feels good about having an ungrateful child and God is no different. The Father enjoys hearing his children say, “Thank You.” It is God’s will that Christians be thankful:
(Eph 5:20 NKJV) giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
In a parallel passage of Scripture Paul spotlights the same truth:
(Col 3:15 NKJV) And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.
(Col 3:16 NKJV) Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
(Col 3:17 NKJV) And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
“Right Praying” is praying specifically; “Right Praying” is praying completely and “Right Praying” is praying with thanksgiving.
In verse 6 and 7 Paul has just shared with his readers how to deal with anxiety and worry. In verse 8 he presents several things that we should meditate on in order to secure our minds against the onslaught of worry, which can lead to stress.
Whatever things are true
The first category of things we are exhorted to think on is “whatever things are true”
A researcher on worry reported that only 8 percent of the things people worried about were legitimate matters of concern. The other 92 percent were either imaginary, never happened, or involved matters over which the people had no control anyway.
Dr. Dobson occasionally tells his radio listeners of a time one year when he as a young man had a strong impression that his father would die. This impression was so strong and was very difficult for him to shake. The year concluded and his father did not die. In fact, his father didn’t die for another 20 years.
Several years ago I had a strong feeling that something bad, involving gangs, would happen during the summer—it never occurred.
We need to think on the things that are true. Much of our worrying about people, things and circumstances would cease if only we would learn to meditate on the things that are true.
In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”
In John 17, Jesus knowing that He would be departing soon prayed for His disciples. He prayed to His Father saying, “They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify (set them apart) them by Your truth. Your word is truth.”
Psalm 119: 30 and 43 says, “I have chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on your laws. Do not snatch the word of truth from my mouth, for I have put my hope in your laws.”
The Psalmist is saying that he finds the things that are true in the Word of God. Much of our worrying about people, things and circumstances would cease if only we would learn to meditate on the Word of Truth.
It is the Word of God that helps us to filter our thoughts. One can’t discern truth from deception without the Word.
Whatever things are noble
8Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are right, 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 second category of things we are exhorted to think on is “whatever things are noble or honorable.”
This word means “to worship and to revere” and is used in 1 Timothy 3:8 and Titus 2:2 referring to church officers. Paul writes to Timothy, telling him that deacons are to be men worthy of honor or respect.
These are the kinds of thoughts we should think on. In other words, it is the Christian’s responsibility to restrict his or her mind to dwelling or meditating or thinking only on thoughts that are worthy of respect—i.e., honorable thoughts.
Thoughts will enter your mind without you even asking them to come in. My question to you is, “Which thoughts are worthy of your respect?” “Which thoughts aren’t?”
As a father of eight I have seen my share of sibling rivalry. One of my kids may say to the other something like, “You ole bighead” or “that dress is ugly.” And, the one will almost always take it to heart and come to me and say, “So and so said I have a bighead” or “So and so said my dress is ugly.”
I ask her, “Do you think you have a big head?” or “Do you think your dress is ugly?” After this I tell her, “Don’t even mind what she said, you don’t have a big head to me” or “I think you have a pretty dress.”
I’ve told my children that there are things that people say to you that you need not entertain. There are some things that should be like “water off a duck’s back” —they are not even worthy of our respect.
In 2 Corinthians 10:5 Paul tells us, “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
Paul is telling us that there are some things that you just don’t allow to enter your mind. You destroy them on your doorsteps. You cast down or demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself against the knowledge of God.
When the enemy tries to tell you that God doesn’t know or care about you --you cast that argument down with a Hebrews 4:14-15 saying, “I have a great High Priest who has gone to heaven, Jesus the Son of God. I can cling to Him and never stop trusting Him because this High Priest of mine understands my weaknesses, for He faced all of the same temptations I do, yet He did not sin.”
When the enemy tries to deceive you into thinking that God has turned His back on you –you cast that argument down with a recall of Romans 8:35-39:
35Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or are hungry or cold or in danger or threatened with death?
38And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can’t, and life can’t. The angels can’t, and the demons can’t. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can’t keep God’s love away. 39Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
And if a thought happens to make it into the recesses of your mind Paul says you and I can “take it captive and make it obedient to Christ.”
It is sad that many Christians don’t take dishonorable thoughts captive as the Scripture commands but invite them in, serve them dinner, watch a DVD with the thought; have dessert and even invite them to spend the night.
Notice that Paul says, 2 Corinthians 10:5, “We demolish arguments” and “we take captive every thought…” This tells me that sometimes you and I need to call for assistance when an argument or rebellious thought tries to do battle with our mind.
I can tell you that there have been times when I have shared with a brother in the Lord that I need some prayer support when I have been struggling unsuccessfully with dishonorable thoughts.
Whatever things are right
8Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are right, 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 third category of things we are exhorted to think on is “whatever things are right.”
The word “right” refers to what is upright or just, conformable to God’s standards and thus worthy of His approval.
“Noble” thinking is casting away thoughts that may not necessarily be sinful but are not worthy of dwelling on them. “Right” thinking is casting away thoughts that are sinful and do not conform to God’s righteous standards.
It will be very difficult for you to think on things that are right if you do not know any right things to think about. How can one acquaint himself with the righteous standards of God? God’s righteous standards are found in His Word.
Psalm 33:4-5 says, “For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. The
LORD loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love.”
Whatever things are pure
8Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are right, 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 fourth category of things we are exhorted to think on is “whatever things are pure.”
The word “pure” here emphasizes moral purity. Pure (hagna). This is the word for “all sorts of purity. There are clean things, thoughts, words, and deeds.
It is difficult for us to think on the things that are morally pure while living in a world that is constantly bombarding us with sensuality and other anti-Christian values.
Things that produce morally impure thoughts:
* Internet pornography
* Harlequin romance novels
* Daytime and nighttime soap operas
* Unwholesome music lyrics
* Men’s magazines
* Women’s magazines
* Jerry Springer
* Divorce Court
Things that produce pure thoughts
* The Word of God
* Wholesome music
* Wholesome literature
Whatever things are lovely
8Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are right, 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 fifth category of things we are exhorted to think on is “whatever things are lovely.”
Lovely means, beautiful, attractive, pleasing, charming and appealing.
This category of things that we need to think on is important as we consider our relationships with people.
This is the exhortation that a person with a critical spirit needs to hear. The person with a critical spirit can only see the dark side. He or she always seems to come up with everything that is bad about a person, place or thing.
There could be 100 good things about the people and ministries of New Vision a few areas where we still need some work and the person with a critical spirit will leave here consumed with thinking about the areas that need work.
It is easy for us to major on someone’s weak points and minor on his or her strengths. It doesn’t take much for one to focus on a person’s flaws while ignoring their gifts and talents and abilities.
We can easily become consumed with the negative, hurtful, painful thoughts resulting from what a brother or sister in Christ has done to us, even long after they have begged for forgiveness.
The critical person not only focuses on the dark side of others, he or she focuses on the dark side of himself or herself. They focus on their hurt, and discomforts, their pain from rejection.
Did you know that, as a Christian there is something lovely about yourself? No, I am not going where some have traveled, saying that we have worth and because of our worth that we should love ourselves.
I am saying that as Christians, first, we are made in the image of God and secondly, God has invested the lifeblood of His only Son to make us His sons.
Paul says to think on the things that are lovely. Lovely means, beautiful, attractive, pleasing, charming and appealing.
* I don’t know about you but it is very pleasing and appealing to me that as a Christian, I am blessed in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
* I was chosen in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.
* In love he predestined me to be adopted as his son through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—
* I am pleased that God has freely given to me His glorious grace in the One he loves.
* It is appealing to me that I have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.
* It is attractive to me that He made known to me the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ
* It is a beautiful thing that in Him I was chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will
I am very pleased to know that I have been marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing my inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.
When I feel the temptation to worry about my relationship with God I have to think on these things—the things that are lovely, pleasing and appealing.
If you and I are to conquer worry and experience the secure mind we need to think right. And, in order to think right we must think on things that are true, noble, right, pure, and lovely.
Whatever things are good report
8Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are right, 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 sixth category of things we are exhorted to think on is “whatever things are of good report.”
“Of good report” mean “worth talking about, or appealing.
Have you ever had someone come to you with a report about a close friend? Now, whether that report was true or false you don’t know but you do know that it stayed on your mind. Perhaps it even drove a wedge between you and your friend.
Proverbs 6:28 SAYS, “A troublemaker plants seeds of strife; gossip separates the best of friends.”
The devil would have you to meditate on things about your church leadership. This is why Paul writes in 1st Timothy 5:19, “Do not entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses.” In other words, anything outside of an unsubstantiated, unverified report is gossip.
The problem is that gossip can come disguised as a good report but the end result is a lot of stress. Proverbs 18:8 says, “What dainty morsels rumors are—but they sink deep into one’s heart.”
When someone comes with a report, you and I are going to have to ask the proper questions in order to keep gossip from entering our mind and heart.
* Have you talked to the person at the center of discussion about this?
* Were you an eyewitness to this or did you hear about it from another source?
* Is this just gossip and hearsay or are you trying to bring about a Christ-honoring resolution?
If it is not “of good report” it is not worth talking about.
If anything is…
8Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are right, 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.
Suddenly Paul changes the sentence structure to what are called conditional clauses. He uses the words “is anything is” which is a rhetorical device that forces the reader to exercise his or her own discernment and choose what is “excellent” (NIV – virtue) and “praiseworthy.”
I am reminded of Indian Jones The Last Crusade movie where Indy and his father are on a quest for the chalice of Christ—the cup that Jesus Himself used to drink from during the Lord’s Supper. Legion had it that the cup had powers so that anyone who drank from it would become immortal and live forever.
Towards the end of the movie, they found scores of cups guarded by a 1500-year-old knight and had to choose the correct one used by Jesus. There were all kinds—goblets made of glass, gold and other materials.
Indy has to find this powerful cup because his father was shot and was dying—he needs the cup’s power to save his father’s life. The villain of the movie was also looking for this prized treasure and pushed Indy out of the way and grabbed a cup and drank from it.
All of a sudden the villain through the power of computer animation, turned into a grotesque figure of a man, then decomposed before everyone’s eyes and died. The knight says at this point, “He chose badly.”
Indian Jones looks amongst the other goblets and remembers that Jesus was a humble carpenter and wouldn’t have used anything extravagant like a gold or crystal chalice—He would have used something a poor man would have used to drink from.
In the midst of all the fancy goblets he spotted a wooden goblet and used it to dip some water and drank. Everyone watched to see if Indy would die like the man who drank before him. When He lived, the knight said, “You have chosen wisely.”
Paul writes in our text, “…if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.” In other words, the Holy Spirit through Paul is telling us to exercise our own discernment and choose what is “excellent” (NIV – virtue) and “praiseworthy.”
Wiersbe says,
“If it has virtue, it will motivate us to do better; and if it has praise, it is worth commending to others. No Christian can afford to waste “mind power” on thoughts that tear him down or that would tear others down if these thoughts were shared.”
“Think” or “meditate on these things” is the present middle imperative for habit of thought. Paul is saying here that you and I are responsible for our thoughts. We are the gatekeepers and through the power of the Holy Spirit and the knowledge of His Word must hold them to high and holy standards.
We may not be able to control what thoughts knock on our minds door but we do have control over which thoughts we let enter and stay. Someone has widely said, “A bird may land in our hair, but we don’t have to let it build a nest there.”
