Section One: The Spiritual Characteristics of a Godly Life.

Our current theme: Characteristic Four: Being A Warrior.                         

Our reading for today: Philippians 4: 8-9 (MsgB)

Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into His most excellent harmonies.

Hmm.

I put on The Helmet of Salvation today so that I’d be reminding myself that in Christ, I am forgiven… and that salvation is mine through the grace and mercy of the Lord.

But wait.

What’s all this ugly stuff still floating around in my head? Why can’t I seem to concentrate? Why can’t I focus on Jesus instead of all those other ugly things that I really can’t mention here in public?

Maybe there’s something wrong with me? Maybe I’m a worse sinner than I first thought? Maybe I’m not as close to God as I think I am? Maybe…

STOP RIGHT THERE.

You see, the human mind is one amazing instrument. It has the capability to do things that even the most advanced computers can’t. Oh yes, science is getting closer every day to making a pile of computer chips do stuff that can blow us away. But not yet has man been able to create anything close to this amazing tool in our heads called the human intellect.

But while modern psychologists, therapists and the human sciences do their very best in understanding and interpreting our human condition; it’s not rocket science when the Bible suggests that the human mind is pretty much like any computer…

Garbage in. Garbage out.

So, in all truth, you or I can talk forever about placing The Helmet of Salvation on our heads, but quite honestly, if I keep feeding my brain with intellectual junk food, over time, my brain cells are going to rot out, just like my body will go bad after years of munching on a regular diet of candy, soda pop, potato chips and hot fudge sundaes!

Maybe that’s why the New Testament suggests a healthy menu of brain food such as things that are:

True, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.

Hmm.

Guess that eliminates a lot of the trash we Americanized Christians munch on in our spare time…huh?

So what’s on and in your mind today?

Hey…does anybody have a toothbrush?

I think I have a bit of peanut M&M’s caught in my eyetooth!

My prayer: O.K. Father, I get it. I complain about all the trash and garbage that litters my mind, but I rarely stop to evaluate how in the world it got there in the first place! Holy Spirit, I need Your help. I need to re-evaluate the type of brain food I’m digesting on a daily basis, and based on what Your Word says, I need You to help me make a major change in my day-to-day thinking diet. For Your name’s sake. Amen.

My questions to ponder: If I take the list of healthy brain food from Philippians, where am I succeeding at right thinking on the right things? And, on the other side of my brain, where do I need a major makeover with the ugly stuff I’m taking in on a daily basis?

So what is God speaking to you today as we attempt to live the Christ-centered life?

Over a thirty-six week period, you and I will take a deeper look into twelve key characteristics of a godly life. In other words, we’ll take A Journey into Christian Discipleship. In order to keep all the blog sessions organized, we suggest you bookmark our Journey home page for ease of use. ENJOY!

If you like what you’re reading, might we suggest you share this page with others! 

Click here to go onto the next session in the series…

Click here to go back to our Be Strong In The Lord homepage…