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"Whatever is TRUE...."

"Finally, 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." - Philippians 4:8

Many of us have read this verse hundreds of times - normally in the context of encouragement to think positively. However, I heard someone give commentary on this verse that really spoke to me and has revolutionized the way I think (or... the way I aim to think!).

Focus on the first adjective in the verse: whatever is true. You may not realize it, but thinking only about "true" things only is actually quite a challenge. I find that I spend a lot of mental energy dwelling on things that I wish were true, things that were once true (the past), things that I hope to be true soon (the future)... but these thoughts are not in alignment with what the writer asks us to do: think exclusively about what's true.

I find that I spend mental energy and give my attention to ideas that are not centered in the present reality (or "the truth). Instead, I let myself get lost in thoughts that are not true. For example - let's say I think about how it would be nice to lose 5 more pounds (which I do think about regularly!). But dwelling on that thought or letting my mind run away with how I would feel/look/dress/run/whatever if I were 5 pounds lighter is not focusing on truth. That's creating a "fantasy" for lack of a better word, because I'm imagining and filling in ideas that aren't happening. The truth is that I am 5 pounds heavier than I should be. True thoughts prompt me to take action (be self disciplined and count calories!) instead of give my mind away to not true/fantasy thoughts.

Focusing on the truth also keeps us from letting the enemy play games with our minds. How many times have you walked away from conversations and instantly re-played them in your head? Not only is a replay something from the past, but we often insert commentary or begin to analyze the conversation in our heads, don't we? How quickly that can turn into a runaway train of paranoid, not real thoughts!

Before this blog post becomes a runaway train, I will summarize. Though this verse from Philippians is often used to prompt us to think positively, we should also receive it as a challenge to not waste mental capacity thinking about imagined or untrue things. Sometimes it's hard to decipher what is true, but anything that is from the past, or a "fantasy" about the future is not true. Anything that you thought/analyzed/took away from an interaction with someone but that wasn't actually spoken is not true.

I challenge you to think about your thoughts, as geeky and psycho-babble-ish as that sounds. Be aware of how much attention you give to ideas that are not true, and try to take each thought captive. Then focus on the truth. I bet you will be surprised at the level of challenge this creates, but you will also experience freedom as you let go of tendencies to over-analyze. You may also feel challenged by facing the truth in some areas and then deciding how to respond to reality (hello, calorie counting).

Remember that Christ came to set us free. Let your mind be free and stop being a captive to thoughts steeped in anything but truth!

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