Fill your heart with good things. The Apostle Paul gives us this advice. Philippians 4:8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.[1]
The world in which we live bombards us with messages of negativity, such as crime, wars, disease, poverty, and many other difficulties. If we saturate our minds with ongoing negative thoughts, we fall into the trap of our enemy, satan, who wants to tear us down. Our outlook on life changes when we flood our hearts with good things. Where there was hopelessness, there is hope; where there was darkness, there is light, and where there was hate, there is love. How would taking Paul’s advice to focus on good things be life-changing in your life?
Joseph’s Brothers Filled Their Hearts with Negative Thoughts
Joseph’s brothers grew up in a dysfunctional home where they did not feel loved by their father. To make matters worse, Joseph received dreams from the Lord that he shared with them. In the dreams, the brothers were bowing down to their younger brother. Instead of working through their issues positively and focusing on good things, they began filling their hearts with jealousy and hatred.
Soon they turned their thoughts into action with severe consequences. Genesis 37:18 When Joseph’s brothers saw him coming, they recognized him in the distance. As he approached, they made plans to kill him. 19 “Here comes the dreamer!” they said. 20 “Come on, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns. We can tell our father, ‘A wild animal has eaten him.’ Then we’ll see what becomes of his dreams!” [2]
Guard Your Heart
How do we guard our hearts to protect our eyes, speech, and the path the Lord has laid out for us? We must be aware of the enemy’s strategies to focus on the negative. How can we focus on the positive things in life? The Lord gives us outstanding counsel on this topic.
Proverbs 4: 24 Avoid all perverse talk; stay away from corrupt speech. 25 Look straight ahead and fix your eyes on what lies before you. 26 Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. [3]
Guarding our hearts is not easy; sometimes, we fail and must come to the Lord and ask Him to forgive us. The good news is the Lord forgives us, and we can go to Him asking for the strength and wisdom to guard our hearts. Protecting your heart is a continual growing and maturing process that will make a significant difference along your faith journey.
Fill your heart with good things. To hear more, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/joseph-sold
[1-3] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Tyndale House Publishers.