Think On These Things

"Finally, brothers, 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

This is one of my favorite verses. I remember writing it on an index card and hanging it in my room when I was in high school, along with many other favorites that I didn't want to forget. And, while you may think it has nothing to do with weight loss, I'm learning that it has a lot to do with every temptation in our lives.

I've personally discovered throughout this journey that if I focus on food and I start thinking about it non-stop, I ultimately give way to overindulging in something that is not necessarily good for my body. (After all, it's not often that vegetables overtake my thoughts!) On the other hand, I've found the same to be true on the opposite end of the spectrum. If I think about healthy things I can have and plan out my meals, I can usually stick with them. I somehow convince myself to be in the mood for them. For example, one day I decided I was going to eat veggies for lunch. Now, these are veggies I like, mind you (in fact, on a side note, I would highly recommend the 'immunity blend' frozen steamer veggies at Giant). But, steamed vegetables was what I decided I wanted for lunch in the morning and when I ate them that day, they were extremely satisfying.

Likewise, I met a friend for breakfast the other week who also is trying to lose weight. Breakfast is an easy meal at home for me but a tough one out at restaurants. She told me that she visualized her plate before getting to the buffet, sectioning out what part was going to be fruit, what part would be reserved for eggs, etc. I thought it was a wise move that kept her focused so she didn't overdo it. I think it's good to have a game plan of what you're going to eat for that day so that you're not starving or overindulging and so that you're getting enough good stuff to be healthy. After all, that's the point of this journey, right?

That said, we can't just focus on food or we would eat far more than we need. We should focus on that which is "noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable and praiseworthy" like the verse above says. When I think about God's goodness, when I'm thankful for what He's done in my life, when I listen to worship music, when I hear a testimony about His faithfulness to someone else, when I look around and see the beauty of His creation, when I choose to intentionally focus my thoughts on things from above, the battle seems easier. When I allow myself to start craving things I shouldn't have or think about negative things going on around me, it's instinctive for me to want to eat my sorrows away.

And while we think that it's okay to 'lick the plate clean' from chocolate cake in our mind so long as we're not doing it physically, I think that we are setting ourselves up for failure if we continue to focus on such things.

It's more than ironic that my devotions were on the same thing. I had written this entry out in my mind, and then the book I'm studying had the exact same focus. I'll give you bits and pieces that I found interesting from Beth Moore (2003) "When Godly People Do Ungodly Things":

• "Many of us may not be committing grievous sins with our bodies, but we are entertaining them in the recess of our minds..." Beth likened the mind to the most secret chamber of our temple (our body). We read Ezekial 8:1-12, which I would recommend you read, too. She notes "we kid ourselves in thinking that sin is safe in the secret places."
  
• The mind is the biggest battlefield we have on which our Spiritual battles are fought. [If you're losing this battle right now, I challenge you to search your heart and your mind...that seven pounds was a wake up call for me that something needed to change on the inside of my heart. And, thank God, the scale is starting to go the other direction!]
• My favorite quote: "The redeemed of God who are inhabited by the very Spirit of Jesus Christ weren't bought by His blood to be typical" (p. 70). Wow! If you think that you are 'normal' or 'typical' in what you're feeding your mind or thinking about, this is truly an OUCH moment. "Much too often we have adopted a relative standard based on the wickedness of the world rather than the holiness of God."
  
• If we don't allow God to sanctify our thoughts, our minds will taint our hearts and ultimately affect our actions. "But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ" 2 Corinthians 11:3. This verse shows that even those who are sincere and pure in their devotion to Christ can be lead away through  the serpent's cunning their minds!
• Christ tells us the greatest commandment was to "Love the Lord your God with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength" (Mark 12:28,30). We need to love God with our minds and make our thoughts obedient to Him.
• "We must apply the principle of feeding what we want to live and starving what we want to die. We need to start feeding the Spirit and starving the flesh." While these are Beth Moore's words and not Scripture, I'm amused by the analogy. She talks about what we're feeding our minds - is it junk on TV, R-rated movies, trashy magazines or books or are we conscious of the choices we're making to feed ourselves good things that make us focus on what is right, noble, pure, praiseworthy, etc.
• Romans 8:6 tells us that the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace. If we practice not thinking about sinful things but rather on the good, Beth notes "then our feelings start changing and improving. We often feel better all over. We start feeling full and satisfied." Again, I love that God can use a simple workbook to let me know that He's thinking of our struggle to lose weight. After all, when we feel "full and satisfied" we're not as tempted to go over-indulge in something that will harm our goals!

This week, start empowering the Holy Spirit to allow you to focus on "whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable...anything that is praiseworthy or excellent."  Practice controlling your thoughts, being intentional about your choices and allow God to make your life holy, pure and altogether thin and lovely!!!

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for showing us the way to victory. It is only by Your Spirit and the work You've done on the cross that we have any hope for our future. We know that You want the best for our bodies, and we thank You that You've come right alongside us in this journey. Lord, please help us focus on that which is pure, noble, right, true, admirable, lovely, excellent or praiseworthy. Keep our thoughts high above and may we honor You with our choices. We love You, Lord Jesus. May our lives be a pure reflection of that... we live for Your glory. In Jesus' powerful and precious name, AMEN!