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by Ami Samuels

“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 on such things.” ~Philippians 4:8

True means in accordance with reality or fact; not false but real.

Noble is morally good, superior in character or nature.

Right is to be in accordance with or conformable to law, justice or morality.

Pure means to be free from anything that damages, weakens or contaminates; innocent or clean.

Lovely is defined as beautiful.

Admirable means worthy of being admired or praised; excellent.

When I find myself trekking down a negative path of thinking, I am reminded of this scripture verse and I use this as an avenue to check my thoughts and to keep worry at bay. If what is on my mind doesn’t fit within the boundaries of Scripture, I turn it over to God and stop dwelling on it.

One thing that I realized was stealing my thoughts and causing me worry and concern was my own sin. I would ask God for forgiveness for my sin, but I would cling to guilt and shame, not letting go of my sin. The odd thing was, the more I worried about my sin and agonized over what I had done, I was more apt to fall into the same sin again.

When I put my thoughts of sin up against Philippians 4:8 I realized that my sin was true, which did warrant me to repent. However, it wasn’t noble, right, pure, lovely, or admirable.

As I thought further about Philippians 4:8, I realized that some of the things that take my focus off of God and the characteristics listed in this verse are sin, situations or circumstances, unfairness, anger, bitterness, fear, worry, and doubt. This verse says nothing about focusing on being wronged, guilt, shame, jealousy, or envy.

What I love about Philippians 4:8 is that it reminds us to focus on positives in life. If there are situations that need addressed or action, pray about the proper response, look to the Bible for guidance, seek wise counsel, then deal with it!

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