Put a Filter on Your Mind

How can we keep our minds clean? David put it this way, “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word” (Psalm 119:9). The words taking heed are from the same root as the word diligence in Proverbs 4:23, where we are commanded to keep our hearts with all diligence. Our minds are to be encircled, completely wrapped, with the very words or oracles of God, which act as a filter for what enters our minds.

This does not just happen. It takes a solid commitment to both Scripture memorization and meditation. Meditation is essential for anyone who desires to stay pure. The word translated “meditation” throughout Scripture is also translated imagine (Psalm 2:1, 38:12), studieth (Proverbs 15:28, 24:2), utter, mutter, talk, or speak (Job 27:4; Psalm 37:30, 71:24; Proverbs 8:7) and mourn (Isaiah 16:7, 38:14, 59:11). It is usually defined as murmuring or speaking to oneself. How often do we as believers devote a full morning to studying, imagining, talking through, speaking to ourselves (meditating) about one specific characteristic of God taught in His Word?

Meditation is a form of creative thinking. Using word studies, comparisons with other passages, and a good study Bible, we can grasp what God is saying and determine how to apply it in a life-changing way. For instance, if we set aside an entire hour to meditate on how much God loves righteousness and hates evil, our doing so will affect our thinking in such a way that we will personally begin loving good and hating evil more.

We must meditate on God’s Word in order to come to the fullest possible understanding of it. Most of us have developed lazy habits in reading, grammar, and word study. We often glance over a word we think we know rather than gaze into its true intent and purpose. For instance, when Paul uses the phrase “for this cause” it is so easy to keep reading rather than stop and think, “What cause?” “What is this driving force in Paul’s life?” “What was his essential reason for living?” “What is my ultimate reason, purpose, or cause for living?” “Have I attached myself to a cause bigger than myself, my wants, my time, and my life?” After I have pondered these questions, Paul’s simple phrase “for this cause” takes on a new relevance, and my heart is convicted because I have been living for my own causes and not God’s! Meditation is essential for all who seek victory over sexual temptations. Failure in sexual temptations comes from a lack of knowledge, a misunderstanding of Bible principles, or a misapplication of scriptural truth. We can live pure, holy lives, free from bondage or enslavement to sexual sins, as we begin thinking as God thinks. That takes time! That takes energy! That takes meditation!

Below is an excerpt from my new book entitled Lest You Fall: Meditations to Fight Moral Impurity (BJU Press, www.bjup.com). Because most of us know what God loves and what God hates and we all preach what needs to be put off and what needs to be put on, we must be committed to renewing our minds so that we will desire to put on what God loves and put off what God hates. Take your time reading the following section and meditate on each thought: