The apostle Paul told us to set our minds on “things above,” that is, heavenly things, not on “things on the earth,” that is, earthly things (Colossians 3:2). He and other biblical authors make it clear that we need to be intentional about what is on our minds.
We should not go after the things on this world. Allow our minds to be shaped by God’s Word. Our mindset needs to be changed. We need to let go of values and habits that don’t agree with God’s will and adopt a new mindset built upon the truth from Scripture.
Paul’s exhortaton in Philippians 4:8 teaches us to be very selective with what should occupy our thoughts. This Bible verse tells us to think about things that are:
True, Honest, Just, Pure, Lovely, Admirable, Virtuous and Worthy of praise.
If we want to produce real change in our minds and hearts, we need God’s help. He is the One that can help us desire and pursue change (Philippians 2:13). No matter how hard we try on our own, we won’t be able to overcome our sinful human nature without God working in us through His Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:16-17).
This is what the apostle James told us to do. By resisting the devil, he will flee from us (James 4:7). To resist means to oppose, to withstand against him. We resist the devil as Jesus did: through prayer, fasting, and God’s Word (Luke 4:1-13).
We need to be aware of the enemy’s strategies so we don’t fall into his traps (2 Corinthians 2:11; 1 Peter 5:8). Since this battle occurs mostly in our minds, we need to resist the devil so that we can focus our minds on the things of God.
What does that expression from Proverbs 4:23 mean? In biblical terms, the “heart” is the center of the will, thoughts, feelings, and desires. Nowadays, we say those things are in our minds. So, that expression means that we need to protect our minds from worldly things. Exposing ourselves to ungodly things that ignite our temptations can cause us to sin (Matthew 26:41; James 1:14-16; 1 John 2:15-17).
That helps us deconstruct the lies the world taught us our entire lives. Start by observing how Jesus and the apostles lived. Read the New Testament and pay attention to these questions: