Previous Articles in this Series
- A Good Kind of Anxiety
- How Can We Enjoy the Peace of God?
- Five Essential Practices for Overcoming Anxiety, Part 1:
Rejoice Always in the Lord - Five Essential Practices for Overcoming Anxiety, Part 2:
Practice Public Gentleness - Five Essential Practices for Overcoming Anxiety, Part 3:
Thankful Prayer
In the last few articles, we’ve learned that enjoying the peace of God requires us to actively engage in specific spiritual disciplines outlined in Philippians 4:4-9. These disciplines include regular rejoicing in the Lord (v. 4), practicing gentleness with others (v. 5), and thankful prayer (vv. 6-7). In this article, we will focus on Philippians 4:8 and Paul’s instruction to dwell on good things.
It’s important to understand that Paul doesn’t intend us to stop at verse 7 in our pursuit of the peace of God. We know this because Paul ends v. 9 with the promise, “And the God of peace will be with you.” The theme of verses 4-9 is the peace of God, and we can’t enjoy this peace unless the God of peace is with us. Paul intends us to take this whole section and apply it so that we might experience the rich, indescribable peace of God.
Dwell on Good Things
The fourth instruction in Philippians 4:4-9 is to dwell on good things. Why would this practice be essential to enjoying the peace of God? Because our consciences will be defiled when our hearts and minds dabble in unwholesome things, and a defiled conscience is a troubled conscience.
Whatever is True
This phrase clearly includes divine revelation, but it is broader than that. The word for “true” here literally means, “in accordance with the facts.” In other words, fixing our minds on what is true means that we can’t speculate about a particular problem or future event.
Anxiety often arises when we dwell on what someone might say or what they might do. But this is to focus on conjecture, not on what is true.
If we constantly ruminate on our present or future circumstances based on spotty or otherwise unreliable evidence, we will not enjoy the peace of God. When we get swept up in news reports and headlines without verifying their accuracy, we will be robbed of God’s peace.
When we fixate on people’s lives online, peace will quickly escape us. Social media—Facebook, Instagram, Twitter—is a place where people only show us a small portion of what is really going on. We rarely get the whole picture, which leads us to form incomplete and unfounded conclusions about their lives. This kind of speculation also leads to anxiety.
Paul reminds us that we can’t dwell on that which is speculative, conjectural, unfounded, or even theoretical. We must dwell on whatever is true. This is a difficult but important discipline to develop, but it will save us from loads of anxiety.
Whatever is Honorable
But truth isn’t the only qualification. You could dwell on true things that are evil, defiling, gross, and inappropriate. If we are going to dwell on what is true, therefore, we must also think on what is honorable. The word translated “honorable” in the ESV refers to that which provokes awe or reverence.
Like I noted above, the most honorable thing we could dwell on is God as he is revealed in his Word, and we should be meditating on Scripture throughout the day for this very purpose (Ps 1:1ff). But the command to dwell on that which is honorable doesn’t only include things that are strictly biblical. Rather, using the truth of God’s Word to guide us, we can train our minds to think on whatever we find in this world that provokes awe or reverence.
There are people (both believers and unbelievers), stories, songs, movies, experiences, conversations, and news events outside of the Bible that are honorable, dignified, and ennobling. By God’s Spirit we are able to discern the goodness and honorableness of these people and events because our mind is being transformed by God’s Word (Rom 12:1-2). A mind at peace will be a mind that dwells on what is honorable.
Whatever is Pure
A mind and heart that enjoys the peace of God will also think on whatever is pure. Purity here refers to moral and ethical purity. If we want to experience the peace of God, we must maintain a good conscience. In order to maintain a good conscience, we must fix our minds on that which is morally and ethically pure, and shun thoughts that are impure, immoral, and unclean (see James 1:21). Dwelling on that which is sexually impure will only defile the conscience and disrupt our enjoyment of God’s peace. Also, thinking on things that provoke feelings of revenge, anger, or bitterness will also rob us of God’s peace (Col 3:8-10). The call here is to rivet our minds on that which is moral and ethically good, wholesome, and pure.
Whatever is Lovely
The word translated “lovely” in the ESV refers to that which is pleasing, agreeable, and amiable. For the regenerate mind and heart, there are a thousand lovely aspects of this world, even though this world is racked by sin and under the curse. The beauty of a godly Christian marriage, the glory of a fall sunset, the green hills of the East Bay during the winter and spring rains, a meandering trail through a densely wooded forest, a faithful friend, a beautifully composed song with wholesome lyrics, jagged, snow-capped peaks, a new baby. A mind that enjoys the peace of God is one that is disciplined to dwell on whatever is lovely.
Whatever is Commendable, Excellent, and Worthy of Praise
Similarly, despite the fall, there are many aspects of this world that are commendable, excellent, and worthy of praise. Examples of courage, faithfulness, and kindness abound. We are to fill our minds with these commendable examples, which can be found inside and outside the Bible, and inside and outside the church. The Christian whose mind is being transformed by the word of God can peer into God’s world and discern what is good and praise it. “Abhor what is evil, cling to what is God,” Paul reminds us in Romans 12:9.
Applying the Truth
But we can’t leave this instruction in the abstract. Paul’s directions in verse 8 have everything to do with what we daily listen to on our drive to work, during our workouts, and while at home. These instructions apply to what we read online or in books, as well as what we watch on Netflix, Hulu, Peacock, and YouTube. A heart stuffed with the latest celebrity gossip or scintillating romance novel will have a difficult time dwelling on what is good. Someone who fills their eyes and heart with salacious and sensual entertainment will be hindered from fixing their mind on what is pure.
How can we expect to maintain a good conscience and dwell on good things when we place ourselves in front of a ninety-minute movie that flaunts immorality, gratuitous violence, and filthy language? I’m not suggesting that Christians not watch movies. Our family does. But maintaining a good conscience and the discipline of dwelling on good things requires that we are careful and thoughtful about what we put in front of our eyes. It is impossible to dwell on that which is good when we are filling our minds with that which is evil and defiling.
Paul’s instruction here requires that we take practical steps to do that which is most conducive to dwelling on that which is good. It will likely mean limiting your intake of the news and social media. It will mean carefully selecting what we read and what we watch. It will mean taking positive steps to fill your life with good music, good teaching, and honorable and excellent entertainment. But, as God promises us in verse 9, when we fill our minds with good things while practicing the other spiritual disciplines outlined in this passage, the God of peace will be with us.
In our last article in this series, we will consider Paul’s final instruction in verse 9: the importance of following the apostolic word and example.
