Fill Your Mind (by Cathe Laurie)

“As [a man] thinks in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7 NKJV).

When my boys were little, they loved to “decorate” things with stickers. Cabinet doors, closet walls, light switch plates, all marked with stickers from their favorite surfing brands. Parents know—sometimes, it’s fine. It may not be your favorite type of décor, but the kids are having fun, and the stickers can be removed.

But sometimes, you just know . . . that sticker is on there for good. No matter what remedies you attempt, the sticker will remain. Even if you get most of the design off, the sticky residue has decided, I’m not going anywhere. I’ve spent hours attempting to remove those pesky adhesives, to no avail. Some of those stickers are still in my home! That’s when creative decorating comes into play—perfectly placed pieces of art to cover marked walls and furniture rotated to hide the shadowy shapes that remain.

It’s amazing how many things we consume that stick to our minds like those stickers. The music we listen to, the books we read, the shows we watch, the thoughts we think. They adhere to our minds instantly and don’t let go.

Proverbs says, “As [a man] thinks in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7 NKJV).

It’s not just in computers that the axiom is true: “garbage in, garbage out.” Our mind fills with what we feed it. And what fills our mind changes how we live.

The apostle Paul encouraged the Roman church to “be transformed by the renewal of your mind” (Romans 12:2, ESV). Jesus prayed, “Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth” (John 17:17 NLT).

It starts in our minds. So what should we do?

Moses told future kings to hand-copy the Law (the Word of God), carry it, and read it every single day (see Deuteronomy 17:18–20). Joshua was told to keep the Book of the Law on his lips and meditate on it day and night (see Joshua 1:8). The writer of Psalm 1 reminds us to delight in the law of the Lord and meditate on it day and night (see Psalm 1:2).

Real, lasting change doesn’t happen from quick morning devotions out of guilt. It happens when we soak in God’s Word so deeply that it becomes the filter for everything else—psychology, culture, self-help, all of it. It’s like putting a layer of protection on our hearts and minds so those stickers don’t stick anymore. In fact, those stickers stop looking appealing at all!

The Word of God should reshape everything—our priorities, time and resources, what we watch, read, listen to, and even what we hope and dream for our kids. Christianity isn’t an add-on to our “real life.” It becomes our whole horizon.

Protect your mind. What fills your head shapes who you become. Fill it with Scripture, commentaries, books, or studies that make you focus on God in every area of life. Let it become your delight. For as you think, so are you.

So who will you become?

Get these articles in your inbox!

—

Cathe Laurie is the founder and director of the Virtue women’s ministry. She is also a featured speaker on The Virtue Podcast, at Harvest events, and the author of As I See It. You can find her weekly articles here on harvest.org.