“Clean your mind of toxic thoughts and ideas.”
We make numerous choices each day and many of them seem rather mundane. We might think, “Does it really matter?” I mean, if we can just make sure that do a good job making the ‘big’ decisions, isn’t that enough?
It’s tempting to think like that but haven’t you experienced the truth that bad decisions, no matter how small, can have cumulative and negative effects? Negative thinking and impure thoughts for example. We might try to get off the hook with the occasional mental wandering, but the fact is that our brains are wired to remember things and categorize things so we can retrieve that thought or fact. I know, if you are anywhere near my age you might doubt that, but it is true. The more often we frequent a thought the more likely it is that we will revisit that same thought later. And it will be easier to do so. We’ve discussed before how God designed our brain traffic to travel on ‘paths’. The more often we frequent that path the wider it becomes and easier it becomes to get back to it. The more we ignore other thoughts, the more they become difficult to traverse.
What do we do? It might be time for some prioritized spring brain cleaning. Just like we call 911 for an emergency, verses 9, 11 of Psalm 119 offer the emergency help we need in time of trouble. “How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”
What does it mean to ‘hide’ God’s Word in your heart? It means to memorize it, write it down on cards where you will frequently see it, ponder it often throughout the day. When this becomes your (many times) daily habit, God’s Word is free to act as a ‘brain cleaning’ agent. You might think of it as ‘mind guards’ that stand ready to warn and defend you against wayward thoughts that come across your mind; negative thinking, hopelessness, despair, pride, lust, greed, selfishness, vengeance, judgment…you get the idea.
Is brain cleaning really such a big deal? The answer to that is, “What kind of thoughts do you want to rule your mind? Because your actions will surely follow.”
“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 about such things.” Philippians 4:8