Philippians 4:8–9
“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.”
Yesterday I had to go to the tire shop, and while I was there, I was putting the finishing touches on this sermon—studying and thinking about this passage and the others we’ll look at today. They had country music playing in the background, and as I was wrapping things up, a line slipped into my consciousness:
“I wasn’t going to drink… then a country song came on.”
It took me a second to process what I’d just heard, and then it clicked: that line perfectly illustrates the reality we’re talking about today.
Our minds are easily influenced, and what we think about determines what we do.
Your Mind Is an Oven
My wife loves to bake, and I love that she loves to bake.
She can take a handful of ingredients, mix them in a bowl, pour them into a pan, slide them into the oven, and forty-five minutes later a beautiful loaf of sourdough bread comes out, which I then get to eat. It’s a wonderful arrangement that we have, and I love my part in it.
But here’s what I’ve learned watching her: baking is a science. You can’t swap ingredients and expect the same result. You can’t adjust the ratios and expect the same loaf. The smallest change produces a drastically different outcome.
Your mind works the same way.
Your mind is the oven. You can turn it on, set the temperature, and let it heat up, but until something goes in, nothing comes out. And whatever does go in determines what comes out.
The process is consistent. The ingredients are decisive.
So if the mind is the oven that produces the fruit of your life, then we have to ask:
How do we steward it well?
Over the last several weeks, we’ve talked about stewarding every area of our lives. I would be remiss if we did not talk about stewarding the mind. Your mind is a gift from God. It’s how you interact with His world. It’s how you know Him. It’s how you experience His grace.
And honestly, your mind likely influences who you are more than any other aspect of your stewardship.
If you neglect it, you will feel it everywhere else.
So let’s look at three steps to stewarding your mind well.
Step 1: Fuel Your Mind Well
If we are shaped by what goes into our minds, then what goes in matters deeply.
You don’t bake until you put the ingredients in the oven. Likewise, the fruit of your life is determined by the ingredient list of your thoughts.
And in twenty-first century America, we are drowning in ingredients.
There is more content available to us than we could consume in a lifetime—movies, shows, podcasts, YouTube videos, sermons, articles. And all of it is competing for your attention.
And here’s what all of it is trying to do: shape the way you think.
That’s why people write books. That’s why they produce media. If there’s no plot, no theme, no moral, we’re not interested. God designed us to seek things that shape us.
And they do shape us.
Watch a cowboy movie, and you start thinking like a cowboy. Watch something set in New York City, and suddenly you want to go back.
I’m not saying entertainment is inherently wrong. I am saying it is formative.
And we live in an age of amusement.
The word “amusement” literally means “no thinking.” We work all week so we can go do something where we don’t have to think. But even the “no thinking” entertainment is shaping our thinking.
So Paul gives us a filter:
“Whatsoever things are true… honest… just… pure… lovely… of good report… if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”
If you want Christlike fruit, these are the ingredients.
And there is one place you can always find all of these qualities: the Word of God.
There is no better fuel for your mind than Scripture. Nothing shapes you like the Word shapes you.
Now, that doesn’t mean you put blinders on and pretend the world doesn’t exist. Jesus saw wickedness. He heard wickedness. But how He handled that information made the difference.
We must live in the world, but not be shaped by it.
So the question is not whether you will be influenced. The question is: what is fueling you?
Step 2: Focus and Meditate on Spiritual Things
Turn to Romans 8:5–6:
“For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”
It’s not enough to guard what comes in. You must also intentionally focus on what has gone in.
There’s a difference between seeing something and meditating on it.
Meditation is active mental engagement. It’s what you think about at 2:00 a.m. It’s the mental conversations you rehearse. It’s the problem you keep turning over in your mind.
The world meditates on fleshly things—money, pleasure, status, resentment, worry.
But those who are after the Spirit meditate on spiritual things.
And what you meditate on shapes you.
If you meditate on worry, you will become anxious.
If you meditate on pleasure, you will become pleasure-seeking.
If you meditate on God’s Word and how it applies to your life, you will become Christlike.
Paul says carnally minded is death. Spiritually minded is life and peace.
If you want peace, audit your meditation.
Meditating on the things of God does not mean hiding in a prayer closet all day. It means asking in real life moments:
How does God’s Word shape this?
How do I drive for the glory of God?
How do I speak to my spouse in a Christ-honoring way?
How do I handle conflict biblically?
Study answers the questions. Meditation applies them in motion.
Step 3: Function — Apply Your Mind to Holy Action
1 Peter 1:13–16:
“Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end… As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.”
“Gird up the loins” was action language. Men wore tunics. When it was time to work or fight, they gathered the loose fabric and tied it up so it wouldn’t hinder movement.
Peter says: do that with your mind.
Clear away distractions. Remove unnecessary mental clutter. Prepare yourself for action.
The American church often loves theory. We love doctrine discussions. We love sermons. But Peter says: prepare your mind for action.
Holiness requires readiness.
Load your mind with the right ingredients.
Let your mind process them.
Then act.
Don’t wait for a better day. Don’t wait for more money. Don’t wait for more time.
Do what God has shown you to do.
Right thinking leads to right action. And holiness is not merely inward disposition—it is outward obedience that makes God visible.
A Final Question
What did you think about most last week?
Where did your mind drift?
How much of it was spiritual in nature?
If you don’t like your answer, then just like every other area of life, the Gospel becomes the hero.
Jesus died not only to forgive sinful actions, but sinful and distracted thoughts, and He sent His Spirit not only to forgive you, but to empower you to change.
This week, you have the opportunity to think differently, to have the mind of Christ, and to steward your mind in a way that deepens your experience of God’s glory and strengthens your obedience to Him.
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