#110: Disgusting Thoughts

On episode 110, Tim explains how we should handle disgusting thoughts by focusing on Philippians 4:8-9.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Today we get to talk about one of my favorite
verses in scripture. Welcome into episode one hundred and ten
of Bring Heaven Down. My name is Tim, and I'm
the host of this daily devotional podcast that shows up
in your feed Monday through Friday. While you're here, rate

(00:22):
and review the show if you're willing to, and hit
that follow button so that this podcast will show up
in your feed Monday through Friday. And I appreciate you
taking time this morning or this day whenever you're listening,
to choose Jesus and strengthen your relationship with him. All right,

(00:45):
we're in Philippians chapter four. If you want to follow along,
we're in verses eight and nine this morning, and I'm
just gonna read it finally. Brothers, 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

(01:08):
about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or
heard from me or seen in me, put it into practice,
and the God of Peace will be with you. This
is one of my favorite verses of scripture because it
tells us what to think about and also what not

(01:33):
to think about. Have you ever had a thought that
is scary? And I almost guarantee that you have. And
when you get a scary thought, have you ever done
what I've done? Where you analyze it, examine it, think
about it over and over and over again, to the

(01:55):
point where it just causes more anxiousness or even depression.
What I thought I was supposed to do was take
that thought behind the woodshed and beat the crap out
of it, beat it with an axe, because then that

(02:20):
would add and prove that that thought I disagree with it.
That's how my mind worked, That's how I used to
process disgusting thoughts, and we've all had disgusting thoughts. That's

(02:41):
not what you're supposed to do. The reason why I
did that was because I wanted to prove to myself
that I didn't agree with that thought. But what I
was doing is I was giving that thought more power
by focusing in on that thought. What this says to
do is the exact opposite. It says to think about

(03:06):
whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever
is peer, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about
such things. So when we get disgusting thoughts, what we
are called to do is toss that thought to the

(03:29):
side and change what we think about. And all of
these words true, noble, right, peer, lovely, admirable, excellent, praiseworthy,
all of these words describe Jesus. So maybe you're in

(03:51):
a stage right now, or maybe you will be in
the future where you are suffering from a terrible thought,
and I would encourage you to do your best not
to analyze that thought or examine that thought that enters

(04:16):
your brain, but rather shift your mind onto something greater
and higher. Whatever you have learned or received or heard
from me or seen in me, put it into practice,
and the God of Peace will be with you. When
we set our minds on all of these characteristics that

(04:39):
describe Jesus, then the God of Peace will be with us.
Where we get in trouble is when we set our
minds on things that are not true, that are not noble,
that are not right, that are not pure, that is
not lovely, that is not admirable. When we set our

(05:02):
mind on those things that are the exact opposite of Jesus,
that's where anxiety and depression live. I hope this podcast
was encouraging for you today, and I hope the Holy
Spirit revealed more and more about our Lord and Savior
and Jesus Christ. And I hope you all have a
wonderful day filled by the Holy Spirit.