The Phil 4:8 rule

• A mother, late from work, rushed to the kitchen to fry fish for dinner. Her 5-year-old daughter was famished and couldn’t understand why she had to wait for the fish to be fried. She kept crying while wanting to be served the uncooked fish. Her mother, of course, finished frying the fish before giving it to her. In the end, the little girl enjoyed her meal. Had her mother succumbed to her pressure, she would have eaten raw fish, endured the horrid taste, and subsequently had unpleasant stomach issues. The little girl wanted to defy the rule of making sure that food was properly cooked before being consumed. Rules are rules, no matter how we feel about them.

Life comes with rules, we live by rules and there would be chaos and disaster if there are no rules. I am sure you have had to deal with rules that you felt were extremely challenging but ultimately, you found them later to be actually for your own good. They were made to make and not to break you. It’s the same in our walk with God; we must live the lifestyle God wants us to live. There’s a manual for us as Christians or Children of God and this manual is the Word of God – the Bible. In this blog post, we are going to examine one of the most important rules ever given. I call it the Phil 4:8 rule

Philippians 4:8 KJV

“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.”

That’s the Phil 4:8 rule. That you constantly think about the right stuff.

The amplified version says-

Finally, believers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God’s word, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think continually on these things [center your mind on them, and implant them in your heart].

The Message version also says-

Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.

Why is the Phil 4:8 rule important?

This rule is important mainly for one reason; you are what you think. The Bible says in Proverbs 23:7 that “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he…” (KJV.) Thoughts always fly through our minds but it’s up to us to accept and entertain the thoughts that are right. Remember this, if a thought crosses your mind and it’s not something Jesus would like to think about, cast it out before it destroys you in the end. How do you cast it out? By commanding it to leave your mind in the name of Jesus. And then, moving on to deliberately thinking about wholesome things!

Most of the temptations that we face are usually a result of our thoughts. Entertaining the right thought will help keep you away from a lot of trouble. Even satan will come to realize that most of his tricks will never work on you.

Your thoughts determine what you do and consequently, what you become. Therefore, always remember to think the right thoughts.