Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. (Philippians 4:8)

Change The Heart

The world can become a very dark place to live. Watching the news in the constant exposure of the frenzied world of media can change dispositions, attitudes, moods, and thoughts. The wise man said in the Proverbs the issues of life come from the heart and a man becomes what he dwells upon. Technology has brought the world into the home with a constant 24-hour daily intake of news to the point of ad nauseum. There is not a day that goes by the news outlets do not report on murder, rape, crime, hatred, and wars. Filling the airwaves with the filth of the world is like living in a dump and seeing nothing but garbage and waste all around; not realizing there is a beautiful world beyond the walls of the disposal of human filth.

Sin kills the mind. The world is fascinated with the struggle of human waste. Before the days of technology, news traveled very slowly and, in most cases, was seldom known or heard beyond the borders of one community. Sin has always filled the world with violence. The world of Noah was so wicked God killed every human being on the face of the earth. Only Noah and his family were saved from the wrath of God. Murder is the oldest crime in history when Cain killed Abel. There will be wars and rumors of wars as long as the world stands. There will never be a time when the knowledge of the unrighteous will not permeate the nostrils of the Lord God with the stench of a foul odor. Sin brings misery, pain, suffering, and the sewage of Satan’s vile hatred for God.

The fate of the world was sealed when sin entered. All of the darkness and torment of hell was unleashed upon man. The challenge for the child of God is to look beyond the putridity of hatred and see something different. It becomes too easy to begin each day with the news. Social media has pumped the incessant noise of a chaotic world into the home so loud that young children grow up in fear. Watching the news and filling the heart with the distress of the world embattles the faith of righteous people. The soul of man grows dark from the vile pictures of life. There comes a time when enough is enough and children of God must take a personal stand to be what God wants them to be.

There will always be sin in the world, but the child of God does not have to dwell on it. Paul admonished the saints at Philippi to change their view of life. It is doubtful they received a lot of news about what happened beyond their district and if they did, it was months or years old. They were unaware of what was happening in the far eastern world of China or the northern climes of Britannica. There were troubling stories in Thrace, Macedonia and Asia and travelers would fill the markets with the news of events in the area of Philippi. Paul wanted the Christians to change their hearts to think on things that were true, noble, just, pure, lovely and of good report. That list alone would exclude every news agency existing today and most of Facebook, Twitter, and whatever useless machine of mental destruction that is out there. Peace comes from God when the heart is anxious about nothing. That peace will not come from the garbage daily ingested in the heart of men.

We need to take back our hearts. The heart that fills itself with the filth of the world will find itself stained with the depression and disharmony of a world mad with sin. Filling the heart with the word of God, the fellowship of saints, and the communion of assembling with the people of God will dissuade the overwhelming tsunami of Satan’s siren call of sin and wickedness. A man will become what he thinks. There will be no joy, extreme fear, and trepidation if he allows the dribble of news to guide his life. In the past two years, many of God’s people have succumbed to the noise of a frantic world driven by the fear-mongers and God-haters of the world. Precious souls have turned away from the light of God’s word to the world of fear. It is time to take back the heart. Meditate on the things that exalt the heart to glory. Whatever things are righteous, dwell on them, think about them, and live with them. The first step to connect with the blessings of God is to disconnect from the curse of human wisdom. Turn off and turn on. Get rid of it. Refuse to follow. Disconnect. Turn the heart back to God.