One of the most powerful verses for shaping our mindset is Philippians 4:8. In a world that’s filled with negativity, distractions, and anxiety, the Apostle Paul gives us a clear roadmap in this verse where to set our thoughts. He tells us we are to set our minds on what is: true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and praiseworthy. How do we actually live this out in our daily lives? How can we train our minds to focus on the good when there’s struggles surrounding us on all sides? Let’s unpack this verse and discover how intentional thinking can transform our faith, our outlook, and even our circumstances.
There are some commentators who say that Paul’s list of things here in Philippians 4:8 is a list of things that we should meditate on, but that it translates well from the Greek to the English – so they conclude there’s really not any need for elaboration on each of those things that are listed. I disagree! Actually, there is a great need to elaborate on each of these things.
“Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy—dwell on these things.”
The word “dwell” at the end of this verse is translated from the Greek word “logizomai” and it means to evaluate, to consider, or to calculate. We are to consider these eight qualities in this verse, and we are to meditate on their implications. The word “meditate” may be confusing, but it’s really just the activity of calling to your mind, thinking something over and over, dwelling on it, and applying it to yourself. We are told to do that with God’s Word. We meditate on the words of God. We’re allowing it to do its work in us. We’re applying the Word, obeying it, and it’s changing our lives. It’s transforming us. 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 tells us, “…We demolish arguments and every proud thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to obey Christ.”
Before we dig in any deeper to Philippians 4:8, it’s important to review the historical context of it. Before we can know what it means for us, we need to know what it meant at the time and place of history whenever Paul wrote it. We need the meaning as set forth by God.
The apostle Paul is writing to the Christian community in Philippi, and many historians believe he likely wrote this letter while he was imprisoned in Rome. The Philippian church was said to be the first Christian community that was founded by Paul in Europe. We read about that in Acts 16. The Philippians were made up of predominantly gentile people that had converted, and they had a really strong bond with Paul. The city of Philippi was a really diverse population, and they were influenced by the Roman values and culture in that part of the world. Paul is writing to them and he’s trying to encourage them. He’s expressing his gratitude for their support and addressing conflicts within the church. He emphasizes unity, persevering in faith, and having joy in the face of adversity. By the time you get to chapter 4, Paul mentions two ladies and their disagreement with one another. No wonder he is emphasizing peace, unity, and meditating on these things we find in verse 8. His list in this verse is not a random list of how to think rightly. He is trying to help the believers know how to have our mind right with God so we can have our minds right with one another. If you’re not right with God, you cannot have a right relationship with others. This verse was no doubt an encouragement to these two women to get their hearts in right standing with the Lord so that they could resolve their issues with each other. The other thing to notice, if you read on past verse eight, Paul talks about experiencing the peace of God (v. 9). That peace is only going to come when we have peace with God. When we get saved, we receive salvation, and we have peace with God because we have the peace of God and from God.
Sometimes though, we can become worried and upset about many things. We will have so many things on our minds that are not of God. What happens? We say and do things that don’t honor or glorify God; we lash out at other people who don’t deserve that from us. Praise the Lord for the guidance He gives us through His Word on how to fill our minds with peace and how to direct our focus. What do we naturally focus on? Everything else, right! As you spend some time unpacking the meaning of Philippians 4:8, you will begin to notice that the things Paul mentions are not natural things that we gravitate towards in our thoughts. Instead, it often seems we will focus on everything else except those things of godly thinking. In fact, we focus on the opposite of godly thoughts. We focus on things that make us angry and stir up bitterness and resentment in our minds. We focus on things that further our emotions because we want to feel justified. We focus on things that make us jealous and envious. We focus on things that make us anxious or depressed. If we want to let the peace of God reign in our hearts, we need to be mindful of the things that we’re putting into our heart and our minds. We need to be conscious about what we’re dwelling on. It’s the exact same idea David says in Psalm 101:1-4, “I will sing of steadfast love and justice; to you, O Lord, I will make music. I will ponder the way that is blameless. Oh when will you come to me? I will walk with integrity of heart within my house; I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me. A perverse heart shall be far from me; I will know nothing of evil.” It is important to consider what you put into your mind. It’s important to be cautious about what you see, what you listen to, what you read, what you watch – everything that you are consuming is informing your thoughts. You can’t fill your mind with the things of the world and then wonder why you don’t have peace.
Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
Paul begins this verse by addressing “brothers.” In other words, brothers and sisters in Christ. So this is for us – believers in Jesus. If you’re saved, if you’ve received salvation and you put your faith in Christ, then Paul is encouraging you as well! This is for you. He lists these eight things but notice how before most all of them is the word “whatever.” It’s not specified – it’s just “whatever” – because it doesn’t need to be specified. He’s not excluding “some” of what is true, “some” of what is honorable, or “some” of what is right because any and all of those things are acceptable and desired. We see this concept with the Galatians 5 passage that lists the fruit of the spirit. In Galatians 5:23 it ends with the words “against such things there is no law.” In other words, there are no limitations, rules, or statues govering their use and practice. The same can be applied to these eight things in Philippians 4:8. As long as it fits within these categories, think on them all day long, all year long, your whole life long!
Notice how this list of eight things begins with truth. If you don’t have the truth of God’s Word, none of these remaining seven things can follow. We see a similar pattern in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians in chapter 6 as he described the armor of God. He began the list of armor with the belt of truth. It’s so important that you always start with truth. Truth has to be your basis, your foundation, otherwise nothing else makes sense. If you skip truth and you try to think on the other seven items in Philippians 4:8, you will be thinking like lost people: trying only to think on good morals. If you’re not doing those things based on truth, which is the Word of God, it is a weak attempt at just being a good and moral person. There were people in Jesus’s day who acted this way. Jesus talks about them in Matthew 7:21-22 where He talks about the true and false disciples and He says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name’?”
So, we can go and do all these good and moral things like feeding the poor, donating to charities, going to church, sitting in life group class, taking communion, or even getting baptized. But if we’re doing all of those things apart from faith in Christ, which is based on the truth of God’s Word, then none of that matters and none of that makes sense. You’re just going about works and our works can’t get us to heaven. No one can work their way into heaven. Entrance to heaven only comes through faith in Christ, receiving salvation from Him. When we try to get to heaven based on our good works and yet we don’t have salvation in Christ, when we die He will say, “Depart from Me. I never knew you.” (Matthew 7:23). If you don’t have a relationship with Christ, the Good News is that you can have one today. Romans 10:17 says, “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” It all starts with truth – God’s Word is truth. Romans 10:9-10 tells us, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”
God’s Word is the standard of truth. If you’re not putting your faith in His Word, then you aren’t putting your faith in Him. The Bible – God’s truth – tells us who Jesus is. The Bible is where we learn about salvation by hearing the Gospel – that God sent His Son, His only Son to die for your sins so that you might be saved. And it all starts with truth – the truth of God’s Word. God’s Word goes out and it does not return void without fulfilling the work that God has intended for it to do (Isaiah 55:11). So, God’s Word is truth. It is the standard of truth. That’s why truth is listed first in Philippians 4:8 and then all these things flow from it. Let’s get more specific with these eight things so we know how to govern our thoughts in a godly way.
Whatever is true: What is true? That word “true” means loving truth or speaking truth, not concealing, not lying. This means aligning our thoughts with God’s truth. Don’t align your thoughts with lies or with fear. When you are thinking on something, ask yourself, “Is this factually true? Or is this just something that’s considered speculation? Is this gossip? Is this? actually truth or is the information being presented in a biased way?” Sometimes things can be spoken, written, or shared in a way that convinces us it’s true but instead it is really a lie.
It’s important that we “practice the pause” before we go around saying something or believing something and just taking it at face value. Pause for a minute and think about it. Don’t just blindly take things as they’re given to you. Analyze everything, look at all sides of the argument, think about it in context, and even compare it to the Bible. If it’s something that somebody’s telling you about God specifically, that’s a really good time to compare it with Scripture. Read the Bible for yourself and see what it says because God’s Word is Truth. If you want a measure of what is true, look at the Bible.
What is honorable: What is honorable? Some Bible versions may use the word “noble.” When you look up the word “honorable” in the original Greek, it can mean “serious” (grave), “honest,” “venerable,” or “something that inspires reverence and awe.” We are to keep our minds focused on what is honorable. Ask yourself, “Is this going to help or hinder the pursuit of righteousness? Is this encouraging the morals and the virtues that are laid out in the Bible?” The Bible describes what is honorable. 1 Timothy 3 lists some honorable characteristics of the deacons: having dignity, not double-tongued, or addicted to much wine, and holding to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. 1 Timothy 3:11 mentions some honorable traits of women (speaking of the wives of the deacons): respectable, and not slandering others. Titus 2:2 also describes an honorable life when it says older men are to be “sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness.”
What is right: What does that word mean? It means just, righteous, upright, virtuous, innocent, faultless, and guiltless. In other words, it’s thinking about things that are aligning with God’s righteousness. So, when you trying to think on “what is right,” ask yourself: “Is this in keeping with the commands of God? Would this be approved of or acceptable of God?” We are to think on doing things that glorify the Lord instead of premeditating on things that would hurt other people. A lot of times we think about negative things and things that are not right. We dwell on things that justify out flesh, like the way somebody has hurt us or ways to get back at them. Instead of dwelling on those things that are not right and unhealthy, we should switch our minds to think about ways that we can go and help somebody else. We can redirect our thoughts towards actions that are right. We find the description of a man who fits this in Luke 2:25 where we read, “There’s a man in Jerusalem called Simeon who was righteous and devout.” Another description is given to us in Deuteronomy 16:20 where it says, “Justice and only justice you shall follow that you may live and inherit the land that the Lord your God has given you.”
Whatever is pure: When you look up this word up in the original language, it means “chaste,” “sacred,” “modest,” “free from defilement,” “free from evil,” and “holy.” To think on things that are pure include pure actions and pure words. Pure things are those which do not corrupt our hearts. By thinking about pure things, we’re guarding our hearts. Some questions we could ask ourselves when we are trying to determine is something is pure would be: “Is this something that would guard my heart against impurity? Is this something that would guard my heart against corrupting influences? Is this free from impurity? Is the end goal focusing on eternity? Is the focus on the Lord and His Word or is it just temporary circumstances?” Living a pure life and focusing on pure things will be evident in our lives to those around us. 1 Peter 3:2 says husbands will see the “pure and reverent demeanor” of their wives. It’s evident to others when we show that we are respectful of our spouse. We are in reverent awe of God. Even if you’re not married, you can be respectful of those other people around you with the thoughts you think toward them. You can also pray and ask God to protect you from the privacy of someone else’s mind. That’s why it’s so important that we think about the things we put in our mind. Are the books you’re reading, the movies you’re watching, and the music that you’re listening to informing pure thoughts? Or are they feeding a fire in your mind that creates scenarios and pictures that you shouldn’t be having in your head?
Whatever is lovely: How does the Bible describe “lovely”? In the original Greek, it would be rendered, “acceptable,” “pleasing,” “endearing,” “charming,” and “winsome.” It’s focusing on things that reflect God’s beauty and His goodness. 1 Peter 4:8 tells us, “Above all, love each other deeply because love covers over a multitude of sins.”
Whatever is admirable: Something that is admirable means it is of “good report” or “sounding well,” “well-spoken,” “reputable,” or “favorable.” It is filling our minds with testimonies about people that inspire faith. Something we could ask ourself when we are questioning whether or not something is admirable would be: “Is this something that we should share with others?” and if so, “Would we or could we be confident that it would help to further our witness of Christ and the hope that we have in Christ?” When I think of somebody admirable who lived during my time, Billy Graham comes to mind. However, we also have an example in the Bible. In the book of Acts when the early church was beginning to form, there was a lot of instruction on how to organize the church, how to make sure that it was standing on a strong foundation and sound doctrine and godly leadership. Acts 6:3 says, “Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the spirit and wisdom.” Full of the Spirit and wisdom are admirable qualities. In Acts 10:22 we see the description of Cornelius the centurion. It says, “He was a just man, one who fears God and has a good reputation among all the nation of the Jews.” This centurion was a very admirable person. He not only had a healthy, reverent fear of God, but he also exampled his respect for God and his faith in Christ whenever he engaged with others. Whenever you are contemplating what you do, think about doing things that Jesus would do – think about doing things that would show Christ’s love to other people. Those admirable qualities are going to be seen by other people! Another example of a man with admirable qualities in the Bible is found in Acts 22:12 where it mentions Ananias. It says he’s a devout man according to the law, well-spoken of by all the Jews who live there.” Admirable things are that which are commendable, something we can share with others and things that we are confident would further our witness for Christ.
Anything that is excellent: If anything is excellent, it means it is “virtuous,” “moral goodness,” “purity,” “modesty,” “valor,” “praise,” and “praise worthy.” It goes beyond just being good. Anything that is excellent is above and beyond – it’s having virtue and character above and beyond just being a moral person. It also includes meditating on God’s goodness. 2 Peter 1:5 says, “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith, virtue, and to virtue, knowledge.” Anything that’s excellent would have virtue; it’s virtuous. When you’re dwelling on things that are, what Paul says here, “anything that is excellent,” you could ask yourself: “Is this something that is pleasing to God?” or “Is whatever I’m doing – is whatever I’m considering to be excellent, has it been crafted with care?” “Is it a proper stewarding of the gifts that God has given me?” Thinking on those things which are excellent requires intentionally seeking out the doing of those good things.
Anything worthy of praise: Things that are worthy of praise are things that are commendable and that which would receive commendation. It’s the victories and the promises of God – those are worthy of praise. Those commendable things stir our affections for the Lord. When questioning whether something is worthy of praise, we could ask ourselves, “Is it making me rejoice in God’s work and the gifts that He has given me and others?” Sometimes we can mistake praiseworthy as being attention seeking from other people; but when you act out, ask yourself if what you’re thinking about brings praise to God. Do your actions show other people the qualities of God so that they will praise Him? Or are your actions encouraging people to praise you? 2 Corinthians 8:18 says, “…We are sending the brother who is praised among all the churches for his gospel ministry.” Notice in that verse they were not drawing attention to the brother alone; they were drawing attention to the gospel ministry that was being carried out. He’s being praised because of he’s pointing others to Christ. Someone in the Bible who really nails this is John the Baptist. He was constantly telling people, “Don’t look at me. Look at look at Jesus!” It’s not bad to receive praise. People will acknowledge you for doing the work of God. The caution though is to not let that praise go to your head because the point is not to make much of yourself – it is always to make much of God!
These eight things from Philippians 4:8 may feel like a very exhaustive list of qualities that Paul mentions, but really those things tell us exactly how we are to carry out 2 Corinthians 10:5, “We destroy arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” Those eight things Paul mentions from Philippians 4:8 is the key! Think about and dwell on what is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. Focusing on those things, fixing our minds on them, thinking about them, meditating on them is how we destroy the arguments that raise themselves up against God. That’s how we confront opposition to God’s Word. That’s how we take our own thoughts captive and make them obedient to Christ. When you look through that list of eight things, do you know that Jesus embodies all of them? Jesus is true, Jesus is honorable. He is right. He is pure. He was the spotless, sinless, Son of God who came to earth and died for your sins and mine. Jesus is lovely. Jesus is admirable. He is excellent and He is absolutely praiseworthy!
One pastor and commentator, Warren Weirsbe, has made a correlation of Paul’s list of eight things in Philippians 4:8 to David’s description of the Word of God in Psalm 19:7-9. See how many of the words from Paul’s passage are repeated in David’s passage:
“The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the testimony of the Lord is sure,
making wise the simple;
the precepts of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is pure,
enlightening the eyes;
the fear of the Lord is clean,
enduring forever;
the rules of the Lord are true,
and righteous altogether.”
When we fill our heart and mind with God’s Word, we have that built-in radar to detect wrong thoughts. It’s called conviction! The Holy Spirit will show you and tell you whenever one of your thoughts is not aligning with the Word of God. We may be able to control hearing something, but we can control what we choose to do with it. We can choose to not dwell on those bad or unhealthy thoughts. We can process them through these eight things that the Apostle Paul gives us in Philippians 4:8. The good news is that we don’t have to do this process alone. The Holy Spirit is going to help us to have conviction to know whether we accept certain thoughts or reject them. The Holy Spirit gives us wisdom and discernment to know what to do with our thoughts, but we can also pray and invite the Lord’s help as well.
Philippians 4:8 shows us a picture of biblical mental health – a healthy mind, according to God’s Word. As we fix our thoughts on the things in these verses, thinking about these things and dwelling on them, it will direct our words and our actions. The key is obedience. What are some things that we can do to obey Philippians 4:8? One thing we can do is put those things from that verse in front of our mind so we are encouraged to think about things that are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy. If you have an office job or even if you work at home, put your Bible in front of you. Lay it open to a verse or passage you want to be reminded of. Set it right there on your desk just beside your keyboard or below your monitor. If you are a schoolteacher, keep a verse on a sticky note or a prayer that you can keep with you. Maybe you are a mom with little ones at home. Why not change your phone background to be something that is truth from the Word of God to remind you to think about these things from Philippians 4:8? These simple steps can challenge us to think about what godly things we fill our mind with.
These eight things that Paul mentions in v. 8 are also a good checklist of how we can think about others. If you scan your eyes back up to the beginning of Philippians chapter 4, you will notice that the first half of this chapter mentioned two women that were at odds with one another. They weren’t getting along. So, keeping verse 8 in context, we see that the eight things Paul mentions can also help us focus our thoughts on others in a healthy and godly way. Why do you think Paul had to list these eight things and remind the believers in Philippi how to set their thoughts? Well, think about how we normally fill our minds? We fill them with social media, mainstream media, and ungodly things from our culture. Those things are trash. Paul’s list in verse 8 is a good challenge for us to dump the trash and put in truth, put in nutrient, spiritual nutrition into our minds. Replacing trash with truth is key. It’s not just about getting rid of the trash. You can take a social media fast, you can stop listening to worldly secular music, you can stop reading books that put impure thoughts in your mind, but that’s not where it ends. You can stop doing all of those things and the devil’s just going to find something new to provoke those ungodly thoughts. So, be proactive, replace those things with something of God, with the Word of God, with prayer, with praise and worship. We can only “fix our thoughts” when we surrender to and are filled with (or controlled by) the Holy spirit. Our culture is big on “meditation,” but the secular form of meditating is missing a very important component. The world focuses on emptying out the bad stuff of your thoughts; however, the point is not to eliminate all thoughts from your head so that you don’t think bad ones. The point is to put good thoughts in your mind, to put the things of God in your mind and on your thoughts so that those are filling you up. The point is to dwell on those things, to fill up with those things – not to be empty. The Lord doesn’t call you to be empty. He calls you to be filled with the Spirit.
How do we renew our thoughts? The Bible tells us in Romans 12:1-2 that transformation happens by renewing our mind, and renewing our mind comes through the reading of God’s Word. Isaiah 26:3 says of God, “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” A mind that is steadfast is a mind that is diligent at keeping our eyes on Christ, keeping our mind and thoughts centered on His Word. Colossians 3:1 says, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.” Did you catch that? We are called to set our mind on things above, seeking those things above, which is heaven focused. How can we help to set our minds on things that are “above”? One thing we could do is keep a journal where we write down examples of things that are true, noble, right, etc. that we encounter in our daily life. Implementing that practice will train our mind to look for those things, and as we focus on those things and begin to journal them, we will begin to look for them each and every day.
What else can we do to focus our thoughts on the Lord, His Word, and His ways? We could do a “thought audit” each week by writing down the things that come to our mind. Where do our thoughts drift each day? When you find yourself getting irritated, and you get upset, what thoughts preempted that? Write that down. How were you triggered in your mind? What thoughts flooded your mind? As you record your thought audit, practice taking those thoughts captive, and then go through Philippians 4:8 and find something true, right, honorable, excellent, pure, and praiseworthy to replace it. It doesn’t even have to be for an entire week. Perhaps you have just one day where you can focus on this activity. This is extremely helpful especially when we are in a season where we’re struggling mentally. Maybe you are going through a hard season of ministry, maybe you are going through a difficult divorce, maybe it’s a trial with your family, or a trying time with your job. Doing a thought audit day by day or moment-by-moment can be helpful in taking those unhealthy thoughts captive and surrendering them to the Lord and the truth of His Word.
The application of Philippians 4:8 can also take place in our free time or leisure activities: your choice of media, books you’re reading, TV shows that you’re watching, or music that you’re listening to. As you evaluate your choice of entertainment, think about some of the items that you need to eliminate or items that need to be changed. Just because something is a labeled “Christian” does not always mean that it is good, beneficial, right, true, pure, lovely, etc. There are things that even in Christian labeled categories and media that can cause us to stumble. That’s why it’s so important to listen to the Holy Spirit when He draws your attention toward ungodly things; heed His conviction and take action to eliminate that item from your sight.
Jesus Christ is the one that embodies all eight of those things out of Philippians 4 -8. And everything that we read there, virtue, beauty, holiness, truth, everything that’s good and right, is found in Him. This list that we read is not just how to have positive thinking; it’s how to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. There are a lot of religions in the world that just focus on good works and trying their best to be those things that we read about in Philippians 4:8, but they’re eliminating that first thing that Paul mentions: truth. They completely leave out the truth of God’s Word and how God is true. His Word is truth. Jesus Christ is truth. Do you know that truth? Do you know where you would go if you were to die today? Do you know if you will spend your eternity in heaven or in hell? Pondering our future is something that’s honorable, right? That word in the original language means “serious” or “grave.” The decision of salvation is grave; it is very serious. It is our prayer that you have received salvation. It’s our desire for you to have a personal relationship with Christ. That’s the whole purpose of what we do and why we do what we do: to help you grow in your walk with the Lord. We want to help you become discipled through the Word of God. We want to encourage you and strengthen you in your faith. Do you have faith in Christ? If you don’t, please don’t wait. Please reach out to us. The Bible tells us in Romans 10:9-10, “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as a Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” We want that to be for you. We want you to have eternal security, to know that you know, that Jesus Christ is your Savior and that your eternity will be with Him in heaven.