Filtering Your Mind’s Newsfeed
We are far too passive about the voices that we let influence our thinking. Believer, for the sake of your spiritual health, you need to proactively evaluate who and what you allow to impact your thinking and living.
Psalm 1 describes a “blessed man”—a man who will have a fruitful life and will prosper at what he does for the glory of God. This blessed man is contrasted with the “wicked” who are like chaff, easily blown off course and on their way to destruction.
What’s the difference between the two? What does Psalm 1 emphasize about the blessed man?
An Assertive Defense
The blessed man defends his heart and mind. The blessed man will not allow himself to be influenced by those who stand opposed to God. He will not take advice from them. He will not participate in their schemes. He will not view reality through their eyes.
Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
(Psalm 1:1)
The blessed man is watchful and careful about who gets to influence his thinking. He doesn’t passively scroll through social media posts. He doesn’t mindlessly take advice from random “influencers”. He is thoughtful about how the entertainment he consumes might be shaping his tastes. He considers who he will learn from and to whose authority he will submit. The blessed man will even cut off relationships in order to avoid the influence of the wicked.
Believer, if you want to grow spiritually don’t be passive. Guard your soul.
A Purposeful Offense
The blessed man not only defends his heart and mind; he carefully feeds his soul with truth.
but his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
(Psalm 1:2)
The blessed man knows that his mind cannot remain vacant. As God’s image-bearers we are thinking creatures that have a God-given desire to make sense of reality. So the blessed man regularly feeds his soul on the very source of truth — God’s revealed Word. He won’t let falsehood fill his mind; instead, he meditates on God’s Word day and night. His desire is for his thinking to be guided by God and for his mind to be renewed with the truth.
Believer, if you want to grow spiritual don’t be passive. Read God’s Word.
The social media sites that I use all have ways to filter the content you see in your feed. You have the option to “unfollow” or “mute” certain people and sources so that their content isn’t shown to you. You also have the option to “follow” and even prioritize certain accounts to make sure you see their content. This ability to filter the content you are exposed to is extremely helpful.
Psalm 1 encourages us to take that approach with the newsfeed of our mind. Some sources need to be unfollowed and muted. God’s Word needs to be prioritized.
Psalm 1 describes a “blessed man”—a man who will have a fruitful life and will prosper at what he does for the glory of God. This blessed man is contrasted with the “wicked” who are like chaff, easily blown off course and on their way to destruction.
What’s the difference between the two? What does Psalm 1 emphasize about the blessed man?
An Assertive Defense
The blessed man defends his heart and mind. The blessed man will not allow himself to be influenced by those who stand opposed to God. He will not take advice from them. He will not participate in their schemes. He will not view reality through their eyes.
Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
(Psalm 1:1)
The blessed man is watchful and careful about who gets to influence his thinking. He doesn’t passively scroll through social media posts. He doesn’t mindlessly take advice from random “influencers”. He is thoughtful about how the entertainment he consumes might be shaping his tastes. He considers who he will learn from and to whose authority he will submit. The blessed man will even cut off relationships in order to avoid the influence of the wicked.
Believer, if you want to grow spiritually don’t be passive. Guard your soul.
A Purposeful Offense
The blessed man not only defends his heart and mind; he carefully feeds his soul with truth.
but his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
(Psalm 1:2)
The blessed man knows that his mind cannot remain vacant. As God’s image-bearers we are thinking creatures that have a God-given desire to make sense of reality. So the blessed man regularly feeds his soul on the very source of truth — God’s revealed Word. He won’t let falsehood fill his mind; instead, he meditates on God’s Word day and night. His desire is for his thinking to be guided by God and for his mind to be renewed with the truth.
Believer, if you want to grow spiritual don’t be passive. Read God’s Word.
The social media sites that I use all have ways to filter the content you see in your feed. You have the option to “unfollow” or “mute” certain people and sources so that their content isn’t shown to you. You also have the option to “follow” and even prioritize certain accounts to make sure you see their content. This ability to filter the content you are exposed to is extremely helpful.
Psalm 1 encourages us to take that approach with the newsfeed of our mind. Some sources need to be unfollowed and muted. God’s Word needs to be prioritized.