You Are Exactly What You Eat
Me and all black outfits go together like 5 & 6 lol. Leather Jacket: Bloomingdales Outlet, Shoes: DSW/Jessica Simpson, Bag: Michael Kors, Dress: Old Navy
I remember when I initially became serious about my walk with Christ, I would hear many Christians talk about the importance of not listening to secular music, watching certain programs or even going to certain events all for the sake of guarding one’s heart and mind against sin. At the time, I remember thinking that it was a bit much. After all, not all secular media is sinful. Also, just because you consume a particular piece of media whether a song, play, movie, book, etc. doesn’t mean you will partake in the activities being praised in said piece of work - or at least that’s what we say to ourselves to make us feel better because we often think we are stronger than we really are.
There are so many scriptures and biblical principles that come to mind as I consider this topic. The first is Proverbs 23:7 which reads “Do not eat the bread of a miser, Nor desire his delicacies; For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. “Eat and drink!” he says to you,
But his heart is not with you.” This scripture teaches us that a person is not defined by their actions but instead, they are defined by what is in their heart that motivates their actions. In the context of this scripture, a wealthy and selfish person appears to be generous because they invite others to eat and drink of their delicacies but in their heart, they do not actually love or care for the wellbeing of anyone else. This person that the bible calls a “miser” or “selfish man” (in AMP translation), is identified in scripture by the position of their heart - not their seemingly generous actions. From this, we can conclude that we are identified in the spirit by what is in our heart. To put it simply, the contents of your heart shape your identity. We can also conclude that sin does not begin as an outward expression nor is it exclusively measured as an outward expression. Sin actually begins in the heart and is considered by God as sin as soon as it takes form in one's heart. This is confirmed when we study 1 Samuel 16:7 and Proverbs 4:23.
“...For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart.” - 1 Samuel 16:7
“Keep your heart with all diligence for out of it spring the issues of life.” - Proverbs 4:23
1 Samuel 16:7 teaches us that God is not only concerned with our actions - the outward expressions that are visible to the human eye - but rather, God is most focused on our heart. Why? Well according to Proverbs 4:23, it may be because what is in our heart informs our perception of everything around us which includes our world, relationships, careers, finances and even God. In the example of the selfish man, his heart was full of selfishness which caused him to view his life through a perceived lack and subsequent need to hoard wealth which led to a display of false generosity.
Heart: Pride (seeing himself as his own provider rather than God as His provider), Selfishness, and Greed
→ Perception: Though he is wealthy, he does not feel like he has enough and instead feels the need to hoard wealth - aka obtain and hold more than what he can reasonably consume - because he sees himself as is own provider
→ Action: Display of false generosity to keep up appearances and conceal sinful heart posture
Someone like this likely struggles to perceive God as their provider and instead feels the need to obtain and maintain wealth by any means - even sin. Sin may not be his first resort but because of the state of his heart, it would be easy for the enemy to tempt that man to sin if doing so would result in the wealth he so deeply desired.
Through this example, we see that guarding one’s heart against ungodly characteristics or attitudes is so important. As Matthew 5:8 says, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” There is a level of intimacy with God that can only be obtained with a pure heart. And this level of intimacy with God is necessary for your identity to be shaped by Him.
Knowing all this, how do we protect our hearts and maintain the purity of heart that God has given us?
Ask God for a pure heart - it's easy to assume that our hearts are pure but the reality is that we are all likely holding onto things that make it difficult for us to see God clearly. It’s imperative that we explicitly ask God to transform our hearts so they can actually be pure. We see examples of such requests in Psalm 51:10 and Psalm 139:23-24. Knowing that we cannot manufacture pure hearts in our own strength and humbling ourselves to ask God for help is step one in this process.
Watch what you eat - any health professional will tell you that what you eat is directly linked to the health of your physical heart. How much more the health of your heart in the spiritual sense? If we constantly feed ourselves with that which does not glorify God, the spiritual health of our hearts will begin to suffer. Have you ever watched a show, listened to a song, or read a book that changed how you felt emotionally or influenced your worldview? For most, the answer to this question is yes. If that is the case for you, then you’ve experienced firsthand how the media you consume can actually have a lasting, transformational effect on your heart and your mind. Armed with this knowledge, it is wise to implement restrictions around what you consume with your ears and/or eyes to protect your heart from that which opposed Christ-like character
Confront your past - There are experiences in our past that may have impacted our hearts in a negative way so much so that we are unable to allow God to completely transform and purify our hearts. For some, constant rejection during your youth has caused you to develop a heart that is so hardened to the idea of being loved by God, people, or even yourself. For others, one traumatic experience transformed your view of God's creation to the point that you no longer perceive reality through the lens of God’s Truth, but rather the lies of the enemy. My encouragement to you? Look back at those experiences that have shaped you and examine how those experiences have impacted your heart. Take those experiences to the Lord in prayer. Go to therapy. Confide in your community. Seek counsel from your trusted spiritual leaders (the ones who know you in real life and see you weekly) and mentors. And most of all, yield to the Holy Spirit as He works in you to heal, transform and purify your heart until you become exactly who you were created to be.
Take charge over your thought life - Remember the first scripture that I shared in this post? Proverbs 23:7 which reads “...for as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” What you think will inevitably shape who you are…just meditate on that for a second. If you constantly think about how good God is, how much He loves you, how true His Word is, then you will inevitably become more like the Son, Jesus Christ. However, if you allow thoughts of worry, offense, guilt, shame, anger, fear, anxiety or rejection to constantly dominate your thoughts, then you will inevitably be shaped by these things into someone very different from who God has called you to be. Taking charge over your thought life may feel impossible as it is a common belief that we cannot control our thoughts but I have to disagree simply because the word of God makes it clear that I can control my thoughts – and so can you.
Exhibit A: “casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” - 2 Corinthians 10:3-6 NKJV
Exhibit B: “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 NKJV
Exhibit C: “So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.” - Romans 8:6 NLT
When you feel your thoughts veering off into what is not aligned with Philippians 4:8 (a basic rubric for what thoughts are allowed in your mind), pray 2 Corinthians 10:3-6 over yourself immediately, right there, in that moment, regardless of where you are or what your doing. Then using Philippians 4:8 again as rubric, think of something that is true, noble, just, pure, lovely, virtuous, praiseworthy and of good report. You don’t have to look far. Maybe it's a scripture that you read during your quiet time, or something your pastor said in a sermon, or that encouraging word that came from your loved one. Whatever it is, just make sure it is within your thought rubric. Why? Because as Romans 8:6 says, “letting the [Holy] Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.”
