Whatever Is Honest

This is the third portion of the “Positive Mindset” Bible study. To start at the beginning click here or click here to read Part Two – Whatever Is True.
All scriptures listed are found in the King James Version unless otherwise noted.

I have always skimmed over this scripture and chalked up “whatever is honest” as something good and positive to dwell on but never really thought about it too seriously. It coincides with whatever is true because anything honest is anything that is not a lie. But when I decided to look at each virtue individually I found myself a little perplexed. What does “whatsoever is honest” really mean? When I look at my situation and am honest about it I don’t always find it uplifting unless of course I pair it with God’s promises. Money may be a little tight but God said He would supply all my need. A relationship may be on the rocks but God said He would restore. There may be a circumstance that seems impossible to get out of but God said He would deliver. I may feel unloved and forgotten but God says He loves me and is a friend that sticks closer than a brother. When I am honest about my situation but I am also honest about what God can and will do there is positivity to be found.



But I also discovered something very interesting.

Whatever is True

This is the second part of A Positive Mindset Bible study. Click here for Part One.
All scriptures listed are found in the King James Version unless otherwise noted.

As stated in the last post we are about to begin focusing on the good things we should think upon which Paul listed in Philippians 4:8. The very first attribute listed is whatever is true. What is true? What do you consider to be true? According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, truth is anything that is in accordance with the actual state or conditions; conforming to reality or fact. Not false but real, genuine, authentic, sincere.



Since man perceives truth to be what is factual, truth takes on many different appearances. For some, truth is based on past experience or previous observations. For some truth is what they hear from a source they consider to be reliable and full of wisdom. For others, truth is what is found in the various textbooks they study and the words of the notable Professors who teach them. Overall truth is a woven tapestry of understandings and conclusions one decides upon with the influence of peers, personal study and opinions.

A Positive Mindset in a Negative World

Our world is quickly changing and as we watch the principles of God slowly fade away with each court ruling, political debate, protests and controversy it can be hard to be positive. And if we avert our eyes from the headlines and focus only on our small world sometimes we find that our life circumstances are equally as negative. Depleted finances, lost loved ones, broken marriages, rebellious or hurting children, health and job issues can cause us to question God’s faithfulness and love. I know for me personally certain life circumstances were very stressful and causing me to feel negative and in feeling negative, I was acting negative. And because I was consumed by my negative thinking I had somehow forgotten that while my life was not all I would have chosen for it to be in the present moment, God is equally present in the bad times as He is present in the good. My victory, that I was so desperately praying for, was not necessarily in my negative situation being removed but by overcoming with a positive mindset. I was reminded that I “overcome by the word of my testimony” (Rev. 12:11) and through encouraging myself in the Lord.