Excellent Things

That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ. Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God. (Philippians 1:10-11)

Paul wanted his followers not to be swayed by every fad or trick that came around. Paul’s prayer was for them to be protected against spiritual fads and deception. The word “approve” means to test or examine, which means every new teaching, movement, or “shiny object” needs to go through a spiritual quality control process. Don’t accept something as good just because it’s popular. Test it first. 

The Greek word translated “excellent” literally means “things that differ.” The kingdom has never been about fitting in; it’s always been about standing out. Maturity means you can distinguish between hype and holiness. Fads come and go, but God’s Word remains constant. Satan rarely appears as a red-skinned creature with a pitchfork and a spiky tail. He attacks in more subtle ways. Mark 4 teaches us about four of his tactics to steal, kill, and destroy from your life.

• Affliction – a challenge in this world designed to test your faith and push you to give up.

• Persecution – pressure from others meant to make you give up.

• Cares (merimna) of this world– distractions that divert your attention from God.

• Deceitfulness of riches – not the riches themselves, but being fooled into believing they are the answer to your problems.

• Lust of other things – craving things that God never called you to have.

Practical Application

God’s goal is for you to live so Spirit-led that you are not deceived into any of Satan’s traps. Learn to test what is excellent; you won’t just survive the attack, but you will thrive in this world.

1 Thessalonians 3:13; Romans 12:2