The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. (Matthew 6:22-23 NIV)
Imagine yourself as a fish tank. I know—it sounds a little odd. But stick with me.
Picture yourself as an aquarium: glass walls, a gravel floor, a little filter humming in the corner. You were made to be a thriving environment, a place filled with water, fish, and plants—a space full of life and beauty.
When the right elements are in place—proper water, healthy fish, plants, and good equipment—the tank almost takes care of itself. It stays clean, balanced, and alive. But if the wrong things are added, everything suffers. What goes into a fish tank matters.
Put saltwater fish in a freshwater tank? They’ll die. Use the wrong kind of rocks or decorations? You might throw off the chemistry. Drop in human food like bread? You’ll pollute the water and make the fish sick. In the same way, what we allow into our minds, bodies, and spirits deeply affects our well-being.
Physically, what we eat matters. A steady diet of soda and junk food won’t give our bodies the nutrients they need to stay healthy. Spiritually and emotionally, what we consume—what we watch, listen to, or read—shapes our inner world. If we fill our time with violent, degrading, or negative content, we can’t expect to grow in peace, joy, or spiritual strength.
The writer of Proverbs gives us this wisdom:
“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” (Proverbs 4:23, NIV)
So, what should we put into our spiritual tanks?
Start with prayer—asking God to fill you with more and more of his Spirit. Add the Word of God—truth that nourishes, anchors, and shapes us. When we fill our inner lives with the Word and the Holy Spirit, we grow healthier. These are the things that help us heal from past wounds and live strong and whole in the present and future.
This inner health produces fruit—good works and godly character—that glorify God:
“By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.” (John 15:8 NIV)
The fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These are the signs of a life rooted in Christ.
And the Spirit also helps us focus on what is truly good and life-giving. Paul reminds us:
“Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.’” (1 Corinthians 15:33 NIV)
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” (Philippians 4:8 NIV)
Your spirit is like a tank—what you put in matters. So guard it. Fill it with the things that bring life. And let the goodness of God flow out from you into the world.
God,
Thank you for your Word and your Spirit, which nourish us and shape us into the fullness of who you created us to be in Jesus Christ. Help us to guard our hearts and minds carefully, so that everything we take in honors you. Teach us to turn away from worthless things, to choose our friends wisely, and to focus our lives on what is honorable and fruitful. May each decision we make lead us toward purity and bring glory to your name. We pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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. (Psalm 101:3 ESV)