A Beautiful Mind

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a SOUND MIND.  2 Timothy 1:7

I want to camp right there on that scripture for this blog post. Why? Because your mind is generally the first area the enemy attacks, and if we as Christians don’t begin to claim what is rightfully ours, we may never experience the freedom and wholeness that comes with having a SOUND MIND.

How to Claim What Belongs to Us

As believers, there is a certain amount of tenacity and aggressiveness we must display in order to walk in the fullness of God. That may sound as foreign as can be to some people, but I promise you it’s the truth. Jesus Christ purchased salvation for us with His own blood, but He doesn’t force us to take it. We have to pursue and accept our redemption. After that, there’s more fighting to do… We are told in Ephesians 6:11 to put on the whole armor of God, so that we may be able to stand against the strategies and deceitful plans of the devil. The whole armor of God includes the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. I don’t know about you, but that scripture produces mental images of a battle that involves standing our ground, being wise, diligent, and claiming what is rightfully ours.

There are so many promises we could focus on today; our right to health and our promise of protection, just to name a few. But until we get our mind lined up with God’s way of thinking, we will never be able to stand on His promises for very long. All the enemy has to do is throw a little bit of discouragement, doubt, and unbelief our way and before long we’ll be having a pity party, wondering where our strength and victorious living has gone. Have you ever wondered why our minds are such a playground for the enemy? Well, I’m about to tell you.

An Unrenewed Mind is the Enemy’s Playground

Just because you’ve accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior does not mean that you’ve renewed your mind from the defeated, degenerate state it is currently in. Let me explain… In our fallen state, before Christ enters our life, we operate completely in the fleshly, soulish realm. This realm happens to be in a fallen state. That part goes way back to the garden of Eden and the whole ‘tree of life’ episode. In our fallen state, we of course think like fallen, natural, fleshly people. Here’s an example: If you receive ten compliments at work today from ten different people about your outstanding performance, but also receive criticism from one individual, what do you think your mind is going to focus on? If you said the critical statement, you were correct. Our minds naturally think on or ’stew’ about the thing that is least conducive to our mental health. It’s simply the way we are wired.

That’s not all. There’s more proof. Have you ever noticed the sudden popularity of anxiety attacks, social disorders, and depression? Now, I’m certainly not making light of those situations. They are very real and quite serious. But they are also a product of our fallen state. Anxiety, fear of failure, low self esteem; these all come for free with an unrenewed mind. Even as born again believers, unless we take action and DO something about our mind, it will continue to be a breeding ground of unbridled thoughts that will work against the very nature of God that dwells in us.

What Can We Do?

So, what’s the answer to this whole ‘unrenewed mind’ situation? I’m glad you asked. The Bible gives us clear instructions that will bring us to a place of victory in our thought life. We don’t have to fear, we don’t have to feel anxious, uncertain, or off balance. God wants us to walk in clarity and soundness of mind, but we are going to have to get aggressive and take what is rightfully ours. How do we do that? By speaking the scriptures to yourself, to God, and to the enemy. And by realizing that we actually have control over what we think. Thoughts enter our little brain playground in a variety of ways. Thoughts can enter as a result of what we see or hear (if we are watching an inappropriate movie with sexual innuendos, we might get caught up in lustful thoughts). Thoughts may also enter as a result of what we are talking about with others, or random thoughts may also try to enter our minds as a form of attack from the enemy. That’s right, I said it. It may sound creepy, but some thoughts, especially those ‘you can’t do it, you’ll never amount to anything’ kind are often a direct attack on our self esteem and confidence. They are specifically designed to keep us from fulfilling our destiny and our purpose in Christ.

With all of these entrance possibilities, I hope that you are getting the revelation that the playground of your mind should not be left unattended. Here’s where the aggressive part comes in. It is your responsibility to be the ‘playground monitor.’ When a thought comes into your mind you have two distinct choices. Choice number one is to dwell on this thought. Just so there is no mistake, here are the things that are okay to dwell on: Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Phillipians 4:8

On the other hand, there is choice number two: Thoughts that come into your mind that are unhealthy, perverse, or that can lead to sin. How do we deal with these thoughts? Be a tough playground monitor. Blow your whistle and get them out! 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 tells us that the ‘Weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.’ An unhealthy thought, when entertained, become a stronghold. If you live in a constant state of awareness regarding your thoughts, you will be quick to cast them down and push them out of your mind.

Finally, as a follower of Christ, remember that you have a right to all of the promises of God. You are who the Word says you are, not who the enemy tries to convince you that you are by bringing up your past failures or fears. Here are just a few things that you ARE:

You are more than a conqueror – Romans 8:37

You are justified – Romans 5:11 You are redeemed and forgiven – Colossians 1:13-14

You are hidden with Christ in God – Colossians 3:1-4

You are seated with God in the heavenly realm – Ephesians 2:6

You are a new creation in Christ – 2 Corinthians 5:17

And lastly, You have the MIND OF CHRIST – 1 Corinthians 2:16

With this in mind, start practicing your playground monitoring skills today. The world is in a fallen state and is always trying to sell you their bag of goods. If you watch any amount of television you’ll quickly pick up on the fact that for the most part, the world is all about lust, excess, addictions, and other things that aren’t good for you. That’s why the Bible tells us this: And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind (or meditating on what the Word says about us), that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Romans 12:2

Pretty good stuff and a perfect place to begin. Get control of your mind, your thoughts, and what you meditate on and you will be able to accomplish great things. For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he. Proverbs 3:27

Isn’t it about time to get rid of that stinking thinking?