The Mind

Pro 25:28 He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.

Our Mind

The Scriptures tell us, we all are in a life and death struggle with Spritual Darkness, and that our mind is the primary focus of our Enemy. Our challenge, and our daily task, is to think true thoughts. The weapons of Darkness are founded on lies, and it is as we learn to walk in truth, that we become fruitful and wholesome.

The problem with our mind is two-fold. First, by nature, we don't always thing good or true thoughts, and second, our mind is always "on". There is always a mental and an emotional process taking place and if we do not have a disciplined mind then lies will be at work within us.

We don't want background noise, or to live without purpose. We want truth, and we are called to renew our minds by turning our minds to God's Channel, not occasionally, but 24 hours per day.

God gives every born-again Christian the power to control his mind. Self-control is a fruit of the Holy Spirit and is called "temperance", Gal 5:23. We cannot allow ourselves to chronically think just any thoughts or to feel any feelings, we have to win in the area of our thoughts and our feelings by learning to tell ourselves the truth. If we have no control over what we think or what we feel then Darkness has an advantage over us. Listen to Proverbs in describing the person with no self-control.

Proverbs 25:28 He that has no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls

As Christians, our challenge is to take control of our mind and "tune" it to the channel of God's Word. If we chronically think thoughts that are not true, it is like daily sipping on a bottle of poison, eventually it will kill you. Darkness attempts to define truth by offering us the poison of our opinions, our wisdom, our values, and our personal preferences. These neither define truth nor prepare us to meet the Lord, which should be our life's goal.

We grow in our faith and wholeness as we learn to change the channel of our mind to the Word of God. As we allow the Word of God to inform us, we then develop the ability to tell ourselves the truth, which, by the way, we cannot do if our mind is chronically tuned to channel of our opinions. It is the truth of God's Word that prepares us for heaven; It enables us by allowing us to see with God's eyes. The way to heaven is by turning our mind, and our heart, to the Channel of God's Word. David said, "Thy Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path", Psalms 119:105.

As the Serpent tempted Eve to disobey God with a promise of godhood, we also are temped to godhood by valueing our opinions, our wisdom, our intelligence, and our personal preferences over the Word of God. A fleshly mind assures us that our values are good, our wisdom is sure, and that it is our prerogative to choose our own way, and our own truth. That has been the spiritual poison of Darkness since Eve; also, the message, and its fatal results, have not changed. However, we should learn from Eve; the result of placing our wisdom above God's Word. If God is God over us, then our mind, our thoughts, our emotions, and heart, and our very life must conform to what He says.

Remember this, the message darkness speaks is not offensive to the natural man. It is an appealing message, taylor-made, designed by darkness for you personally, and only a renewed mind has the insight and strength to resist.

A Renewed Mind Protects

It is through a renewed mind, protected by the armor of God, that we have power and ability to recognize and overcome the lies of darkness. Lies enter our minds through cultural values, through media, through music, books, friends, government, educational institutions, and through our imagination. But it is through our own desires and choices that darkness and it's wisdom is given an honored place within our heart. This world and it's institutions generate lies and deception regarding the reality of salvation, our need for salvation, and the way of salvation. It is through renewing our mind by conforming our thoughts, emotions, desires, ambitions, and priorities to the Word of God, that we can effectively overcome the lies of this world.

Lies exist in our mind through our human nature.

All Christian have a human nature to overcome and a natural mind to renew. We put off the old and put on the new.

We fight this battle because as humans, we continue to have a nature that resists God, that is His natural enemy. In fact, much of our life consists in identifying the old lies and old thinking patterns that dwell within and replacing them with the truth of God's Word. Lies have the ability to reside silently within and direct out values, behavior,  and thinking after our own fleshly nature. As we allow the renewing of our thoughts and feelings, by the Word of God, we become able to break spiritual chains.

If we are not submitting our thoughts, decisions, and behavior to the oversight of the Word of God, our fleshly nature will reign unopposed and bring us to a place of spiritual confusion.

Inward Lies Produce Chronic Problems

These chains tend to be chronic in nature and manifest themselves as depression, frustration, anger, apathy, unhappiness, discouragement,  bitterness, sinful habits and/or sinful behavior. Jesus said the source of these kinds of problems were from the heart, from within. So what we are saying is this:

Darkness depends on the cooperation of our human nature  for it's power and destructive influences. It is as we walk out the redemptive victories of Christ over our human nature that our mind is renewed. A renewed mind then provides the thinking and behavior necessary for spiritual and emotional wholeness.

Eph 4:22-24 Strip yourselves of your former nature, put off and discard your old unrenewed self,  which characterized your previous manner of life and becomes corrupt through lusts and desires that spring from delusion. 23 And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind, having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude. Amplified Version 23 And put on the new nature, the regenerate self, created in God's image,(Godlike) in true righteousness and holiness.

Rom. 6:14 Sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

Rev 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

Rev 7:9-12 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; 10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. 11 And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, 12 Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.

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