It’s so easy to miss that we miss it. Our walk with God is a constant battle of the mind to overcome the evil thoughts that can invade the thinking process. “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7). Does any one of us think Satan is not eager to get into our minds and have us focusing on the wrong issues of life? We are at war 24/7 as we eagerly adjust our minds to think of holy matters.
“Those who live according to their sinful nature have their minds set on what the nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires” (Romans 8:5).
Controlling what we think! “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). Until and unless we get control of what we think about, we will constantly be waffling in our moral decisions. Mind renewal is a constant effort all disciples of Jesus must engage in. The world would have us think of carnal ideas that draw us away from our Christian walk. A mind out of control that follows the crowd will constantly be falling into temptation’s trap.
Truth is at stake! “To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free’” (John 8:31,32). Jesus is the personification of truth. He is the Word incarnate [logos] of John 1. When our minds are drawn to the distractions of this world, we are no longer guided by the truth of the Lord. Only in his Word are we free from always having to deal with fleshly thoughts that draw us away from our discipleship.
Think about what you think about! “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit” (Matthew 12:33). Just what is it we think about most of the time? Watching our favorite TV show? Food? Sex? Money? Gossip? Climbing the ladder of success? If we are what we think, then we surely must give thought to what we think about. If we set our affections on things above and not on temporary desires, we will be living fuller lives now and eternal life after.
Never give up! “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze” (Isaiah 43:2). If you find yourself going through hell, then keep going. It is all too easy to just give up. The battle of our minds is a struggle worth maintaining, but it is one worth the effort. It requires strong faith to keep on keeping on. “The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights” (Habakkuk 3:19). Our walk with Jesus is the most important function in life! It’s like a race. But it’s not a sprint; it’s a marathon.
Thoughts become words! “The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences” (Proverbs 18:21). What we think about all the time soon becomes what we talk about all the time. Someone who is addicted to gossip is not only thinking about it, but shares whatever gossip he/she might receive from others. Just what is on our lips? It has to derive from what we think about. Think good things.
We can’t do life on our own! “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not live according to their sinful nature but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:1). If you are a faithful child of God then you are in partnership with him. Jesus is the Lord of your life. And maybe instead of asking ourselves “what would Jesus do,” we might ask ourselves “what DID Jesus do?” If our thoughts and words and decisions are based on what Jesus did, on his perfect example, we are more likely to be at peace and enjoy the contentment that is only found in Christ.
Learn to expect good things! “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). If we are walking with God and thinking good things then we will accept that all things—the good, the bad, the ugly—will in some way work out for our own good. If we live our lives expecting the worst, that is probably what we’ll get. If we never expect anything good to happen then we won’t be disappointed when it doesn’t. As a partner with God we must understand that God works through us and uses us for his glory. “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6). Never forget that you and the Lord comprise a majority. Walking with Jesus never finds you in a minority position, regardless of what the word is doing.
Is your mind ready? “Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true” (Acts 17:11). The disciples in the infant church were even checking out Paul to make sure his message was authentic. We can do no less as we set our minds/affections on things above. Why live for what is temporary when we can live for eternity?
Do we expect great things? “The LORD longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him” (Isaiah 30: 18). Great Expectations was a novel many of us had to read in school. But our minds must expect great things from a God who gives us all good and perfect gifts. The Lord of comfort desires to give us the blessings of life we are most in need of. All we have to do is ask of him. A prayerful mind will be willing to ask of God without doubting. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, that transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6,7). Do we not wish to have our minds guarded as we wage war against the evil one? James even reminds us that God is eager to give us what we ask for in faith without doubting (James 1:2-8).
Meditate on God! “I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways” (Psalm 119:15). Again I ask, what do we think about during our waking hours? Is our focus on God and his Son Jesus? Here is what we must allow our minds to dwell on. This isn’t rocket science. “Whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (Philippians 4:8). Let me tell you this here and now, church, if you think on these lovely thoughts, you can hardly go wrong. We can control what we dwell on in our minds. We can!
Our inability to concentrate gives our minds over to Satan to do with them as he pleases! “Prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed” (1 Peter 1:13). It requires effort to set our hopes. It involves will to prepare out minds for action instead of allowing the devil to draw us away from God. He would love to sift us as wheat. He would devour every one of us if he could control our minds. So this is a war we wage in our thoughts. If we realize in our minds that something is wrong, we cannot allow our reasoning to talk us into it! And if we know something is right, we must not allow our reasoning to talk us out of it!
Church, we are at war. Satan is a formidable foe. He would have us for lunch if he could. But God in us and our minds set on things above will allow us to overcome every fiery dart he might hurl our way. “Take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one” (Ephesians 6:16). We are engaged in a battle with Satan. Think accordingly!
Steven Clark Goad