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Thinking on These Things – Week 33 / August 12th
“Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is noble, what-
ever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever
Is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think
about such things.”
Philippians 4:8
There is no doubt the Christian life is played out in the area of our minds. This is the battle ground for the Christ follower and the quicker we learn this the better. Our minds must be fed with truth so that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, our emotions are moved which in turn will dictate our actions. Essentially then this means that we all should have a thorough grasp and working knowledge of the First Principles of our faith as we find them laid out in Hebrews six verses one and two. That is, we should know what the following subjects are all about and how they impact our lives:
Repentance from dead works and faith toward God, Doctrine of baptisms, The laying on of hands… and, The resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment.
Failure to grasp these teachings will lead to weak spiritual foundations and lives that constantly fail to mature into the image of Jesus. Paul stated, when writing to the Church at Galatia, that he was in spiritual labour pains until Christ was formed in them.
Your mind must then be focused
Peter writes in his first epistle that we are to gird up the loins of our minds. (1Peter1:13) The under garment worn around the loins held one’s clothing in place. We can liken it to a modern day belt; if this was loose and not properly attached the other garments would fall off exposing our nakedness. Many a Christian is “exposed” spiritually today because they have little understanding of their faith. Consequently their behavior patterns are carnal and inappropriate. Paul addressed this type of Christian in his first epistle to the Corinthians. (1Corinthians 3:1-4)
Your mind must be freed
This means that we understand that Christian transformation can only take place when our minds are freed to agree with God’s word. The Bible states time and time again that we are transformed by the renewing of our minds. (Romans 12:1-2; Ephesians 4: 22-24) Your mind is the real you and only you can agree with God’s word and allow it to work powerfully within you. Your mind then turns on the power of God and this leads to character change and this is what Christianity is all about. Remember that your mind will affect your emotions and your emotions will determine your actions. Whoever then controls your mind will ultimately control your actions. Hopefully Jesus is in charge of your mind? Paul, knowing these things full well, wrote that we should not let the sun go down on our anger. (Ephesians 4: 26) That is, if we do not free our minds to do the will of God we will dwell on something negative, that someone has done to us. Thus feeding our anger and hurt and then, in the end, responding not as Jesus would and thereby causing more pain for ourselves and those around us.
Your mind must be fed
Paul writing to the Church at Colassae states that they must fix their minds on things above (Colossians 3:1-2) and in his Philippian letter he tells them to think and dwell on good and godly things. (Philippians 4:8) We must feed our minds every day with God’s truth so that we have the ways of God built into our lives. We will then become a spiritual epistle that everyone can read and thereby recognize the Bible in us. (2Corinthians 3:1-3) Finally,
Your mind must be fenced
We all need a spiritual fence to protect us from the attacks of the devil. As Christians we have three enemies; ourselves, the world and the devil. All of this is real and the devil prowls about like a roaring lion seeking who he may devour. Do not minimize this reality. ( 1Peter 5:8-9) Some tell us, yes this is true but his teeth have been pulled! This my friend is wishful thinking and nonsense. If you do not appropriate the power of Christ by submitting your mind to Him the devil will get his opportunity and bring chaos to your life. You must know that you are at war and, as he did to Adam and Eve, he will attempt to do to you and his winning strategy has always been, “Did God say this and this?” If your mind is not fenced as Jesus’ mind was on the hill of temptation, you will fall prey to his schemes. This is no game!
So, in the light of the above, I urge you to think on these things!
Malcolm Hedding.
©Malcolm Hedding Ministries
2014Devotional