Book Reviews

MIND YOUR MIND

by Luella Campbell
12/04/14
Not For Sale
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MIND YOUR MIND

"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if there is anything excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received from me, or seen in me - put into practice. And the God of peace will be with you." Philippians 4:8-9.

Paul's prescription for living ends in a crescendo of triumphant declaration - the God of peace will be with you. How did he get there?

The key is in your thought life. What we think, we are and what we think, we do. Anxious thoughts lead to foolish choices. The solution is to take possession of your mind and bend it towards God instead of indulging in random and undisciplined thinking.

This is not about playing mind games. This is about spiritual warfare. Yes, spiritual warfare! The notion that spiritual warfare is about pulling down demonic strongholds over nations and regions and flushing out demons from behind every bush is not Biblical and a complete waste of time. The way to deal with the devil is to give him no place in your mind.

Deeds and actions are conceived in the mind according to what we believe to be true. The hijackers of American Airlines Flight 11 believed that they were doing God's will and pleasing him when they flew the plane into the north tower of the Twin Towers in New York. Reciting prayers to Allah as the plane crashed into the tower, they thought that they were doing the right thing because it was in keeping with their understanding of the will of their god.

Just as it is impossible to be anxious and at peace at the same time, so it is impossible to think two conflicting thoughts at the same time. The only way to get rid of wrong thoughts is to replace them with thoughts about things that are good, pure and lovely. Where do we find thoughts like that when the world is continually bombarding us with thoughts of ungodliness?

We will think the thoughts about the things that we have fed into our minds. We live in an era of information overload. Most of the information we receive is either anti-God or completely ignores God as though He does not exist. Like the hijackers of 911, the world has hijacked God's blessings and prostituted them on their own pleasure and for their own benefit, not giving Him a thought when they squander His resources on themselves.

As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ and citizens of God's kingdom, we are not to be like that. We are to fuel our minds with thoughts that honour God so that what comes out will be words and actions that reflect His presence in our lives. Satan can only plant thought in our minds. He cannot control our choices. It is up to us to filter out the thoughts that are Satan-inspired and not a reflection of the nature of God in whose nature we have been recreated.

"The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." 2 Corinthians 10:5, 6.

A mind shaped by learning to think the way God does by filling our minds with God's word, is a disciplined mind. The outcome is astonishing. "The God of peace will be with you." "What's the big deal?" you say. "I thought that God is always with me." Sure; that's what He promised, but being with you and being with you are two entirely different things.

You can accompany a person who is committing a crime without being with him, approving of and supporting him in his action. On the other hand, you can be entirely with a person when he is doing a good deed, helping him wherever necessary so that the outcome is good. There are many references in Scripture where God was "with" a person so that he prospered and fulfilled his calling: Joseph in Egypt, Samuel, David as king of Israel and most of all, Jesus.

It's that kind of being "with" us that Paul was emphasising. Just imagine - when you take the time to fill your mind with the word of God and begin to see your life from God's perspective, instead of whining about your hardships, you will begin to praise Him. Difficulties will become opportunities, like they were for Joseph. Hardships will be lessons in trust, like they were for Paul. Don't you think that you will experience God's overwhelming peace because He is upholding and supporting you in your trial?

He will do anything for those who are willing to praise Him in trouble, because it is an expression of trust. And the outcome will be more than you can imagine of hope for just as it was for Joseph. Do the right thing for God and He will do the right thing for you. But you have to think it first!

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.