October 29, 2023
“As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” Proverbs 23:7 (NKJV)
“He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment.” Matthew 22:37-38 (NRSV)
“Those who say, “I love God,” and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.”1 John 4:20-21 (NRSV)
Have you ever had a thought and you knew it was not from God? I would venture to say, “we all have.” May I ask, “How did you handle that negative or ungodly thought?” How can we cultivate our minds – removing negative, ungodly, and harmful influences, pollutants, and love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind?
Karen Cheathem, a dear friend of mine who has been on our prayer line for over 10 years will periodically make a statement during confession segement of our prayer group process of (ACTS: A ~ Adoration, C ~ Confession, T ~ Thanksgiving S ~ Supplication) and she would make the statement, “God, there are times when I have ungodly or negative thoughts and sometimes I allow them to stay too long.” WOW! Again, I think we all can relate and are guilty of the same sin. I hereby confess.
Our relationship with God needs to influence the way we think! Christians are told, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world,” which are usually selfish and often corrupting. Many Christians wisely decide that much worldly behavior is off limits for them. Our refusal to conform to this world’s values must go even deeper than the level of our behavior and customs. It must be firmly planted in our minds. However, it is possible to avoid most worldly customs/practices and still be proud, covetous, selfish, stubborn, and arrogant. Only when the Holy Spirit renews, reeducates, and redirects our mind are we truly transformed as noted in Romans 8:5 “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.” (NRSV)
The Apostle Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 2:16, as Believers in Christ we have the mind of Christ. “For who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.” Having the mind of Christ means we understand God’s plan in the world; to bring glory to Himself, restore creation to its original splendor, and share the Good News of the Gospel to those who do not know HIM! That is the only reason Jesus came to earth ~ to save the lost!
After salvation, the Believer in Christ lives a life under God’s influence. The Holy Spirit takes up residence in us, indwells and enlightens us, with wisdom ~ the mind of Christ.
As Believers in Christ, we have a biblical obligation to cultivate our minds as a gardener: weeding, pruning, feeding, watering, and bringing forth a beautiful garden. The mind God gave you was divinely fashioned by the hand of God to manifest His Will and Purpose for your life and His glory! Our bodies are God’s temple, and the Spirit of God lives in us! Having the mind of Christ means sharing the plans, purpose, and perspective of our Lord Jesus Christ!
In the verses leading up to 1 Corinthians 2:16, we note some truths concerning the Mind of Christ:
1. The mind of Christ stands in sharp contrast to the wisdom of man (verses 5-6).
2. The mind of Christ involves wisdom from God, once hidden but now revealed (verse 7).
3. The mind of Christ is given to believers through the Spirit of God (verses 10-12-11).
4. The mind of Christ cannot be understood by those without the Spirit (verse 14).
5. The mind of Christ gives Believers in Christ discernment in spiritual matters (verse 15).
What the Scripture says About the Power of the Spirit of God and of the Human Mind.
There is the carnal mind vs. the spiritual mind. The carnal mind is the mind of man’s flesh or body. The phrase “to be carnally minded” (to phronēma tēs sarkos , Romans 8:6) means the mind of the flesh. It is the mind with which man is born, the fleshly mind which he inherits from his parents.
The carnal mind also means something else, something that must be heeded. It means the mind that is given over to the flesh; that focuses upon the flesh and its worldly urges and desires; that gives its attention and pursuits over to the flesh; that savor tasting and partaking of the flesh; that is controlled by one’s sinful nature.
THE MIND: Carnal – Flesh or Spiritual
One of the most important passages in all of Scripture that discuss the human mind is Romans 8:5-8.
“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For this reason, the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law—indeed it cannot, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” (NRSV)
The Carnal Mind:
- cannot ignore God now and expect to have thoughts of God.
- cannot focus upon the flesh now and expect to focus upon God in the next world.
- cannot think as it wills now and expect to think as God wills in the next world.
- cannot have a worldly mind now and expect to have a spiritual mind in the next world.
- cannot choose the flesh now and expect to be saved from the flesh in the next world.
- cannot reject God now and expect to be accepted by God in the next world.
Simply, whatever the mind chooses will continue on and on. If the mind chooses the flesh instead of God, then the choice is made. The mind will continue on without God from now on, forever and ever. The mind is allowed to do as it chooses. If it chooses to be separated and cut off from God so that it can dwell upon the flesh, then the soul shall have the flesh; it shall be separated and cut off from God. God loves man; God will not violate man’s mind and force man to choose Him.
The choice is yours! You can choose God, or you may choose your flesh and death
(to be separated and cut off from God).
→ “The man that wandereth out of the way of understanding shall remain in the congregation of the dead (spiritually dead)” ~ Proverbs 21:16.
→ “Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you,” John 6:53.
→ “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord,” ~ Romans 6:2.
→ “For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead, ~ spiritually dead” (2 Cor. 5:14).
→ “And you…were dead in trespasses and sins,” ~ Ephesians 2:1.
It is the Spirit of Christ that draws the mind to spiritual things. Where you keep your mind and what you think about determines who you are and what you do. If you keep your mind and thoughts in the gutter, you become part of the filth in the gutter.
If you keep your mind upon the good, you become good. If you focus upon achievement and success, you can achieve success. If his mind is filled with spiritual thoughts, your thoughts become pure thoughts. If your thoughts are focused upon God and righteousness, your thoughts become godly and righteous. You become what you think. It is the law of the mind.
The words “spiritually minded” (to phronēma tou pneumatos) mean to be controlled by the Spirit or to be managed and dominated by the Spirit. It means those who walk after the Spirit minds “the things of the Spirit” moment by moment, day by day. It is the Spirit of God who draws the Believer’s mind to focus upon spiritual things. The Spirit of God lives within the Believer. He is there to work within the Believer, both to will and to do God’s pleasure; He is there to keep the mind and thoughts of the Believer focused upon spiritual things.
♥ The Believer in Christ keeps his mind upon developing spiritual character and fruit. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance” ~ Galatians 5:22-23
♥ The Believer in Christ keeps his mind upon carrying out the ministry and mission of Christ. “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost”, ~ Luke 19:10. “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with your always, even unto the end of the world,” ~ Matthew 28:19-20.
♥ The Believer in Christ keeps his mind upon knowing, believing, and understanding God. “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death,” ~ Philippians. 3:10. “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent,”~ John 17:3.
♥ The Believer in Christ keeps his mind upon being conformed more and more to the image of Christ. “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren” ~ Romans 8:29. “And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him” ~ Colossians. 3:10.
♥ The Believer in Christ upon casting down imaginations and making every thought obedient to Christ. “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalted itself against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ,” ~ 2 Corinthians 10:5. “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,” ~ Philippians. 4:8.
HEART CHALLENGE: Are you spending enough time in prayer and study of His Word, the Bible to have His very mind in you? In order to have the mind of Christ, one must first have saving faith in Christ as noted in John 1:12;1 John 5:12. After salvation, the Believer in Christ lives a life under God’s influence. The Holy Spirit indwells and enlightens the Believer, infusing him with wisdom ~ the mind of Christ. The Believer bears a responsibility to yield to the Spirit’s leading in Ephesians 4:30 and to allow the Spirit to transform and renew his mind ~ Romans 12:1-2.
The only way to replace the error of the world’s way of thinking is to replace it with God’s truth, and the only infallible source of God’s truth is His revealed Word, the Bible. Transformation through renewed minds comes as Believers in Christ expose themselves to God’s Word through the faithful exposition of it each week in church, personal Bible study, and group Bible study. A solid church that believes in preaching the Word, reading the Word, and singing the Word is invaluable in helping us renew our minds.
A CONTROLLED 
HEART: The Believer In Christ mind is characterized by purity and TRUTH What you put into your mind determines what comes out in your words and actions. Your mind believes what you tell it! Paul tells us to program our mind with thoughts that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy.
Do you have problems with impure thoughts and daydreams? Examine what you are putting into your mind through television, books, conversations, movies, and magazines. Replace harmful input with wholesome material. Above all, read God’s Word and pray. Ask God to help you focus your mind on what is good and pure. It takes practice, but it can be done.
The spiritual mind, the mind that focuses upon the things of the Spirit, knows and experiences life and peace. Life and peace are its destiny forever and ever. Such is the promise of God and the testimony of His saints who have gone on before. To be spiritually minded reaps its reward, and its reward is eternal life and peace.
FATHER GOD, Thank You for Your Word that teaches us how to live hand have Your mind, the mind of Christ. Help us to program our mind with thoughts that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy, in the Precious, Powerful and Preeminent Name of Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord, Amen!
“Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.”
Romans 12:2 (MSG)