The Mind - "So he is"

I know that I said that we were going to cover forgiveness this week but sometimes God lays something different on my heart that I want to write about. It actually ties in very well with the series on sins that we are doing and is a perfect stop in that journey. Julie taught me that i need stop and smell the roses sometimes. Thanks sweetie! :-)

All of us enjoy when we have the liberty of completely being ourselves. We don’t have to put up any facades or pretend to be something that we are not. It’s the most comfortable part of life.

Our minds are a place of total personal privacy - a territory that should be off limits to everyone else. For better or for worse, it’s where we are totally ourselves. This verse from Proverbs speaks to this so well:

Proverbs 23:7 - For as he thinks within himself, so he is.

“So he is.” Those three powerful words can at times feel very liberating and at times quite convicting. Our minds can be a place where we think about the goodness of God and how we want to serve Him and others. It’s a place where we can be thankful, offer praise and pray. The mind can be a veritable playground of all that is good and holy in our lives.

“So he is.” The mind can also be a place where the worst in all of us lives and thrives. All sorts of immoral thoughts like ungratefulness, judgment, jealousy, anger and plans for revenge can run rampant in our minds. We can hide those thoughts from other people - at least to some degree. But then, there is that verse - For as he thinks within himself, so he is. In other words, we become what’s in our minds.

Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

As Christians, we are being transformed into the image of Christ. Part of this process is the “renewal of our minds.” The term “renewal” in this passage means to make spiritually new, restore freshness, life and purity. It means interpreting life through the lens of God’s Word and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, rather than just through the lens of our experience, woundedness, worldly passions, or the opinions of others. Renewal of the mind is life altering.

God wants dominion in our minds. We can’t use our minds as a wicked playground and think that as long as we actually say and do good things, we will be living in accordance with God’s will. Why? Well, there is that verse again - “ For as he thinks within himself, so he is.” Those three words kind of spoil that party, don’t they?

So how do we fight this “good vs. evil” war within the mind? I’ll share another verse with you that has been a great help to me. I wish I could tell you that I was great at scripture memory but I am definitely not. This verse is very powerful and even if you can just remember a portion of it to say when your mind starts to drift toward the dark side, it will help win the battle.

Philippians 12:2 …whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Remember the first phrase of this verse “whatever is true” when you are being tempted. It will redirect your mind from evil to good. Because He is truth and truth wins.

Stay Hungry,

Big E

Matt. 5:6