The Mind

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians4:22-24NIV

Everything we do has its genesis in our minds. Decisions are made often during the day, some are good choices, and others not so good, but before it was an action, it was a thought. Our minds can be a minefield unless we use some kind of control, and that’s not easy. In fact you can be forgiven for thinking it’s not possible.

I’m sure we all have a tendency to let our minds wander around the things we would like to happen, and we did that a lot in our youth. That car, the well paid job, and yes, that lovely girl or boy that was just out of reach! Not being able to have these things didn’t stop us day-dreaming, did it? And for the most part it was harmless because no one else knew our inner thoughts, so no one was embarrassed, least of all ourselves!

The verse today tells me what we do with our thoughts can be, and is what forms the attitude of our minds and therefore our actions, and then we are essentially “created to be like God.” What a place to be. Be careful, not a ‘God Double’ or a ‘God Twin’, but created to be like God and all because of the way we are ‘made new in the attitude of our minds.’ God wants us to follow His example, and He wouldn’t give us a goal or target we could not reach. The key is the attitude of mind, straining towards holiness, but we need to want it first.

What an example and legacy if others could say about us that we have a Godly attitude of heart and mind, and it shows. To that end, let’s put on the new self where God can use us as an example to others, and help introduce them to the Kingdom of God. I suggest there is no better use of our attitude of mind, and it isn’t a day-dream either!

Memory

God is able to do much more than we ask or think through His power working in us. Ephesians 3:20 NLV

It was heartbreaking to hear a widow friend say of her husband who had died some years before, “I’m so afraid I will forget what he looks like”. She said this because there were tell tale signs that her memory was fading slowly yes, but surely, and it worried her heart. She recognised that her mind was failing. Her fear was real!

God is not like that because He will never forget us or our love for Him. But it goes deeper and better for me anyway. No matter how we see God now, in all His glory and power, it doesn’t come anywhere close to what He can, and will, do in us. That’s whether our mind is alert or frail and failing.

No matter what we think about God’s love, His love is greater. Whatever we think about His power, He is more powerful still. If we think we know His forgiveness, God’s forgiving Spirit is far greater and for everyone. The phrase is worth repeating: God is able to do much more than we ask or think. When our weakened mind starts to fail us, and sadly we don’t recognise our loved ones, take comfort in the sure and certain fact that God remembers His own. Always, and forever, time without end. Amen and Amen to that simple truth!

God remembers those who suffer; he does not forget their cry. Psalm 9:12

Body, Heart and Mind

Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7 NLT

No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice. My body rests in safety. Psalm 16:9

The Bible has a way of pulling things together as you read and meditate, and these inspired verses are doing what only Scripture can do! It is no secret that we are a mixture of body, heart and mind, and different things will affect one part of us directly, but the other parts are also hurt by association. We are reminded by Paul that all parts of our body work together in this passage: Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.” 1 Corinthians 12:20,21 NLT So why do we get taken by surprise at times? I know I do.

It should come as no shock that when my mind is out of whack, my body and heart feel the consequences. If we have a bad dream, or a nightmare, our heart races and we sweat. When we wake up in the morning, we might not remember the dream in detail, but we will still be suffering the consequences in our body, of what was imagined in the brain. To state the obvious, it didn’t really happen! Try telling the result of fear in your body that! There is no cure for the body feeling what goes on in our imagination, but there is good news available for the believer.

We have the assurance that ​His peace will guard your hearts and minds! When satan comes with the bad dreams of our former life. He has no control over our body when he attacks our minds, as you live in Christ Jesus. Don’t you love the way the Psalmist puts it: No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice. My body rests in safety.

So, there you have it. The believer’s mind, heart and body are under the control of our Saviour, or put another way, under the blood of the cross! How good is that? Sleep easy my believing friends!

Thoughts

For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. Proverbs 23:7

It’s only a thought. What harm can it do, and anyway, no one knows what I’m thinking! That’s how it usually goes, but how wrong. There is no doubt that thoughts are linked to our actions. After all, before we do something, we had the thought first. It stands to reason.

I was shocked and surprised to learn of the case of a young man who is in court charged as being a paedophile with shameful images on his computer. He hid this at the start so well, that many of his classmates didn’t know what he was like under the surface. This makes my heart cry out to the young folks of our generation. Don’t let your thoughts stray into dangerous places, imagining that no one will know or ever find out. The actions of this teen started out as a thought, and grew from there into horrifying action.

Please, guard your heart and mind and stay healthy inside your head. Don’t become trapped with the lie of the devil that it’s only a thought, and no one will ever know. Thoughts become a lifestyle, and your lifestyle becomes known to all. It may even land you in prison. The devil didn’t warn you about that, did he?

The heart is the most deceitful thing there is and desperately wicked. No one can really know how bad it is! Jeremiah 17:9

Search, Study, Stand, Reason

Search the Scriptures John 5:39

Study to show thyself approved unto God... rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15

Like most Christians I have little devotional books which I read on a daily basis. The kind that gives a short text, followed by a little lesson on how to apply that Word to our lives. These are good aids and should be used regularly, but is that what the apostle John and the young preacher Timothy are meaning in the verses above?

The answer lies in the words used. Searching and Studying are not passive. They show action in learning deeply, and not on a surface level. A few years ago I was asked by a friend if I had ever read the Bible like I would read any other book, from the front, all the way through to the back, skipping nothing? Sadly, having been on the way for a number of years, I had to say I hadn’t. I relied on other people’s devotionals which could easily be done in 5 minutes flat!

When you read a book, or a magazine, or a newspaper, you read for more than 5 minutes, and if you are interested in the subject you are reading, you read from the beginning to the end. Cover to cover is how it is usually described. So, why not with the Word of God? The Bible was printed and put into the hands of the common man many years ago, to take the power of the Word out of the hands of the clergy of the day, and placed into the life of ordinary people to read. And read it they did. Not in 5 minute convenient slots during the day, but read earnestly. Like a sponge soaks in water. They had been given the gift of life, and they read it as a book, from Genesis to Revelation.

This simple action of reading, searching and studying the Scripture caused a revolution in the lives of the readers, but also in the churches of their day. They searched, studied, then stood on the promises they found, and it changed the course of their lives and their country. Do we do that? Do I? Let’s take the Bible down from the shelf and start to read it like never before. Search it, study it, and then stand on the authority of God’s Word. You know it makes sense to use your head, so what better way to finish with than these wise words…..

“Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool. Isaiah 1:18