We concluded Part 8 by saying, “More importantly, they (church members) know that what is on the inside and what they dwell on in the dark recesses of their minds would damn them to a Christ-less eternity if it wasn’t for the mercy and grace of God.”
By way of example, some of these church members may not commit adultery on the outside, but in their mind they continue to have an affair with many of the men or women they watch on the television or see on the privacy of their computer screen. In many ways, they are like the little boy who was told to stand in the corner for a punishment over a transgression. He was overheard to mutter, “I may be standing on the outside, but I am SITTING on the inside!”
Others are outwardly submissive to their husbands, but in their mind they have failed to acknowledge that their submission is NOT as unto the Lord. Instead of committing the sin to the Lord, they dwell on how life would be better based on the smut being produced by reality tv, sitcoms, romance novels, and soap operas.
There are some who acknowledge outwardly they are believers and may even be somewhat involved in a local church. However, if you could look inside their mind, they are only coming because it is what is expected, or because they don’t want a call from the pastor, or because they want others to think they are model Christians.
Instead of going with the express purpose of pleasing God in all things including their church attendance and faithfulness to service for the King, their minds are not actively engaging in the message or the hymns or the reading of the Word. They have everybody tuned out, and with a little more help they even think they can tune God out as well!
Children are a source of joy, and we would do well to learn from them. Most children are like open books. What is in their minds often shows up on their faces. If they do not like something, they show it. If they think something, they often say it – much to the chagrin of parents! However, parents have learned to be duplicitous and over the years are teaching their children to be the same way. “Fool everybody by covering up what is on the inside with a good show on the outside!”
BUT, WHY??? Why are all of these things occurring? What is the problem? It all boils down to the fact that many believers are not actively, deliberately struggling to control what is in their mind! They believe with their hearts but their mind is far from the things of God.
They have failed to follow the commands of Scripture, and the truth is we can all be guilty of this throughout our Christian walk. We fail to remember that the way to pull down the strongholds which are like castles keeping us captive, and the way to demolish everything that seeks to be higher than the knowledge we have of God can ONLY accomplished by learning to bring EVERY THOUGHT into captivity to the obedience of Christ.
Let me now address how I believe we can help one another in Christian love to be more fully prepared to face the onslaught of the evil one and his minions. Let us consider by way of example how we practically can be enabled to train and discipline our minds to overcome the sins which so easily beset us on the road to the Celestial City.
First, remember that the easiest route the evil one has to assault our mind is to simply get us to disengage our thought processes. A classic example is the way that Hollywood producers write scripts. Most of it is mindless drivel. It requires no or very little thought. As an example, sitcoms are filled with canned laughter and in many cases have not really changed much from what they were like in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. The main difference is that they have grown progressively raunchier and now include characters who openly endorse and practice sin which is an abomination to the God we claim to love and serve.
Second, with the above in mind, I would prayerfully challenge you to consider a moratorium for just 1 month (ok, if that is too much time for you to consider being away from the world – try just one week). Hold this moratorium on movies, books, magazines, and any other kind of entertainment that exalts itself above and against the knowledge of God.
Third, spend the time which you would normally allocate to your favourite show to doing something more productive. Spend time with the family actively engaging the minds of each member. Read good books which promote biblical principles. Watch only movies or films that are designed to get your attention focused on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Fourth, find a godly individual who would be willing to hold you accountable for your decision. Do not go to somebody who will just gloss over your sin and your bad decisions. The person must be one who is willing to be a true friend, one who sticks by even when the way is tough and does not prefer the hands-off approach.
Fifth, prayerfully ask the Lord to give you the grace to admit to your family and to others whom you have led astray by your bad decisions in the past. Pray for a humble and contrite heart to the Lord. Seek forgiveness from Him and others for the Lord gives grace to the humble, but brings destruction to the proud.
Sixth, begin to discuss with others that which is important in the light of eternity. Nothing wrong with talking about fishing, the weather, or your favourite sports team! However, if those are the only things you ever discuss and it is more important to you than conversing about Christ and the Word of God – then that item is actually more of a god and is another example of that which has exalted itself against the knowledge of God.
Ok, you may say, “Desert Pastor, what will this do for me?”
This is the wrong question to begin with. The correct question should be, “Lord, what will these changes in my life do for You?” If our hearts are being changed by our daily lives and actions, I believe that we will begin seeing revival in our hearts. Through all of these, our desires will begin to change and we will see that these changes are bringing honour and glory to the Lamb Who sits upon the Throne.
If we are going to begin worshipping the God of the Bible, we must ask the Lord to change the way we view the Holy One of Israel. We must ask for insight into the biblical principles which should be guiding our lives instead of what comes from the world which is ultimately from the evil one and his minions as they desire to keep our minds away from Christ!
Which God do you worship? If it is going to be the God of the Bible, then even our very thoughts are going to have be brought under the control of the Scriptures! Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
Before we go on to the next part of this series, there is one more aspect that must be remembered. God ALREADY KNOWS what is in your mind and on what you allow your thoughts to dwell. Admitting it to God is only being honest and is being in agreement with God how He views your sin and mine. If you are not willing to do this, the only person you are fooling is yourself!
Serving the One Who knows even my thoughts,
The Desert Pastor
1 Comment
July 23, 2008 at 10:36 am
[...] What God Do You Worship: Part 9-Controlling our minds – Desert Pastor [...]