Though God has plans of peace and prosperity for us (Jer 29:11), they will manifest in our lives only to the extent to which we submit our minds to the Holy Spirit. “For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace” (Rom 8:6). “… the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be” (Rom 8:7). It is only by setting our minds on the things of God that we can reveal Jesus to the world. If we keep our eyes on Jesus and let Him occupy our attention, we will live by faith and naturally please God.
The mind is so powerful that the way you think, determines the kind of person you are. Nothing can change your personality, if it does not first change how you think. “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he…” (Prov 23:7). This is why God wants to change the way you think: “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but LET GOD TRANSFORM YOU INTO A NEW PERSON BY CHANGING THE WAY YOU THINK. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect” (Rom 12:2 NLT) (emphasis mine). Though God’s will for you is good and pleasing and perfect, your ability to receive and enjoy it depends on the kind of person you are, which, in turn, depends on how you think. The twelve spies, whom Moses had sent to spy on Canaan, were all equally entitled to the land by covenant. Yet, it was only Joshua and Caleb that entered the promised land. The rest were disqualified by their negative pattern of thinking. Their worst enemies were not the giants who inhabited the land, but their negative mental strongholds.
The human mind is the primary theatre of the warfare between light and darkness; between life and death. This is why the Bible says, “For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace” (Rom 8:6). Furthermore, it tells us that”… the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,” (2Cor 10:4-5). Satan works through human reasoning and false arguments to achieve his aim. There is a fierce contest between the Spirit and the flesh as to who dominates the mind. If the mind comes under the influence of the Spirit, the result will be life and peace, but if it is controlled by the flesh, it will produce darkness and death. The human mind can become a sounding board for either good or evil. Nothing can influence your life in any direction, until it secures a significant place in your mind. This is why God commands us to give no place to the devil (Eph 4:27). Once an idea gains prominence in your thinking, it regulates your behaviour. Both admirable and despicable patterns of behaviour stem from the mind. Your self image, whether positive or negative is a product of your mind.
Jesus demonstrated that He was aware of Satan’s insidious involvement in Peter’s response: “But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”” (Matt 16:23). Jesus was so mindful of the things of God, that Satan’s infiltration of His leading disciple’s speech did not escape His notice, even though Peter, by revelation knowledge, had identified Him correctly a few moments earlier.
Anyone who does not set his or her mind on the things of God, will be a hindrance to Jesus in his or her life. Christ in you is the hope of glory to your world. However, until Christ can express Himself freely through you to everyone else, you are not an effective ambassador of His. We hinder Jesus from touching our world with His healing power if we set our minds on the things of men, and let them overwhelm us. Since we share Christ’s resurrection from the dead, our new life should reflect His glory. However, that is possible only if we set our minds firmly on the things of God.
Your thoughts shape and govern your life. Your thoughts determine the quality of life you live on earth. Your behaviour and customs reflect your thought pattern. If a man’s mind is occupied by the things of the flesh, he will live according to them: “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, the things of the Spirit” (Rom 8:5). Until Satan has gained control of your mind, he cannot influence your life. However, once he succeeds in controlling the mind, he automatically controls the life. Your actions are products of your thoughts. Even seemingly reflex actions are products of thoughts that have dominated the mind long enough to command automatic response to certain stimuli. Therefore, in order to live differently, you must think differently. Shalom.
