87. MONITORING YOUR MIND. 1Corinthians 10:5.

Desires of the flesh and desires of the Spirit are both subject to the mind, that’s why our minds constantly need monitoring. There is nothing wrong with most of our desires, but, if not kept under control these desires can very easily lead to lusts like greed, covetousness, theft, alcoholism, sexual immorality etc. Paul tells us in the above Scripture to “Take every thought captive.” that is - before it takes captive of you. Which means you must do this when it first enters your mind. Why? because when you entertain a thought you empower it, and - make no mistake, it WILL overcome you. That’s what opens the door of your mind to Satan and let’s face it, he has had much more experience and practise at this sort of thing than any of us have. In James 4:7 we read “Submit yourselves then to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” On your own you don’t have the power to resist Satan, so don’t even try it! But the moment you call on God and submit your will to Him, you will be more than a match for Satan, such is the power of your God, nothing or nobody can stand before Him. You are the only one who has control over your mind. And you are the only one who can decide who you give that control to, The Spirit of God, or to Satan the Liar. The choice is yours alone. In (Romans 8:6) we read “The mind governed by the flesh is Death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.” When a thought keeps turning over and over in your mind, Ask yourself “In what direction is this thought leading me? Is it towards spiritual death, or towards life and peace?” Think about it, You don’t buy insurance after a storm has flattened your home, if you are wise, you get it before the storm comes; So instead of failing and saying “I will never be any different” Look back and ask yourself, “What was I thinking that led to my failure? Was I in the wrong company, or the wrong place, or in the wrong mindset? Have I been reading God’s Word and praying regularly? Have I built my life around people who strengthen me? In the long run, monitoring your mind pays great dividends! We all have a natural mindset, but for the committed Christian, that mindset should be based on Biblical ethics, principals and values. which means that everything that passes through your mind goes through what I call a spiritual filter; which is held in place through prayer and a reading of at least one chapter of your Bible each day. Stop doing that and your filter will soon be redundant and fade away! Just think, what would happen to your body if you didn’t shower or brush your teeth daily. As much as your body needs attention, your soul needs it even more, filtered or unfiltered! You are destined to live on after death, that is, to live forever. So the question is not whether we will live or not, rather – the question should be where and who with, in Heaven with your Lord and Saviour, or in hell with Satan and his demons. Now, That’s worth a thought or two. In (1Corinthians 2:-14-16.) we read “The person without The Spirit does not accept the things that come from The Spirit of God… and cannot understand them because they are (Spiritually) discerned ...but we have the mind of Christ.” For you to have the mind of Christ, you have to invite The Spirit of God into your life? If you haven’t done so yet, I suggest you read (John 3:3-21). In this Scripture Jesus emphatically tells us that unless we are born again of water AND the Holy Spirit we cannot see or enter the Kingdom of God. You will be unable to fully accept or understand the Scripture I have just quoted. So, if you want the mind of Christ I urge you to speak to your Pastor or a Spirit-filled member of your church about the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and the power of God that He can and will bring in to your life. As you programme your life in accordance with God’s word and consciously submit yourself to do His Will everyday, He will plant His thoughts in your mind. That is what is meant by having the mind of Christ. Just ponder that thought for a moment and thank God that He is prepared to trust you with His very thoughts. What a wonderful God we serve! Here is an example of God putting thoughts in your mind. Someone criticises you and your feelings get hurt, The Lord says to you, “Yes, your feelings are hurt, but part of it is just wounded vanity, we can deal with that, I love you despite all your baggage. Your standing with me isn’t at risk. The person who criticised you may see a flaw. But nobody thinks you’re perfect anyway and it’s better not to have to pretend. Here’s a chance to grow, use it. Even though there are elements of pain in these kinds of thoughts, instead of paralysing you, they can energise you. They are true but they give you ground to stand on. And you realise that if you can keep your mind centred on them, the right feelings and actions are more likely to flow from them. Now you are starting to live out the promise. “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you. Because He trusts in you.”(Isaiah 26:3) Instead of focusing on your critics, learn to focus on God, on your spiritual growth, and on what you can learn from the experience. Thank you for reading these thoughts on “Monitoring our minds” As our eyes are the windows of our Soul, so I believe the mind is the path to our Eternal Destiny; which God Himself lights up through His Word and stretches out before us as we travel the road He has planned for each of us to take while we follow Him. May He Bless our minds today. Phaline.