Where Is My Mind?

I really like the secular song, “Where Is My Mind?” from the soundtrack of the movie, “Sucker Punch”. It has a soft sensical melody with lyrics that are unusually intriguing. But the question the artist asks himself throughout the song is “where is my mind?” This is a question that I think believers should pause to consider often. We need to consider what we have our minds set on; is it set on what our sinful nature desires, or is it on what the Spirit desires? The Bible is clear that we are all subject to falling to our sinful nature, but that doesn’t mean that we have our minds set on living according to it. We all can choose to have our minds set on what the Spirit desires; we can choose to allow our minds to be controlled by the Spirit. Paul writes these words in Romans, chapter 8, verses 5 through 9 which says: 

“Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of the sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.” 

How are you living? Where is your mind? Paul says that “those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.” What controls you? I would encourage you to live in accordance with the Spirit; to have your mind set on what the Spirit desires. It is ultimately our choice. Yes, our sinful nature can be enticing, it can draw us away, and it can even cause us to stumble, but that doesn’t mean we are controlled by it. We can choose to set our minds on what the Spirit desires. We can choose to live in accordance with the Spirit. And we can ultimately allow our minds to be controlled by the Spirit. When we do, we will find life and peace. We will be in step with God - not hostile toward him. Our minds are affected and influenced by what we allow into them. So I would challenge you, as I challenge myself, to continue to feed our minds that which helps us in our walk and that which brings us in closer relationship with the Father. It is ultimately a choice, and it begins with determining where we will set our minds.

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Where is your mind today? How are you living? Might I encourage you to live in accordance with the Spirit and to have your mind set on what the Spirit desires? If we are able to do this it would mean that we are submitting to God’s law; that we would agree and obey his word. And to obey his word, implies that we need to know his word. Our minds control so much of who we are. What we fill it with can encourage us toward a deeper relationship with Christ, or it can draw us away from him. It is my prayer for you and me that every morning we consciously, and purposefully, set our minds on what the Spirit desires. Every believer has the Spirit of God leaving inside of us. So we shouldn’t have to look far to find him. Let him guide you, let him speak to your heart, and let him teach you what he desires.

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Lamb of God

When I was a child, I remember being in a store with a friend who shoplifted something. My job was to serve as the lookout while he did the deed. I confess, I didn’t really want to do it, but I was guilty all the same. We didn’t leave the store before being found out by security. When asked who was involved, my friend took all the blame. He was taken away and I was free to go. I don’t think I’ll ever forget what he did for me. I deserved to be punished, but was given grace. When Jesus walked the earth his primary role was to be the Lamb of God; to be the agent of grace for all mankind. He was to serve as the atonement for all because all have sinned. John the Baptist knew this and wasn’t shy about proclaiming it to all those around him. In John, chapter 1, verse 29 it says: 

“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’” 

Though I was guilty in the store incident, my friend was too. Even though he didn’t deserve all the blame, he wasn’t exactly innocent. Jesus was innocent and he took the blame for me, for you and for anyone who is open to receiving the gift of salvation. Jesus was known by many names; the Son of God, the son of man, the prince of peace, the messiah, Emmanuel, and the list goes on. But the most precious title that he carried was the “Lamb of God”, because it was his sacrifice on the cross that freed us all. He took the blame for that of which he was completely innocent. He was killed so that we would go free - a sacrifice that I hope you and I will never forget and will never take for granted.

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John proclaimed that Jesus was the “Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world”. Today, I challenge you to consider those words; consider who Jesus is and what he did for us. About once every two months our church remembers Jesus’ death and resurrection through communion. If you are a regular church goer, I’m sure you’ve partaken of this sacrament as well. It helps us to remember and honor the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world - your sin, my sin, and the sin of the entire world for generations past and generations yet to come. I encourage you today, to thank Jesus for his sacrifice. He paid the price so that we don’t have to. He died, so that we would be set free.

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Higher Ways

It always amazes me how we, as a human race, think we are so wise. Proverbs warns us not to be wise in our own eyes, but often times we are quick to ignore that warning. As a society, we think we know best, purposefully ignoring the will of God or denying his existence. Even those of us who call ourselves Christ-followers fall into the trap of thinking we are wise in our own eyes. We my find ourselves questioning God, ignoring his leading or neglecting his counsel before we make a decision or go in a certain direction. And when things don’t go the way we think they should, we my even blame God as if he should be following us. When we forget that God is the potter and we are the clay, not only do we forget our place, but we forget that his ways are higher than our ways and his thoughts are higher than our thoughts. That is why we need to remind ourselves of Isaiah, chapter 55, verses 8 and 9 where God says this through Isaiah: 

“‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.’” 

As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are his ways higher than our ways. It is our pride that elevates us to think we know better than God. But it is our humility that helps us remember the truth of this verse. We are nothing compared to God. If he is wise enough to have created you, me, and the entire universe with all of its laws and complexity, we should remember that he is wise enough to guide our future, wise enough to answer our prayers in his way and in his timing, and he is sovereign enough to allow certain levels of hardship and pain for our benefit or for his will. God is God. He is almighty, all-knowing and his ways are higher than our ways. I would encourage you, as I encourage myself, to never forget that.

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If you are a chess player, you might be able to appreciate someone who is a master at the game. Somehow they are able to anticipate what their opponent is going to do almost as if they can read their mind. They are able to see several moves ahead as if they are in complete control of the game. And they are able to know what moves to make to put them in a position to win. But as great as they may be at the game of chess, they still have their limitations. God has no limits. When it comes to the game of life he is not merely a master at the game, he created the game. He created the board, the pieces and all of the rules. He has the power to manipulate the pieces, is wise enough to see infinite moves ahead, and even has the authority to change the rules. We will never comprehend his ways, and we will never fully understand his thoughts. That is why he says about himself in Isaiah, “for my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” So I would challenge you to never rely solely on our own wisdom. But in everything humbly seek the Lord and his wisdom.

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Hearts Far

How is your Christian walk today? Are you close with the Lord or are you far away? Is your heart toward him and your worship of him true, or are you just going through the motions? If you find that you are faking your faith by saying and doing the right things, but your heart is far from God, I’d like to admonish you with these words from the Lord in Isaiah, chapter 29, verse 13 which says: 

“The Lord says: ‘These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.” 

If your Christian walk is only for show; if you come near to God with your mouth and honor him with your lips, but your heart is far from him, I want to encourage you to stop pretending. God knows your heart. He knows your spiritual state. You are not fooling him, and fooling others is ultimately fruitless. That is why the Bible explains that God likes a broken and contrite heart, one that is real before him. When we come to him and confess our sins, it is never a fun thing. But if we do it with a repentant heart, we are real before him. Only then can we be made clean. It is when we stop faking it, when we stop going through the motions, and we stop pretending to be in right relationship with God that he can truly restore us. If you are putting on a false front before God, it is time to be real with him. Because being honest before God is the only way we can truly be honest with ourselves.

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If you are pretending to be in right relationship with God before men, it is of no benefit to you. In fact, being fake before God will only hurt because God is interested in the true state of your heart. In Isaiah, God said that the Israelite people come near to him with their mouth and honor him with their lips, but their hearts are far from him. Is your heart far from him? If you find that you are going through the motions in an effort to seem righteous in front of your believing family and friends, I would encourage you to be honest before Him. God knows the truth anyway, and to him faking it is just as bad as lying.

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Sold Out

If you are a believer, have you counted the cost of follow Christ? Most of us in the United States feel little persecution for aligning ourselves with Christ, but we might want to consider how much persecution it would take before we would bend or even break. What level of persecution would cause us to put our well-being before our faith in Christ? Like Paul, we might want to consider where that line is before we are put to the test. When the prophet Agabus warned Paul against going to Jerusalem because of a prophesy he had concerning Paul being bound and handed over to the Gentiles, Paul responded this way in Acts, chapter 21, verse 13 which says: 

“Then Paul answered, ‘Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.’” 

Early on, Paul had counted the cost of following Christ. He had already decided in his mind and his heart that he’d be willing to die for the cause of Christ if it should come to that. How far are you willing to go for your faith? Are you willing to be teased and ridiculed? Are you willing to be avoided and ostracized? Are you willing to be condemned by your parents? Or like Paul, would you be willing to be bound and handed over to your enemies, or even killed for your faith in Christ? We may never truly know until we are put to the test, but I would challenge you to consider how far you are willing to go and whether you’ve truly counted the cost. Because it would be better to know now so that you will be prepared with your response should you ever find yourself needing an answer to that question.

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Have you ever heard the term, being “sold out” for Christ? It is a Christian phrase indicating that someone is all in for Christ; someone who has counted the cost, and has decided that there is no turning back. Are you sold out or is there a level of persecution that would cause your resolve to waver? Paul was sold out. He said that he was ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. God may not call us to this level of sacrifice, but it would be important for us to know that we would give up anything and everything for the cause of Christ should he require it of us.

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