My Heart’s Library
““Don’t be molded by
this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Romans 12:2
In Robert Munger’s
book, My Heart, Christ’s Home, he
shares how when Christ comes into our lives, He not only wants access, but full
reign to every part of our being. In
many cases, we desire to maintain our own authority, but true life comes when
we are fully surrendered to Him. We have
talked about Christ’s entry into our Dining Room (appetites) and our Living
Room (relationship, but He also wants to renew our Heart’s Library which is our
thought life.
The power of the mind
can never be underestimated. We are
in a “Battle” and your mind is the “Battlefield” and “Central War Room” where
God desires to lead you in the life that determines the outcome. If we allow God to control our thought life,
it will effect everything of who we are and what we do. It determines everything of our lives. It determines our spiritual lives, relational
lives, emotional lives, and yes, even determines our physical lives. The more God takes over your mind, the more
we become what He has created us to be and the more fulfilled our lives will
be. At the same time, the enemy understands the same things. John 10:10 says, “The enemy has come to kill, steal and
destroy.”
He is going to sabotage and flood your thought life with as many destructive ideas as he can so that it malfunctions from how it was made to work.
He is going to sabotage and flood your thought life with as many destructive ideas as he can so that it malfunctions from how it was made to work.
Psychologist Arch
Hart once wrote it like this: "Research
has shown that one’s thought life influences every aspect of one’s being. Kind
people are simply the type of people who habitually tend to think kind
thoughts. Angry people are simply the kind of people who habitually tend to
think thoughts that breed resentment and hostility." Over the last 4 or 5 decades or so, so many studies have
demonstrated this truth that the most dominant movement in American psychology
has come to be known as Cognitive Psychology. It is built around the truth that
the way that you think is the single most important shaper of who you are as a
person. Everything about you that matters flows out of what happens in your
mind — the way that you think. This cutting edge psychology seems so advanced
until you realize Paul told us this 2,000 years ago. And I believe this is one of those cases
where our Social Sciences are just coming to realize what was very clear to the
writers of Scripture thousands of years ago. Romans 12:2 says, “Don’t be molded by this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind."
Most of us recognize
that certain equipment runs better with a filter. If you’ve experienced air conditioning, you
know that there is an air filter that purifies the dirty debris and releases
pure air. The same is true on your car. Filters serve as mechanisms to keep out the
things we don’t want in it, and keeps in the things we don’t want left
out. We need them to make sure the
functioning works better. The same is
true with our minds as we need the Holy Spirit to filter our thoughts.
Before we came to
know Christ, we had no filter. Once
we come to know Christ, He gives us the ability to filter the world around
us. Then live the life He’s called us to
live. We are given His mind and He begins to transform us. Now, one of the great illusions or delusions
about spiritual growth is that I can form a Christ-like character, but let my
mind feed on whatever junk comes along. No you can’t. You can’t pour water on
your computer. You can’t throw sand on
your car engine. Likewise, you can’t
put just anything into your mind. As
many have said, “Garbage in, garbage out.”
It damages our spiritual lives when we retain thousands of negative
images or things that take you away from God.
That is why it is important that we heed this area. The human mind is shaped by what it’s
consistently exposed to. And you and I are no exception to this rule. I want to
illustrate this.
If you fill your mind
with 35-40 minutes of preaching and 20 hours of Ipod, movies and television,
which way will you go? If you spend
time around Christians 2 hours a week, and unbelievers 12 hours a week, you
will be shaped. If you read the Bible 10
minutes and Oprah magazine 60
minutes, Oprah will effect your thoughts, which I call the “Oprafication of our Nation.”
I love Oprah, but love Christ far more.
All day long, you and
I—this is us—are bombarded by messages. We’re bombarded by messages from the
media—television shows, movies, magazines, books, radios, and songs. And
all of these things have messages that shape us, whether or not we think about
it. We’re bombarded by messages from other people—people that you work
with—your boss, your neighbor, somebody you go to school with, people in your
family, your spouse. They’re sending you messages all the time.
Paul says in Philippians 2:5
Terry Risser
Reflections:
1) Which is most consuming to
you? Television? Internet?
Movies?
2) Why is the mind so important
to winning spiritual battles?
Consider reading the Word today:
Copyright 2014- Terry Risser
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