Mind your own mind

'For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. ' Romans 8:3-4 NKJV

This is a well-known scripture that declares the finished work of Christ on the cross. However, we often miss out on a small detail that makes all the difference, “fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”The scripture tells us that this applies only to those who are led by the spirit. This was the norm for first-century Christians, but maybe not so much today. But, It's always a challenge to be led by the spirit of God. In this blog, we are going to address one key aspect of being led by the spirit: understanding a roadblock that can be moved away in pursuit of Jesus through the spirit.

The key that I am referring to is the mind. This is quite obvious because verse 5 of Romans 8 says:

'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. ' Romans 8:5 NKJV

The mind and the brain are often mistaken to be the same. But, there’s a clear distinction between the two. The brain is a part of the body. It is an organ. The mind, however, is one of the three elements of the soul. We use the mind to make a lot of decisions every day. An easy way to understand the difference is to think of education. Why do we go to school? To learn about things. The brain knows how to function and does not need any learning whatsoever. But we learn with our minds in the loop to remember and make decisions based on our learnings.

The mind is so powerful and what we do with our minds matters. Proverbs 23:7 takes this to a profound level.

'For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, But his heart is not with you.' Proverbs 23:7 NKJV

the Bible often uses the word heart to refer to the soul and its elements: mind, will, and emotion. Here it talks bout the mind because of the use of ‘thinks’. The power of the mind is its ability to shape our life. The way we think determines the direction and state of our life. Paul adds to this by saying, “For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.”(Romans 8:6 ESV)

In another place he also says, ”And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:2 NKJV)

Jesus makes this even more clear by saying, “What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man.” (Mark 7:20-23 NKJV)

So we see that a mindset of fleshly desires and worldly pursuits leads to death and requires our minds to be renewed. When we accept Jesus as our Lord, we need to give action to the words we say by making Jesus the Lord of our minds and turning away from thoughts and ideas that satisfy the criteria that Jesus and the word of God clearly outline.

Humans are naturally inclined to sin because it leads to death. We are all going towards death if we don’t have Jesus in our lives. When we give space for such thoughts and natural fleshly desires we will inevitably disobey God, even though the thought and desire itself might not be sinful.

This is why Paul writes, “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”(Romans 8:7-8 NKJV). The carnal mind will cause you to disobey God and you cannot set your mind on God and the world at the same time.

So, what should you think about? The Bible is very clear and simple about this matter. In Philippians 4 we read,

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. Philippians 4:8 NKJV

Meditating on the word of God is yet another powerful way to set our mind on the things of God, “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.“ (Hebrews 4:12 NKJV)

The word of God helps us discern our thoughts and intentions in light of the truth. We cannot know something is a lie without knowing the truth. That is so true when it comes to the thoughts and the mind.

To finish things off I want to give some practical tips to apply all that has been said:

• Don't spend too much time on digital media

• Don’t spend too much time idle and not doing anything

• Work hard and be responsible

• Spend time in prayer and meditating on the word of God

• Try avoiding conversations and friends that provoke unnecessary and evil mindset