10 Aug If We Take Care of Our Mind, Our Mind Will Take Care of Us
Blog Series:
Renew Your Mind ~ Transform Your Life
After having taken the last two weeks to look at my new book, 30 Days to Growing in Your Faith, we are now ready to resume our investigation of how we can become our own brain surgeon.
We began that topic three weeks ago by looking at the fact that the brain can change, and does change, always in the direction of what is put into it. This week, we look at what the Bible says about stewarding our mind.
As an illustration of the importance of stewarding our mind, let me tell you about Daisy. A few years back, our neighbors got an Old English Sheepdog puppy. It was the most adorable little gray and white ball of fur you have ever seen. It romped, and played, wagged furiously where it’s tail should have been, and was a full-blown #10 on the puppy “Cute Scale.”
They kept Daisy in their house over the winter, and I didn’t see Daisy for months after that. One day as I was driving home, I looked into our neighbor’s yard, and there stood this huge, hulking, gray-and-white canine mammoth lumbering through the yard.
Because the last time I had seen the puppy it was a small size, and the next time I saw it, it was a big size, it was though Daisy had instantly poofed from a little puppy into a big dog.
I was flabbergasted! My first thought was, “Where did all that bulk come from?” This dog was now probably 40 pounds heavier than when I last saw the puppy.
And right on the heels of that question came the thought, “From dog food bags.” As we know, nothing comes from nothing. That 40 pounds of bulk came from dog food bags. The puppy ate the dog food, digested it, the body assimilated it – molecularly rearranging it – turning it into dog.
It was the most dramatic example I had ever seen that “we become what we eat.”
It was also a compelling illustration to me of a parallel idea: “we become what we put into our minds.” And, we must be careful of what we put into our minds, because whatever we put into our minds becomes part of who we become as a person. In fact, in a very real way, what we put into our minds determines who we become.
The Bible speaks very clearly about how we are to steward our mind. Read the following bold words quickly to get the impact, and go back to read the passages later:
- We are to love the Lord our God with our mind (Luke 10:27).
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind.”
- We are to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (1 Corinthians 10:5).
“We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.”
- We are not to sin in our thoughts as well as our actions (Matthew 5:5:27 – 28).
“You have heard that it was said, “you shall not commit adultery”; but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
- We are to fix our minds on what is good (Philippians 4:8).
“Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.”
- We are to fix our mind on eternal things, and live in this world according to the values and truth of the next (Colossians 3:1–3).
“Therefore, if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.”
- We are to keep our thoughts pleasing to him (Revelation 2:23).
“… I am He one who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds.”
- We are to adequately guard our heart, as everything else will flow from it (Proverbs 4:23).
“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”
- We can be living proof of the fact that God’s will is good and acceptable and perfect, but only if we are transformed. And we will only be transformed as our mind is renewed (Romans 12:2).
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”
- We will prosper spiritually if we nurture our minds carefully (Psalm 1:1 – 3).
“He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers.
This is a powerful summary of what the Bible has to say about our mind. It is the key to everything. It is the battlefield of the Christian life. It is our mind that the Lord wants to be given to Him, and it is the mind that Satan tries to deceive in order to destroy.
Conclusion
In the introduction to his book, Winning the War in Your Mind, Craig Groeschel writes,
“Our lives are always moving in the direction of our strongest thoughts. Both the Bible and modern science provide evidence that this is true.
In Philippians 4:8-9, the apostle Paul writes, “Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put into practice. And the the God of peace will be with you.”
In these three sentences, Paul moves from
- thought (“think about such things”) to
- action (“put it into practice”) to
- experience (“the God of peace will be with you”)
Paul tells us that our thoughts shape our lives.
In ten years, we will each look in the mirror, and someone will stare back. That person will be shaped by the thoughts of today.”
These words are profound and true. How well we steward our minds according to the Scripture passages above will determine who stares back at us in ten years. This is a great responsibility, but also a great opportunity.
God has created our minds and given us sufficient truth, plus the Holy Spirit to lead and guide and empower us, so that we can become our own brain surgeon and strategically shape who we become by carefully stewarding our mind.
Next week, we’ll begin to unpack the details on how we can do this. I look forward to seeing you then.
In case you’re new here
This blog post is part of a series titled “Renew Your Mind, Transform Your Life”, introduced on January 5, 2021. As the series continues, each succeeding post will be added to and available in the blog archives at www.maxanders.com.
If you know anyone who you think might enjoy joining us in this study, please forward this blog to them and encourage them to go to my web site (www.maxanders.com) and sign up for the free video, “Master the Bible So Well That the Bible Masters You”, available there on the home page. This will put them on my regular mailing list and they’ll receive my weekly blogs on this subject.
In addition, I am creating a new online membership site, The Change Zone, that will provide information, strategies and resources to help motivated Christians renew their mind and transform their lives. If you would like to learn more about this and get updates to know when The Change Zone will be available, click here.
I look forward to going through this life-changing journey with you.
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