Battlefield of the Mind (6 page)

MEDITATE ON THE WORKS OF GOD

We have thought of Your steadfast love, O God, in the midst of
Your temple. Psalm 48:9

The psalmist David talked frequently about meditating on all the wonderful works of the Lord—the mighty acts of God. He said that he thought on the name of the Lord, the mercy of God and many other such things.

When he was feeling depressed, he wrote in Psalm 143:4,5:
Therefore
is my spirit overwhelmed and faints within me [wrapped in gloom]; my
heart within my bosom grows numb. I remember the days of old; I
meditate on all Your doings; I ponder the work of Your hands.

We see from this passage that David's response to his feelings of depression and gloom was not to meditate on the problem. Instead, he literally came against the problem by
choosing
to remember the good times of past days—pondering the doings of God and the works of His hands. In other words, he thought on something good, and it helped him overcome depression.

Never forget this:
your mind plays an important role in your victory.

I know that it is the power of the Holy Spirit working through the Word of God that brings victory into our lives. But a large part of the work that needs to be done is for us to line up our thinking with God and His Word. If we refuse to do this or choose to think it is unimportant, we will never experience victory.

BE TRANSFORMED BY RENEWING YOUR MIND

Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and
adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed
(changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and
its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the
good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is
good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you]. Romans 12:2

In this passage the Apostle Paul is saying that if we want to see God's good and perfect will proven out in our lives, we can—
if
we have our minds renewed. Renewed to what? Renewed to God's way of thinking.

By this process of new thinking we will be changed or transformed into what God intends for us to be. Jesus has made this transformation possible by His death and resurrection. It becomes a reality in our lives by this process of the renewal of the mind.

Let me say at this point, to avoid any confusion, that right thinking has
nothing
to do with salvation. Salvation is based solely on the blood of Jesus, His death on the cross and His resurrection. Many people will be in heaven because they truly accepted Jesus as their Savior, but many of these same people will never have walked in victory or enjoyed the good plan God had for their lives because they did not get their mind renewed according to His Word.

For years, I was one of those people. I was born again. I was going to heaven. I went to church and followed a form of religion, but I really had no victory in my life. The reason is because I was thinking on the wrong things.

THINK ON THESE THINGS

For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of
reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is
pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome
 
and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything
worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them]. Philippians 4:8

The Bible presents a lot of detailed instruction on what kinds of things we are to think about. I am sure that you can see from these various Scriptures that we are instructed to think on good things, things that will build us up and not tear us down.

Our thoughts certainly affect our attitudes and moods. Everything the Lord tells us is for our own good. He knows what will make us happy and what will make us miserable. When a person is full of wrong thoughts he is miserable, and I have learned from personal experience that when someone is miserable, he usually ends up making others miserable also.

You should take inventory on a regular basis and ask yourself, "What have I been thinking about?" Spend some time examining your thought life.

Thinking about what you're thinking about is very valuable because Satan usually deceives people into thinking that the source of their misery or trouble is something other than what it really is. He wants them to think they are unhappy due to what is going on around them (their circumstances), but the misery is actually due to what is going on
inside
them (their thoughts).

For many years I really believed that I was unhappy because of things others were doing or not doing. I blamed my misery on my husband and my children. If they would be different, if they would be more attentive to my needs, if they would help around the house more, then, I thought, I would be happy. It was one thing and then another for years. I finally faced the truth, which was that none of these things had to make me unhappy if I chose to have the right attitude. My thoughts were what was making me miserable.

Let me say it one final time:
Think about what you are thinking about.

You may locate some of your problems and be on your way to freedom very quickly.

Part 2: Conditions of the Mind

Introduction

...But we have the mind of Christ (the Messiah) and do hold the thoughts (feelings and purposes) of His heart.

1 CORINTHIANS 2:16

In what condition is your mind?

Have you noticed that the condition of your mind changes? One time you may be calm and peaceful, and another time anxious and worried. Or you may make a decision and be sure about it, then later find your mind in a confused condition concerning the very thing you were previously so clear and certain about.

There have been times in my own life when I have experienced these things, as well as others. There have been times when I seemed to be able to believe God without any trouble, and then there have other times when doubt and unbelief haunted me mercilessly.

Because it seems that the mind can be in so many different conditions, I began to wonder, when is my mind normal? I wanted to know what normal was so I could learn to deal with the abnormal thinking patterns immediately upon their arrival.

For example, a critical, judgmental and suspicious mind should be considered abnormal for a believer. However, for a major portion of my life, it was normal for me—although it should not have been. It was what I was used to, and even though my thinking was very wrong and was causing a lot of problems in my life, I did not know that there was anything wrong with what I was thinking.

I did not know that I could do anything about my thought life. I was a believer, and had been for years, but I had no teaching at all about my thought life or about the proper condition for a believer's mind to be in.

Our minds are not born again with the New Birth experience—they have to be renewed. (Romans 12:2.) As I have said several times, the renewal of the mind is a process that requires time. Do not be devastated, even if you read the next part of this book and discover that most of the time your mind is in a condition that is abnormal for someone claiming Christ as Savior. Recognizing the problem is the first step toward recovery.

In my own case, I began to get a lot more serious about my relationship with the Lord several years ago, and it was at that time that He began revealing to me that many of my problems were rooted in wrong thinking. My mind was in a mess! I doubt that it was ever in the condition it should have been—and if it was, it did not last long.

I felt overwhelmed when I began to see how much wrong thinking I was addicted to. I would try to cast down the wrong thoughts that came into my mind, and they would come right back. But, little by little, freedom and deliverance did come.

Satan will aggressively fight against the renewal of your mind, but it is vital that you press on and continue to pray and study in this area until you gain measurable victory.

When is your mind normal? Is it supposed to wander all over the place, or should you be able to keep it focused on what you're doing?

Should you be upset and confused, or should you be peaceful and reasonably sure of the direction you should be taking in life? Should your mind be full of doubt and unbelief, should you be anxious and worried, tormented by fear? Or is it the privilege of the child of God to cast all his care upon Him? (1 Peter 5:7.)

The Word of God teaches us that we have the mind of Christ. What do you think His mind was like when He lived on the earth—not only as the Son of God but also as the Son of Man?

Prayerfully proceed into the next part of
Battlefield of the Mind.
I believe it will open your eyes to normal and abnormal mindsets for the person who is a disciple of Jesus and who has determined to walk in victory.

Chapter 8

When Is My Mind Normal?

[For I always pray to] the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, that He may grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation [of insight into mysteries and secrets] in the [deep and intimate] knowledge of Him,

By having the eyes of your heart flooded with light, so that you can know and understand the hope to which He has called you, and how rich is His glorious inheritance in the saints (His set-apart ones). 
EPHESIANS 1:17,18

Notice that Paul prays that you and I will gain wisdom by having "the eyes of (our) heart" enlightened. Based on several things I have studied, I describe "the eyes of the heart" as the mind.

As a Christian, in what condition should our mind be? In other words, what should be the normal state of the mind of the believer? In order to answer that question, we must look at the different functions of the mind and the spirit.

According to the Word of God, the mind and the spirit work together: this is what I call the principle of "the mind aiding the spirit."

To better understand this principle, let's see how it works in the life of the believer.

THE MIND-SPIRIT PRINCIPLE

For what person perceives (knows and understands) what passes
through a man's thoughts except the man's own spirit within him? Just
so no one discerns (comes to know and comprehend) the thoughts of
God except the Spirit of God. 1 Corinthians 2:11

When a person receives Christ as His personal Savior, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in him. The Bible teaches us that the Holy Spirit knows the mind of God. Just as a person's own spirit within him is the only one who knows his thoughts, so the Spirit of God is the only One Who knows the mind of God.

Since the Holy Spirit dwells in us, and since He knows the mind of God, one of His purposes is to reveal to us God's wisdom and revelation.

That wisdom and revelation is imparted to our spirit, and our spirit then enlightens the eyes of our heart, which is our mind. The Holy Spirit does this so we can understand on a practical level what is being ministered to us spiritually.

NORMAL OR ABNORMAL?

As believers, we are spiritual, and we are also natural. The natural does not always understand the spiritual; therefore, it is vitally necessary for our minds to be enlightened concerning what is going on in our spirits. The Holy Spirit desires to bring us this enlightenment, but
the
mind often misses what the spirit is attempting to reveal because it is too busy.
A mind that is too busy is abnormal. The mind is normal when it is at rest—not blank, but at rest.

The mind should not be filled with reasoning, worry, anxiety, fear and the like. It should be calm, quiet and serene. As we proceed into this second section of the book you will observe several abnormal conditions of the mind and possibly recognize them as frequent conditions of your own mind.

It is important to understand that the mind needs to be kept in the

"normal" condition described in this chapter. Compare it with the usual condition of our minds and you will see why we frequently have very little revealed to us by the Holy Spirit, and why far too often we feel ourselves lacking in wisdom and revelation.

Remember, the Holy Spirit attempts to enlighten the mind of the believer. The Holy Spirit gives information from God to the person's spirit, and if his spirit and mind are aiding one another, then he can walk in divine wisdom and revelation. But if his mind is too busy, it will miss what the Lord is attempting to reveal to him through his spirit.

THE STILL SMALL VOICE

And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord.

And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the
mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord
was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord
was not in the earthquake:

And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire:
and after the fire a still small voice. 1 Kings 19:11,12 Kjv

For years I prayed for revelation, asking God to reveal things to me by His Spirit Who lived within me. I knew that request was scriptural. I believed the Word and felt sure I should be asking and receiving. Yet, much of the time I felt like what I called a "spiritual dunce." Then I learned that I was not receiving much of what the Holy Spirit wanted to reveal to me simply because my mind was so wild and busy that it was missing the information being offered.

Imagine two people in a room together. One is trying to whisper a secret to the other. If the room is filled with a loud noise, even though the message is being communicated, the one waiting for the secret information will miss it simply because the room is so noisy he can't hear.