Training Our Thoughts

Compartmentalizing a person into the various parts that make up a human in order to understand each segment separately can be a useful practice.  God exhorts us to love Him with all of our mind, body, and soul, with all strength (Matt. 22:37).  This compels us to love the Lord with each part.  As per this dialogue, the mind is the focus.  The Bible actually has much to say in regards to the mind.

Of all the places of privacy, none is more enclosed and protected than our minds.  For many, the mind is like a locked bank vault with bookshelves full of intellect and memories, beakers and vials of emotional tonics, and an arm wrestling table in the middle of the room where the id and ego settle their differences.  Although this caricature is ridiculous, the reality is that we think of our minds as both the most secure place while simultaneously the most susceptible to weakness.

It is pertinent to remember that God, being omniscient, knows our very thoughts.  In fact, Paul urges us to "Be transformed by the renewal of our minds (Rom. 12:2)."  This is instep with Jesus' teaching during the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7), as He amplifies the commandments of the OT to include thoughts themselves.  In this way, God reminds believers that we are held accountable for the content of our minds.

This is more than challenging.  No one has enough mental fortitude or strength of will to keep their minds clear sin and/or ill thought.  The Psalmist confirms this reality, "The Lord knows the thoughts of man; He knows they are futile (Ps. 94:11)."  This is the point: apart from the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, no one is able in the slightest to keep their mind pure and holy.

Recognizing that the Holy Spirit overpowers our minds when we remove the hindrance of personal control, we will be able to live transformed lives the way God desires of us (Rom. 8:6).  Although there are a number of methods to keep ourselves aligned to the will of the Lord, Paul presents one in particular that is exceptional for its simplicity: "take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ  (2 Cor. 10:5)."  This requires an active focus to ensure that any thought that passes or lingers in our minds is weighed in the light of Christ.

In reality, our minds are locked vaults full of sinfully crude and vile thoughts.  Fortunately, the Lord not only has the key, which is faith in His Son, but He also has the moving company, the Holy Spirit and His Word, to clean out the junk of our minds and replace it with His holiness and divine will.  The renewal of our minds by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is a huge part of the sanctification process and we have an active role to play.  Let us then work hard to rely on the Holy Spirit to renew our minds to make us more like Him!