Many voices battle to control our mind. Because our thoughts control our life, God tells us to guard our mind (Proverbs 4:23; 23:7). And He tells us, “Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind…” (Romans 12:2).
We can either be conformed to this world by allowing our mind to follow what society tells us is truth, or we can allow our mind to follow what God’s Word tells us is truth. And God tells us that His Word is truth (John 17:17).
Therefore, if we want to know the truth, we need to spend time throughout the day in God’s Word. A place to start is in the book of Psalms written by King David. He talks with God and invites Him to test his mind and heart (Psalm 26:2) (Psalm 139:23). In order to discover the things that David thought about and prayed about, read one Psalm a day. Also by reading the Psalms, you will understand why God called David a man after His own heart (Acts 13:22).
As the chart on page 39 of my book shows, our thoughts start the progression that leads to our performance. So it is important that we start with the right thoughts. If we don’t purposefully choose to set our mind on the thoughts God wants, then someone else or something else will set our mind for us.
Remember the old saying: garbage in, garbage out. What thoughts do you allow to enter your mind? Do you suffer from “stinkin-thinkin”? Do problems, issues, and negative circumstances dominate your thoughts? Or do God’s Word and The Holy Trinity—God, Jesus, and The Holy Spirit—dominate your thoughts?
The good news is that we can choose what we think. Also, our mind can only think about one thing at a time. Consequently, when we set our mind on one thing, we can’t think about something else at the same time. So the question becomes what is the one thing that you think about most often? Do you think about God’s Word and The Holy Trinity, or do you think about something else?
And don’t simply try to get rid of your “stinkin-thinkin”. Instead, choose to give Christ control of your mind and allow Him to change your mind-set from focusing on your “stinkin-thinkin” to focusing on God’s Word and Christ in you. Now that you have given control to Him, He will provide the power to re-set your mind to focus on things that He wants you to think about.
Here are some ways to renew our mind:
Set our mind on things that are above, namely eternal things.
God’s Word tells us, “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on the earth” (Colossians 3:2). Do you set your mind on eternal things—God’s Word and The Holy Trinity? Are they a constant part of your daily thought life? If not, ask God to make them a constant part.
Saturate our mind with God’s Word.
We can continue being conformed to this world by focusing on toxic thoughts, or we can re-direct our thoughts and be transformed by choosing to focus on God’s Word.
Set our mind on God.
If we focus our mind on God, He will give us perfect peace (Isaiah 26:3).
Set our mind on Christ
Hebrews 3:1 tells us to consider (set our mind on) Christ. Why set our mind on Christ? The answer is to get to know him better. And why should we want to get to know Him better? God’s Word provides the reason. It tells us “…in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”(Colossians 2:3). So if you want to learn all the treasures of wisdom and Knowledge, spend time with Jesus.
Set our mind on The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit provides us with power to think what God wants us to think. Talk about power! God’s Word tells that the same Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead lives in us, (Romans 8:11) and “… is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think,” (Ephesians 3:20).
God gives us a choice on what to set our mind on. We can either set our mind on the things of the flesh or on the things of the Spirit. His Word 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 set their minds on the things of the Spirit” (Romans 8:5). “To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.” (Romans 8:6).
When we set our mind on the things of the Spirit, The Holy Spirit controls our life and produces the kind of fruit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—that allows us to live life to the fullest. (Galatians 5:22,23).
Take our thoughts captive.
God’s Word tells us to “…take every thought captive to obey Christ,” (2 Corinthians 10:5 emphasis supplied). Therefore, whenever a thought enters our mind that does not obey Christ, we need to ask Him to capture it, lock it up, and throw away the key. Then we need to ask the Holy Spirit for the power to change our thought so it becomes aligned with Christ’s thought to obey Him.
And remember that God’s Word says, “…we have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16). Therefore, when you wake up in the morning, ask The Holy Spirit to give you the mind of Christ. Then you will be able to think His thoughts and win the battle for control of your mind.