MIND YOUR MIND

For those that are after

of the flesh, but those who are

according to the Spirit, the things

of the Spirit.

For the mind set on the flesh is death,

but the mind set on the Spirit is

life and peace.

Romans 8:5,6 (NASB)

Just out of curiosity, I looked up some information regarding the number of active wars that are going on in our world right now. That number is 40. That doesn't count the countries that are sniping at each other, teasing each other with pushing and shoving politically. In our day, it would seem there are wars and rumors of war as Scripture informs us.

Those wars we hear of are usually of some concern depending on where they are located and how much they affect our own country. A war is basically a battle between two entities be it countries, families or even individuals. Somewhere along the line, wars begin in the minds of one or more persons. We underestimate what the thinking of anyone can amount to, including our own. For this reason, Paul is very clear in his writing concerning the mind.

There are times when groups make up their minds to do good or do evil. More often, individuals make up their own minds about their own circumstances. Mrs. Lee was my fourth grade teacher. It was my first year in school where I struggled with a subject and that was math. Multiplication just didn't make any sense to me and to boot, it required a lot of memorization. I wasn't sure those tables were important enough to give all that thinking time to. On top of that, I had the pressure from home always being told that my dad had been really good at math. Mrs. Lee (I'm sure in her frustration) sat me down one day hoping to encourage me to get with the program. She said to me something I didn't understand at the time but, of course, I do now. She said, “Glendarae, this will not be hard for you because you make good grades in your other subjects. What you have to do is just make up your mind to memorize the multiplication tables. It won't happen any other way.” I've never forgotten that conversation because in my growing and adult years, I often thought back to that conversation with Mrs. Lee. I didn't know that those tables weren't just for tests in her classroom, but would be not just a subject but would be necessary many times in just everyday living.

Paul speaks of our making up our minds...having a spiritual mindset. Being a spiritual person doesn't just happen. There have been times in my spiritual walk when I couldn't figure out why God couldn't make this life a little easier, that He would give me a few breaks. We've all gone through lazy times spiritually speaking, hoping God would do more on our behalf. Fortunately I snapped out of those times when I concentrated what God had already done far more than I ever deserved...giving His Son to die on a cross for me was and always is the biggie.

In our busy days, it's often hard to maintain healthy spiritual practice. By that, I mean being faithful in our Bible reading, prayer, attendance at a good Bible preaching church, serving others as God leads. When listed, it seems to be a lot. When I looked at my multiplication tables, I thought it would take me through high school to learn them. Satan will always make anything to do with our relationship with God. If he can't stop our becoming born again believers, he'll work hard at making us miserable and ineffective afterward. I'm afraid there are too many times we yield to his nudging.

We have to determine and discipline ourselves as to what we will allow ourselves to think about, things that come to rest in our minds. We can be almost haunted by unhealthy thoughts we allow to take charge of our thinking. That's a pretty unhealthy place to be. I know about this because right now, I have something heavy on my heart and thus mind, that can keep me awake at night and aggravating during the day. I'm spending a lot of time in Scripture because of it. Scripture is a good “mind washer.

We have to remember that our thoughts are not secret to God. He sees...He hears. He's really the only one Who can help us get control of our thinking. He's given many things in His Word for us to think about.

Dear Father, You know when I'm troubled, especially over things I have no control of. Calm my mind and Spirit. Help me through Your Word to think Your thoughts. Help me to keep my focus on Jesus. In His precious name....Amen