It goes without saying that we are in a battle for our minds. A quick scroll through our phones or a short drive down the road evidences the fact that we live in a world that is fighting to gain the attention of our thoughts. Not only that, but so many things control or affect our thinking – our experience, our culture, where we live, how we were raised, what seems fair to us.
Proverbs 23:7 tells us that “as a man thinks, so is he,” and so we know that our thinking has a lot to do with how we perceive the world and how we live our lives. How do we as believers resolve to use clear thinking to live with an eternal focus in a temporal world? Fortunately, the Bible has much to say about this topic.
God has created us with minds that function beyond our comprehension. We have the ability to think quickly, think deeply, and process information in magnificent ways. And yet we don’t think the way that He does. Isaiah 55:8-9 says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Not only do we not think like God does, but our thinking often leads to death, ruin, and destruction. Proverbs 14:12 tells us that “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.”
The root of the problem lies in our sin nature. Because of the Fall in Genesis 3, each one of us is a natural sinner whose ways are opposed to God’s. This creates two problems.
1) Our natural way of thinking is incorrect. Because our thinking has been distorted as a result of our sin nature, our natural way of thinking and our predisposition is now going to lead us away from God.
2) Not only is our natural way of thinking incorrect, but our thinking can become conformed to the world’s thinking if we’re not careful. Our thoughts – what we think about, what we dwell on, what occupies our minds – become influenced by our culture, who we spend time with, and the activities we are engaged in, and the list goes on.
Romans 12:2 tells us, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” How do we do this in a world that is constantly battling for the attention of our thoughts? I would suggest three things we can focus on.
- Set your mind. Several times throughout scripture (e.g. Romans 8:5-6, Colossians 3:1-2) we are told to do this. Setting your mind involves determining what you are going to think about. Through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we can covenant to focus on the eternal rather than the temporal.
- Take every thought captive. In spite of the magnificent functions of our minds, we can only think of one thing at a time. When a thought enters my mind and I recognize that I don’t want to be thinking on it, one of the best ways to remove it is to replace it with something else. Scripture memory is an effective way to do this. Do I have verses memorized that can serve as the arrows in my quiver to fight off the attacks of the enemy?
- Humility. Let’s look to Jesus’ ultimate example of humility in the way that denied his will and followed the will of the Father. Jesus humbled himself, came to earth to take on human form, and became obedient to the point of death on the cross. Clear thinking is always aligned with obedience, and obedience is one of the surest ways to humbling ourselves and submitting to God’s will.
We are intricately designed by an infinite Creator who has given us minds for thinking. Our sin problem has distorted our thinking which causes our natural way of thinking to be opposed to God’s. But thanks be to God, who has given us his word that is full of instruction on clear thinking, that we may transform and renew our minds to humble ourselves and follow in his example of obedience.
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