Will you please turn to the book of Romans?
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the compassions of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your intelligent service.
And be not conformed to this world: but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.
As many therefore as are perfect, let us be thus minded: and if ye are otherwise minded, this also shall God reveal unto you.
For the rest, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are noble, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are amiable, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
What ye have learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, these things do: and the God of peace shall be with you.
Let us have a word of prayer.
Dear Lord, as we gather here this morning, our hearts are full of gratitude. As we remember at Thy table, Lord, how Thou dost love us and gavest Thyself to us in such a way. Lord, our hearts are deeply moved.
We are thankful. We thank Thee for what Thou hast done for us. What a price Thou hast paid for us.
Good dear Lord, we do acknowledge how much we have failed. We confess before Thee that we are not what Thou hast saved us to be. We ask Thy forgiveness, and we come to Thee with a repentant heart.
We do desire that Thou mayest apprehend us in a way that Thou dost desire. We want Thy heart to be satisfied.
Do speak again to our hearts. Deliver us from all darkness, and bring us into Thy marvelous light, that we may be free to serve Thee. We ask in Thy precious name. Amen.
Dear brothers and sisters, we are deeply burdened with this matter of the mind because we know there is a tremendous battle going on over the mind.
I believe, brothers and sisters, as you look into the world, you will see that it is a battle for the mind. You will find how men’s minds are being brainwashed. The enemy knows that if he can win the battle over the mind, he has the victory.
This is something that has been going on throughout the ages and everywhere. Even today, when we are coming to the end of this age, this battle over the mind is intensified hundreds and thousands of times.
And do not think that we, as God’s people, are exceptions. In a very real, deep sense, we feel that the battle for the mind of believers in our days is so much more intensive and fierce than ever before.
But unfortunately, God’s people seem to be unconscious of this battle. This is the reason why we feel that, as we gather before the Lord, we should bring this matter before you, dear brothers and sisters: that this battle for the mind is very real.
It is going on in our minds. Do not think that you are an exception. We need light. We need understanding. We need to know the condition of our minds. Indeed, we need to be delivered from it.
In the first century, the apostle Paul fought this battle over the mind. We are reminded of 2 Corinthians 10. There you find that the apostle Paul fought that battle over the minds of the Corinthian believers.
He was with the Corinthian believers eighteen months. He declared to them Jesus Christ and Him crucified. But after a number of years, he discovered that the enemy had a stronghold in the minds of these believers.
These believers allowed the enemy to build strongholds in their minds—with reasonings, with high thoughts against the will of God. Even the apostle Paul found that it was very difficult to deliver these people from that darkened, twisted mind.
The only weapon he could use was prayer. How he prayed that God would break the strongholds of the minds of these Corinthian believers and bring every thought into the obedience of Christ.
Now, do not think that this only happened in Corinth. In the letter to the Philippians—we know the letter to the Philippians is a very intimate letter that Paul wrote to the Philippian believers, because there was such a good relationship between Paul and the Philippian believers.
And yet, even in Philippi, you find there was a battle over this matter of the mind. It began with two sisters, leading sisters, but in a way they became rivals.
Not fighting for position in the world, but somehow fighting for influence in the church. They were not of one mind. Because they did not have one mind, very soon you find a kind of heavy atmosphere spread over the whole church, and they lost joy in the Lord.
For this reason, you find Paul wrote this letter to the Philippians. Now, brothers and sisters, if such a thing should happen in the church in Philippi, which was almost like a model church, do you think that we today do not have the same problem?
As you look into God’s people gathering here and there, you find that probably the biggest problem in the church today is over the mind. Somehow, you find God’s people’s minds being captivated by the enemy, and yet we are ignorant of it.
Many situations happen, and when you go to the very root of them, you find somehow the enemy has been able to build up strongholds over the years. Such strongholds stand against the will of God.
So, brothers and sisters, we are deeply burdened over this matter. We need to understand how, in the very beginning, the enemy entered into the life of man through the mind.
In the garden of Eden, we mentioned how the enemy, through a question, implanted doubt into the mind of Eve. When Eve accepted that temptation, her lust began to conceive into sin; and when sin is completed, it brings in death.
So, brothers and sisters, we already mentioned that before we knew the Lord, our minds, which we thought were normal, were actually abnormal. Our minds were darkened.
But thank God, the first thing that God did in our lives to deliver us was that light shone upon darkness. When God’s light shone upon us, we began to realize where we were. We began to see our real condition, just like the prodigal son. He began to realize it, and repentance was given to us.
Now, we already mentioned what repentance means. It means a change of mind.
This mind of ours, which we received from our forefather Adam, was a reprobate mind. It was a mind without moral discernment. Because of this, we committed many sins, and yet we were not sensible of what we had done.
So before we believed in the Lord Jesus, no matter who we were, we thought ourselves almost perfect. We dared not say we were perfect, but almost perfect.
That was my condition before I believed in the Lord. I always felt that the gospel was for those sinners, but I was too good to need the salvation of the Lord. I think this is something probably in the mind of every one of us.
But thank God, one day the light came into our minds. Somehow, in darkness we saw the light. We realized our real condition, and by the grace of God we repented. There was a change of mind. We turned away from sin, from death, and we turned to the Lord for life.
But, as we mentioned already, even though through repentance and believing in the Lord Jesus we receive a new life in us, and the Spirit of God dwells in our new spirit, unfortunately our change of mind is only temporary and superficial.
When we were in our first love to the Lord, it seemed as if we had completely changed—even our minds had changed. In our first love toward the Lord, you find that we love the Word of God, we love to pray, we love to have fellowship, and we learn to witness for the Lord.
If the Lord should ask us for anything, there was nothing too hard for us to give to Him. That was our situation because we were born again. We were born into the kingdom of God. We were now God’s children, and we had His life in us.
There is a love within us that God has put in, and we do love Him with all our hearts, with all our souls, with all our understanding, and with all our strength. If this should go on forever, how good it would be.
But unfortunately, probably, brothers and sisters, you begin to discover that even though within you there is a new life and a new desire, you want to please God and you want to do God’s will, yet very soon you find your mind begins to protest.
You find that your heart, your life, wants God, but somehow your mind still lingers and looks back to the past, longing for the things for which you longed in the past.
You know, it is like driving. I remember one day a brother drove me home. As he drove me, he passed my home and went ahead. Why? Because his home was way ahead. It was the old habit.
Unconsciously, you will find that your mind begins to think in the old way. For a very short period, the world to you is nothing because of the knowledge of Jesus Christ. But somehow, after a while, you find your mind again drifting back toward the world.
Your way of evaluating things did not change. What you loved in the past, you seem to have a love for again. Your way of thinking was the past way of thinking.
When you are doing that, you find there is a struggle in your life. So far as the inner man is concerned, you want the Lord and you want to do His will. But somehow you find the mind is against you.
Old Adam is too strong for you and me. That is what the reformer said. He found that old Adam was too strong. Our own mind is too strong, and somehow it blocks the way of the new life and overcomes that new life.
So, brothers and sisters, I believe we have all gone through this experience of what we call civil war. There is a civil war going on within us.
Now, thank God for this civil war, because through it we begin to realize that something is not quite right. Just like the apostle Paul in Romans 7: “I want to do what I should do, but I cannot. I do not want to do what I should not do, but I do it.”
He said, “Because in me, that is, in my flesh, there is no good. My flesh is sold to sin.” So, brothers and sisters, I believe in our experience we have all gone through this kind of life. It is a life of ups and downs, and it is more defeat than victory.
But thank God, there is a way of deliverance. Actually, this way of deliverance begins in the mind.
Our minds need to be renewed. Last night, our dear brother Dana emphasized this point to us: our minds need to be renewed, because only with the renewing of the mind is there transformation.
If the mind is not renewed, there will be no transformation. That is to say, how can we be transformed from being in the flesh and walking in the flesh? How can we be transformed from this soul life, which is self-centered? How can we be transformed from loving the world to loving the will of God?
There needs to be a transformation going on, and this transformation is in the renewing of the mind. So, brothers and sisters, this morning I will begin from that.
What God’s people need today is the renewing of the mind. Our minds have much to do with our Christian walk. What we think is what we are.
If we think of the things of the flesh, we walk according to the flesh. If we think of the things of the Spirit, we walk according to the Spirit. Our way of thinking, our mindset—the things upon which our minds are set—decides the way we walk.
So we need the renewing of the mind. But how can the mind be renewed? It is something that we cannot do ourselves. We cannot change our minds.
Sometimes we say, “Well, I changed my mind.” But you remember, that is very superficial. It is not a real change, because when you go to the root of it, it is the same. Self is at the root of it.
Only God can change our minds. But how does He change our minds? What is the secret of it?
Our dear brother read Romans 12:1-2 last night, and he said:
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the compassions of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
And be not conformed to this world: but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
So, in other words, the renewing of the mind is the work of God, but we have a responsibility. Our responsibility is to present our bodies a living sacrifice.
Now, brothers and sisters, especially for the younger ones—but I do not think our older ones are exempted—this renewing of the mind through presenting our bodies a living sacrifice is so basic to our Christian life.
Not only is it basic, but it is so profound that throughout our life on this earth, this is something we need to experience day by day.
Why must we present our bodies a living sacrifice? The apostle Paul, from Romans 1 through Romans 11, shows us the mercies of God.
When we were yet in sin, there was no hope. Yet God, in His mercy, sent His beloved Son into the world to die in our stead. He bore in His own body our sins, and He took us with Him, crucified on the cross.
He not only justified us; He also sanctifies us. Not only sanctifies, but glorifies us. He put the Spirit of God, His own Spirit, in us. By the leading of the Spirit, we can become sons of God.
Out of the multitudes of the nations, God, even before the foundation of the world, chose us in Christ Jesus, and in time He saved us. In other words, you find it is all the mercies of God.
Brothers and sisters, the more you live, the more you realize that it is but the mercies of God that you are what you are today.
With all the mercies, with all the finished work of Christ, He has provided everything for us—not only to forgive our sins, but even that we may live a victorious life, a life that will honor Him, that will glorify Him.
Now, after we have received all His mercies, what should be our response? There can be only one response: present our bodies a living sacrifice.
This is a reasonable thing to do. This is the right thing to do. This is a holy thing to do. So, the first Christian experience is consecration—or, as Brother Dana says, presentation.
I wonder, brothers and sisters, if all of us here have presented our bodies a living sacrifice to the Lord.
So far as God’s right is concerned, He has bought us with a high price. He has bought us with even the blood of His beloved Son. You can find no higher price paid than the blood of the Son of God.
So we are not our own; we are bought with a price. It is only right that God can demand that we present our bodies a living sacrifice. But God would not do it in that way.
He gave us all these mercies and let us go. He did not want to do anything in a legal way, even though He has every right to do it.
That is the reason why, even after we are saved, we can still live, if we want to, our own life in our own way. God will not deal with us legalistically.
He wants His love to touch us, His love to constrain us. If we are constrained by His love, we voluntarily, willingly—not compelled, not forced, but willingly, voluntarily, gladly—present ourselves to Him: “Lord, it is Yours.”
It is a sacrifice. It is a living sacrifice. In other words, from now on, you live for Him, not for yourself. You give up your right to Him and allow Him to do everything that He wants to do with your life.
Are you afraid of that? You know, sometimes we think that if we present ourselves to Him and give ourselves over to Him, what will He do with us?
Thank God, if we hold ourselves in our own hands, we make a mess of ourselves. But if we give ourselves to Him, do you know what God is going to do with you? He wants to transform you from glory to glory according to the image of His beloved Son. That is what God wants to do with you.
Why do we not give ourselves completely to Him? Why do we hold back?
It is much easier to do that in the beginning of your Christian life. But anyway, this is the one thing that we must do.
Brothers and sisters, if we have not done that, we have not begun our Christian life. You do not know what Christian life is. Give yourself completely, wholly to the Lord.
It is a living sacrifice. Brothers and sisters, the wonderful thing that happens is this: when you present your bodies a living sacrifice, the Holy Spirit begins to work to transform and renew your minds.
On the basis of your presentation of your bodies as a living sacrifice, the Holy Spirit begins to renew your mind and to conform your mind even to the mind of Christ.
Now, why is it so? Because God, who created us with a will, always respects our will. He will not do anything to us without our consent.
Think of it. He wants to do everything to us—everything good, glorious, wonderful—but He waits until He gets your permission, until you are willing, until you give yourself to Him.
Then He will take you up, and He will do the work of renewing your mind and transforming you.
Often I hear young people ask, “What is the will of God?” The answer seems to be, “Anything that is against me is the will of God.”
No wonder you do not love the will of God. On the contrary, when you ask young people not to love the world, it is the hardest thing for them to do. You always get this answer: “You are old. You have tasted the world. We have not tasted it yet. Give us a chance to love the world, and when we have had enough of its bitterness, we will come back.”
But it can be too late.
You know, you cannot force a young brother or a young sister not to love the world. You cannot force them to love God’s will, because their mindset, their way of thinking, has not changed.
To them the world is lovely, beautiful, attractive. The will of God is hard, harsh, difficult, and against them.
But, brothers and sisters, God never wants to force us to do anything. He knows what you need: a renewed mind. That is all you need.
When your mind is renewed, something happens. What you considered lovely, you begin to see as ugly. What you considered ugly now begins to look so lovely.
You know, this happened to the apostle Paul. In Philippians 3, he gave us his own testimony. He said, “That is what happened to me.” A renewed mind.
All the way to Damascus, when the Lord met him, the first question he asked was, “Lord, who art Thou?” I do not know Thee. Who art Thou? I acknowledge that Thou art Lord because Thou art mightier than I. I am no match for Thee. I want to surrender myself to Thee, but who art Thou?
The second question was, “What wilt Thou have me to do?” In other words, he surrendered his life to the Lord. He presented his body a living sacrifice. “What dost Thou want me to do? Now it is up to Thee.”
Because of this, you find he was being transformed by the renewing of the mind. What he considered precious, he counted as loss.
This young man Saul was different from most young men in the world. Most young men wanted to seek the things of this world, but he did not. He sought religious things, and he made great progress in them.
He was more advanced than his contemporaries. He was so zealous, and he thought he was serving God by persecuting the believers of Jesus Christ.
But there was a change of mind, a true change. The Holy Spirit gave him a new mind, a renewed mind. In that renewed mind, he looked at all these things as loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ.
Now, brothers and sisters, this should happen to every one of us. If it has not happened to you yet, there is something wrong with your mind. Your mind is not yet renewed.
If your mind is not renewed yet, you are not transformed. You will still love the things that you loved in the old days, and you will still dislike the things to which God is calling you.
Brothers and sisters, you need to make a start on that. Now, if you have already made a start—in other words, you have already presented your body a living sacrifice—and thank God there is a degree of renewing in your mind, do you think this is all? Not at all.
This matter of consecration, of presentation, needs to have a beginning, but it is a lifelong experience. It is a door through which you need to enter, but after you enter through the door, there is a way that you have to walk.
So, presenting our bodies a living sacrifice is a continuous thing in our life. It is not because five years ago, or fifty years ago, you presented your body a living sacrifice that it still works today. It does not work that way.
You need to present your body daily, continuously. It is like the burnt offering. The burnt offering is a whole offering; it is for acceptance.
The burnt offering had to be offered once in the morning and once in the evening, and the fire of the burnt offering never went out. In other words, it was burning day and night, day and night, and the sacrifice was there day and night continuously.
So, brothers and sisters, do not think that you have presented your body before and that is enough. No. You need to present your body a living sacrifice day and night, and the fire should never go out.
Especially when you come to a crisis. You know, life is full of crises. When you come to a crisis, perhaps you love something or love someone, and the Lord begins to show you that you have to give it up, but you cannot do it.
You struggle over it. You cannot overcome it because your mind in that area has not been dealt with; it has not been renewed. The Lord is not yet everything to you.
So, brothers and sisters, at that time, how do you get through that crisis? The secret is to present your body once again as a living sacrifice—a deeper consecration.
As you yield yourself in a deeper way, brothers and sisters, you discover somehow it is easy. Your mind has changed. What held you so tightly suddenly does not mean much to you now. The Lord means everything to you now.
Brothers and sisters, I believe you have had such experiences. So this renewing of the mind has to go on continuously.
Just as in 2 Corinthians 4, the apostle Paul said that our inward man is renewed day by day. Just as in Colossians and Ephesians, this transformation, this renewing of our minds, is going on continuously, that we may be transformed according to His image.
We do not have His image yet. We have perhaps a beginning of His image in us; that is, His character begins to be incorporated into our lives. But that image needs to grow until, through the full knowledge of Christ, we grow into the full knowledge of Christ.
So, brothers and sisters, this matter of the renewing of the mind through presenting our bodies is a lifelong, continuous process. I hope that we do not come to the point of thinking that we have graduated.
We are all learners. We are still learning, so that we can be transformed from glory to glory, even as by the Lord the Spirit.
Now, brothers and sisters, having said this, we would like to see what kind of mind this renewed mind is.
You know, the letter to the Philippians, in a sense, gives us a glimpse into the personal life of the apostle Paul. There he, as it were, opens himself to the Philippian believers and shows what the Lord has done in his life.
When you read this letter, you cannot help but be arrested by the place that the mind occupies in it. You find that he is trying to share with us this renewed mind of his.
In the first chapter, you find Paul in Rome as a prisoner. He was chained to a soldier day and night. He lost his privacy, and he lost his freedom, his liberty. He could not go out.
Even though he was allowed to stay in his rented apartment, and people were allowed to come and visit him, yet he was never by himself alone. He was chained to a soldier day and night as a prisoner.
Now, suppose we were in that kind of position. How would we feel?
Probably, first of all, we would murmur: “Why am I here? I have not committed anything. On the contrary, I am doing something good. I am preaching the gospel. Why should I be in prison like this? Why should He allow it to happen like this? If I am serving Him, why does He not serve me?”
Brothers and sisters, probably that would be our thinking. If you think that way, you lose your joy. The minding of the flesh is death.
But here you find the apostle Paul. Here he was in prison, yet he was full of joy. He had so much joy that he could comfort the Philippian believers. They were not in prison; they only had a little problem in their midst, but they lost their joy.
When you lose the joy, you lose the strength.
Paul was in such an environment, in prison, and yet his way of looking at it, his way of evaluating it, his way of thinking about it, was so different.
He said, “God put me here that I may bear testimony, not only to the world, but to Caesar’s household.” How can you enter Caesar’s household and preach the gospel to them? But here he was. He was able to preach to Caesar’s household, so he thanked God for that.
Even when he was there, some legalistic brothers tried to increase his sufferings by preaching another gospel. Yet he said, “Even so, Christ’s name is mentioned.”
Brothers and sisters, how can you do it? His mind was different. He had a new mind. His thinking was different. He looked at things differently. He could see deeper than just the surface. He could see into the will of God, and he was joyful and happy about it.
Brothers and sisters, that is a new, renewed mind. So in Philippians 2, he said, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.”
Our Lord Jesus, when He came into this world, had a mind. What kind of a mind was that?
He who was equal with God, He who had the permanent form of God—equality with God was not something to be grasped, for it was His right, because He is God.
Yet, for loving us, He emptied Himself. He could not empty Himself of His deity, because that is what He is. But He emptied Himself of all the glory and honor that surrounded His deity.
Without emptying Himself, He could not become a man. But by emptying Himself, He took upon Himself the form of a bondservant.
In other words, He came into this world in the fashion of a man, but in His heart was the heart of a bondservant. He came to be a servant, with no right of His own.
The Father’s will was everything to Him. That was His mind. His mind was to do His Father’s will, even unto death, even the death of the cross.
Brothers and sisters, this is the mind of Christ. The apostle Paul said, “Let this mind be your mind.”
Our problem is that the mind is self-centered: self-interest, self-confidence, self-pride, self-opinion. Everything is controlled by self—me, I. Sometimes it may be good flesh, but it is still flesh.
It is hard for us to lay down ourselves. You know, the most difficult thing in our lives that God is dealing with is this “I.” That is the most difficult thing.
Martin Luther, the reformer, was not afraid of the emperors, the popes, the cardinals, or great men. But he said, “I am afraid of the old Adam in me.”
Brothers and sisters, you know what our problem is? Our problem is that, in our mind, self is still on the throne. That is the whole problem.
How can self, sitting on the throne of our mind, be dethroned and let Christ sit in our mind? That is salvation.
This is not only our personal problem; this is a problem of the church. We cannot lay down ourselves. Why can we not? Because we think too highly of ourselves.
We are afraid to lose ourselves. We think it is losing our self-respect. No, it is losing our self-pride.
Why do you find God’s people against each other? Their minds come into conflict.
Sometimes you look at things that are happening, and they are very minor. Yet somehow you find that, even though the thing itself is minor, it becomes so impossible. Why? Mind. You cannot let go.
I knew two very spiritual persons, highly respected. Yet there was a conflict between them. They both wanted to be reconciled, but they were never reconciled.
Why? Because one said, “The problem begins with you. You should apologize first.” The other said, “The problem begins with you. You should apologize first.” Neither was willing to humble himself, and the problem was never solved. They both died.
Brothers and sisters, I look at the problems in the church today. This is the problem: we do not have the mind of Christ.
Paul spoke of lowliness of mind, esteeming the others as more excellent than yourselves. If your mind is this kind of mindset, is there anything to strive over? Is there anything that you cannot let go?
Let the mind of Christ be your mind.
Brothers and sisters, in one sense, when you see the mind of Christ, you cannot help but realize that you do not have that kind of mind. But in another sense, you thank God, because this is what the Spirit of God is doing.
He is renewing your mind. He is bringing your mind out of self into Christ, until the mind of Christ becomes your mind.
When the mind of Christ becomes your mind, brothers and sisters, not only are you set free; among the brothers and sisters, you are a free person. There is nothing that can imprison you.
Even in Philippians 2, Paul said to the Philippians, “I offer you as a sacrifice to God, and if I am poured out as a drink offering upon you, I am glad. I am ready.”
In other words, he did the whole thing to bring these brothers and sisters into a sacrifice unto God. But he said, “I am just willing to accompany you as a drink offering.” That is joy. “I rejoice with you when I see you sacrificed to God. I rejoice with you.”
There is no self there. It is Christ.
He even mentioned Timothy. He said, “Timothy is a young man. Everyone is concerned with his own business, but Timothy is concerned with you, with God’s business. He is as a son to a father.”
Not only Timothy, but Epaphroditus, their messenger to Paul—in order to fulfill his ministry, he almost came to death. He was sick unto death, yet his heart was with the Philippians.
Brothers and sisters, there is no self there. In the mind, the character of the mind, the nature of the mind, the very constitution of the mind, is Christ—no longer self.
Unless that is being done, brothers and sisters, all so-called transformation is superficial.
Just quickly, in Philippians 3 you find the mindset. This mind, which is the mind of Christ, is set upon Christ.
So you find the apostle Paul saying, “I consider everything as loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ.” His whole mind was set upon Christ: to know Him and the power of His resurrection.
To know the fellowship of His sufferings, to be conformed to His death, that I may attain unto the resurrection from among the dead. “I do not confess that I have already attained, but I press on toward the goal.”
This is the mind. He said, “If anyone is perfect,” that is, mature, “if you are a mature person, this should be your mind.” Your mindset should be upon Christ.
If you are otherwise minded, God will show you that you should be so minded.
Finally, you find in Philippians 4 that God created our minds to be used. Our minds cannot be blank.
You know, Eastern religion, the so-called transcendental meditation, tries to make your mind blank. When your mind is blank, according to the Word of God, the enemy, Satan, is able to get into your mind.
So, brothers and sisters, our minds should not be blank. We should use our minds. But unfortunately, you find our minds are bombarded by all the things around us: advertisements, television, radio talk, books, news, and all these things.
You find these things bombard our minds. Our minds are filled with filthy things.
Especially today with young people, you find the enemy trying to bombard your mind, to fill your mind with all these unholy things, with all these evil things. If our minds are filled with these things and we begin to think about these things, we find our minds captured.
It is a real problem. So, brothers and sisters, on the one hand we need to be careful not to allow these things to enter into our minds, lest they become the strongholds of the enemy and stand against the will of God.
So whatever you see, whatever you read, whatever you hear, you need to be careful.
I do want to warn young brothers and sisters: be very careful about what you see, what you read, and what you hear. Through the ear gate and the eye gate, you find the enemy is trying to reach into your mind and build strongholds there.
Now, how are we going to fill our minds with the right things? That is what Paul says. He said, “Whatever is good, whatever is noble, whatever is amiable, whatever is honest, whatever is holy—if there is any virtue—think about these things.”
You know, we need to think of the right things. Do not think the wrong things. If you think the wrong things, gradually your whole imagination will become evil.
Be careful about it. Try to fill your mind with the things of God. Fill your mind with the Word of God. Meditate upon the Word of God. Let the Word of God dwell richly in your heart.
Brothers and sisters, then when you are in trouble, God’s Word will come out and solve your problem. So we need to be careful about our minds. We need to put on the helmet of salvation.
Do not allow all these things to occupy our minds, but think rightly.
So, brothers and sisters, I feel David’s prayer is so precious. In Psalm 139:23-24, he prayed:
Search me, O God, and know my heart:
Try me, and know my thoughts:
And see if there be any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.
How we need to bring our minds to the Lord and ask the Lord to try them. We do not know our own minds. “Try me, show me, and see if there are any evil thoughts hidden.”
The word “evil” in another translation is “idolatrous.” In other words, if, aside from God, we worship something else in our mind, then lead us in the way everlasting.
So let the words of our mouths and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable to God.
Dear Lord, we do want to thank Thee that Thou art able to renew our minds and transform them, conforming them to the mind of Christ. Lord, for this we are thankful.
Show us the way. Enable us to really present ourselves daily, hourly, and allow Thee to work it out to the glory of God. We ask in Thy precious name. Amen.