HANDLING THE FORCES THAT BATTLE FOR CONTROL OF OUR MINDS

BIBLE PASSAGE:
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, 
whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is 
admirable; if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 
(Philippians 4:8)

MEDITATION:
James tells us that our mind is the battleground for good and evil.
When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be 
tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when 
they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after 
desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown,
gives birth to death. (James 1:13-15)

He also reminds us that our desires to sin  
are not from God – He does not tempt anyone.
Our mind is where our sinful desires originate and when those desires 
have been ‘conceived’ and ‘dragged us away’, we are destined to sin.

Mark Twain wrote, 
“What a wee little part of a person’s life are his acts and his words! His 
real life is led in his head, and is known to none but himself. All day 
long, the mill of his brain is grinding, and his thoughts, not those other 
things, are his history.”

So, how do we win the battle raging in our minds between good and evil?
Paul tells us how to be a whole person in our relationship with God, 
with one another, and within ourselves. 
He says we should think about 
the things that are ‘excellent’ or ‘praiseworthy’ which include:

“Whatever is true” (truthfulness in words and deeds).
God is the final test for truth. 
Since He is unchanging, the moral standards revealed in His Word, 
are also unchanging. Truth is the inherent likeness to God - who is Truth.
We need to be aware of our lies that are masqueraded as truth; we know when 
we are disguising our lies to others in our efforts to protect our image.

“Whatever is noble” (honesty; things that are honorable).
God wants us to enjoy our life on earth, 
but not to treat it as some kind of perpetual joke.
We can have joy in our hearts and joy in our interactions with others, 
but at the same time, we need to communicate to a lost world 
that we are serious and honest about our faith.

“Whatever is right” (right thinking cultivates righteousness in us).
“Little children, let no one deceive you; the one who practices 
righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; 
the one who practices sin is of the devil” (1 John 3:7-8).

“Whatever is pure” (the things that are right and pure in God’s eyes).
But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any 
kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy 
people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which 
are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No 
immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any 
inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. (Ephesians 5:3-5)

“Whatever is lovely” 
The things that are pleasing, agreeable, and attractive; 
things that deserve our love.

“Whatever is admirable” (good reputation; respected by others).
Things that are approved and admired by other people. 
Seeking approval from others can be a very slippery affair. 
If we try hard to be liked, we are viewed as shallow or fake. 
If we completely disregard what others think, 
we are considered rude or arrogant. 
If we adopt the values of our culture around us, we end up with attitudes and
actions which are contrary to the approval of God, as found in the Scriptures. 
If we brazenly proclaim God’s Word without concern for how it might be 
received, we can push others away from the Lord instead of drawing them to Him.
We should be concerned with how our words and actions are perceived by others.
What we think about will reveal itself in what we say and do.

ACTION:
When you spend time alone, what do you think about?
Does your mind tend to drift to righteous or unrighteous thoughts?
Left to itself without any self-control, our mind 
has a tendency to think about things that are probably not pleasing to God.

We have to force our minds to avoid those natural thoughts and instead, 
think about things that are pleasing to God (as shown in His Word).
To help us in our efforts, 
we can begin by thinking about the many ways God has blessed us.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, You know the sinful thoughts that invade my mind. 
Forgive me for embracing those thoughts instead of pushing them out 
so I can think about the things that please You. Help me to train my 
mind to replace sinful thoughts as soon as they arise, with righteous 
thoughts, including the blessings You have given me.”

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