From Pastor's Heart :

We Are What We Think

June 22,2018

One of the greatest hindrances to our walk with God is the unrenewed mind. Our mind plays a very vital role in our spiritual development. We know that the Word of God is necessary for our spiritual growth. But the Word of God must be applied in our lives; in other words, we have to be doers of the Word. Often we find many hearers of the Word, but so few doers. One of the major reasons why there are so few doers of the Word of God is because most people's minds have not been totally renewed with the Word of God. The Word of God is not firmly fixed in their heart. As a result, the Word of God is not able to take root in their heart and produce fruit.

We will never be what God calls us to be, have what God wants us to have, and do what God wants us to do unless our mind is totally renewed with the Word of God. We live and act according to what is in our mind whether consciously or unconsciously. Proverbs 23:7 tells us that as a man thinks in his heart, so is he. What we continue to dwell on will reflect in our attitude, our actions, and our words. Physically, we all know that we are what we eat. What we put in our mouth is digested in our stomach and manifested in our body. The same holds true with our mind. What we put in our mind is absorbed in our brain and manifested in our behavior. We are what we think, and we will act accordingly.

The devil, which studied humanity for six thousand years, knows exactly how we function. He has endeavored to control our minds. He knows that if he can control our minds, he can control our lives. Our minds become the battleground. Whoever has control of the mind has control of one's destiny. II Corinthians 4:3-4 tell us, "But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them." The devil wants to keep us defeated in every aspect of our lives. He does this by blinding our minds through deception.

Proverbs 4:23 tells us to keep our heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. That word "keep" in Hebrew means to watch, to guard, and to protect. It implies the primary goal of our enemy is to take over our minds and stop the flow of God in our lives. This is the reason why our minds are constantly bombarded with thoughts that are wrong and contrary to the Word of God. Sometimes the thoughts come so subtlely that the person under the influence does not even know that he is under attack. This is why I Peter 5:8 tells us to be sober and be vigilant. Unless we know how to recognize and destroy the deceptions of the devil, we will never reach the full potential that God intends for us to be and to have.

The only way we can successfully watch, guard, and protect our heart is have our mind renewed with the Word of God. Romans 12:2 tells us that we can be transformed by the renewing of our minds and prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. In other words, we can have the mind of Christ by renewing our minds with the Word of God. The word transform in Greek means to transfigure, much like a caterpillar metamorphoses into a butterfly. It means that we do not have to remain where we are; we can change! Simply by having our minds renewed with the Word of God and acting accordingly, we can reach our full potential in Christ.