Good morning beloved. God’s Glory is ever so present. In the midst of your day, you will see His splendor. The way to see His splendor is to start your day with Him. Then no matter what your day holds you will be prepared because of seeking God first. Bless someone today with your smile or just a hug. As I have said on many occasions, you never know what someone else may need. It just might be that all they need is your smile or that hug to make it through their day.
Watching the children of today it has become so prevalent that the strongholds on our children’s minds have become stronger since we were children. I look at the things they are exposed to daily in the present times. The things that they are exposed to are much uglier than during our time. But the struggle for their mind is not one that can be seen unless you are connected to God. One wouldn’t think on these terms in the natural or if they didn’t know that the spiritual battle is real!
Focusing on the young men today it is so disturbing that so many don’t have a clue as to what they want, who they are and what their purpose is in life. This is not to say that this doesn’t occur with the young women of today but my focus is on the young men because of my grandsons. It is frustrating to watch them growing up in a world that is so full of chaos and obstacles of failure. The disconnection comes from so many growing up without fathers or strong positive male role models in their lives. So because of this, they get their knowledge of manhood from television, rappers or the streets.
The young ladies also have a warped view of what a woman should be because of the fashion magazines, television or someone constantly telling them that skinny is the in thing. Or, that they are not a real woman if they are not dressing seductive and exposing their flesh. Or that it is cool for them to have a child in their teens. But I say this because of the battle of the mind. What most of these children are missing is the word of God being taught to them at an early age. Being taught what God says that a real man or woman is. Digressing back to training the mind to seek God, this can only occur if the mind is being conditioned for the training.
But how do you accomplish this with let’s say an eight year old child? I have seen what it is like when people are unable to hear God because their minds are broken and cannot seem to connect to God even when they want to connect to God. And I know whatever gets your mind gets you. So one of the most important things we need to learn and teach others is how to guard, strengthen, and renew our minds, because the battle for sin always starts in the mind. Breaking down strongholds. The apostle Paul says that our job in this battle is to “destroy strongholds.” You know what a stronghold is? It is a mental block. Paul is talking about pretentions, arguments set up against the knowledge of God. This is a mental battle. And he says, “Destroy these strongholds.”
A stronghold can be a personal attitude. Worry can be a stronghold. Seeking the approval of other people can be a stronghold. Anything that you make an idol in your life can be a stronghold — fear, guilt, resentment, insecurity. All of these things can be strongholds in your mind. And the Bible says that we are to tear them down. But surely these wouldn’t be the issues of an eight year old child right? Hard to say that it couldn’t be. Anyway how do we train our minds period? The Bible says that we are to take every thought captive. To make it obedient. But how do you do that? And how do you teach other people to do that? How do I make my mind, mind? I have noticed that my mind doesn’t always mind. It is often disobedient. It is often very rebellious. It wants to go in a different direction. When I want to think a certain way, it wants to go another way. When I need to meditate, it wants to wander. When I need to pray, my thoughts want to drift away.
But one way that we can do this and teach others to do is, don’t believe everything you think. I have shared this with my grandsons on many occasions. I have said “Just because you think it doesn’t mean that it is something that is right or that you need to do.” We naturally feel that if we think something, it must be true because it comes from within us. But just because you think something does not make it true. So many different suggestions can come into the mind. The world puts suggestions in our minds that are false, and we are bombarded with those false ideas all the time. Satan makes suggestions all the time. These are the conditions of the mind: a troubled mind (2 Kings 6:11), depraved mind (1 Timothy 6:5), a sinful mind (Romans 8:7), and a dull mind (2 Corinthians 3:14), a blinded mind (2 Corinthians 4:4), a corrupt mind (2 Timothy 3:8).
Our minds are broken by sin. Which means we cannot trust even what we think, ourselves. Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” We have an amazing ability to lie to ourselves. You do it all the time. So do I. We lie. We tell ourselves that things aren’t as bad as they really are. We tell ourselves that things are better than they really are. We tell ourselves that we’re doing okay when we’re not doing okay. We’re telling ourselves it’s no big deal when it is a big deal. In fact, the Bible tells us that you cannot be trusted to tell yourself the truth. That’s why you need to question your own thoughts and teach others not to believe everything they think.
But one of the big reasons why you need to not believe everything you think is that we see what we want to see. The second thing to learn in this battle for the mind is guarding your mind from garbage. The old cliché from the early days of the computer — GIGO, garbage in/garbage out — is still true today. If you put bad data into a computer, you will get bad results out. If you put mental garbage into your mind, you will get garbage out in your life. Proverbs 15:14: “A wise person is hungry for knowledge while the fool feeds on trash.” I look at how the television is becoming more of a cesspool for Satan. Every year there are new programs or series starting. I noticed how they are making a series out of everything now. For example, these two really disturb me “Lucifer” and now “Damien” is another one coming soon. Children feed off of television and video games. When there isn’t anyone monitoring what they are watching these are the type of programs that captivate our children.
Any nutritionist will tell you that there are three kinds of food for your physical body. There is brain food that makes you smarter (food that actually makes you smarter!). There is junk food, which is simple calories. It’s not poison, but it’s just empty calories. And then there are toxic foods, which are poison. The same is true in what you see, what you hear, and what you allow into your mind. Some food is brain food. It will make you smarter, godlier, and more mature emotionally. Then there is junk food. There is so much you can fill your mind with that really is just stuffing. It is neither good nor bad, as 1 Corinthians 6:12 says, lawful but not helpful. In other words, some things aren’t necessarily wrong, but they aren’t necessary. The Bible tells us to fill our minds with the right things.
Philippians 4:6–8 gives us ways to guard our minds from garbage. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” How do you know when you have the peace that “surpasses all understanding”? When you give up trying to understand fully why God does what he does and simply trust him. This peace “will guard your hearts and your minds.” So how do you train your mind to seek God? By feeding on His Word and applying it to your thoughts daily. Feed your mind. Just as the physical body needs nutrients so does your mind! A mind is a terrible thing to waste!
“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.” 2 Corinthians 10:3-6
Live life, give people hope. Share your heart, wisdom and resources. Never place a period where God says there should be a comma.
As always peace and blessings, be safe. Remember God loves you and so do I. ©krw 2.24.16
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