“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” Romans 8:5-6
Do you remember the excellent toy emporium called Toys-R-Us? The place was loaded with aisles of floor-to-ceiling shelves. Just like Sams is today. Instead of goods or food, it was full of things for kids. Nothing, but TOYS, filled that building. Imagine what that would be like for a kid if you had never entered one. Imagine the flood of want and desire from every direction. That place must have been a parent's worst nightmare. Our minds can be such a place of confusion as we walk through this world full of never-ending aisles of floor-to-ceiling wants and desires. A new want with every head turn. “Oh, where to start?”, the flesh thinks. The disorder that rambles in our minds from this fleshly temptation disrupts our days and lives. The mind is not some wild beast set to roam the empty spaces of thought and dreams. The mind is not meant to ponder what the flesh wants. The mind is not for formulating well-laid plans for hours on end for fleshly gains. It is just the opposite.
If you will, the mind is a tool, a plow horse meant to be harnessed and set to work the work before it. You don’t need an exceptional trainer or master to work your mind. No, no! You need you. Yes, you can tame that chaotic beast that has put your thoughts and life in such disarray. You can lay a harness upon it and hold the reigns of your mind to plow the fields of godly thought and holy plans. In those fields great holiness may be produced from the righteousness grown in you. However, it must be you that harnesses this seemingly wild beast. It won't be easy. The work is not light. However, the reward is eternal.
We must get control of our minds to be successful in Him. Learn to be free, learn to control your mind. “You said, harness it. How is that free?” I’m sure that's the thought that comes to mind. See, in the Toys-R-Us of fleshly wants, the world, you are not free. The flesh and those desires very well control you. They lead you up and down every aisle. They guide your hand to the perfect item to gratify that momentary itch. Then it mushes you on to the next. Does that sound free? No, to me, it doesn’t either. Freedom is to walk through a world of such chaos and be unmoved and unturned by such winds of whims. Freedom is achieving true success in living to the fullness that God created you to be. It is to control the mind and not be controlled by the mind.
They are your thoughts, and it is your mind. What rambles around in there directly affects what your body does out here. You can control it. You have a guide to teach you how and what it is to be used for. It is a perfect guide given to you by the One who created you and your mind. It is God’s word. The scriptures we read daily teach us to harness and use the power of the mind, turning chaos into righteous, orderly success. Who is in control of your mind?
-Steve Johnson
Kommentare