And you shall love the Lord you God with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all yourMIND, and with all your strength. Mark 12:30 ESV

     Everything begins in the mind, for this is where battles are won and lost in life for every individual and Christian. It is the battle ground where Satan attacks a person with lies and half truths that cause confusion, frustrations, fear, and on this list could go. When a person fights these battles in his or her own strength, the only outcome will be loss and failure. The person who thinks they are strong and can take care of themselves, underestimates the power of Satan. I once heard a story that went something like this. A person said, “There was no God” …. which is a lie Satan attempts to perpetuate in the mind of this person and anyone else who will believe such a lie. This person lived their whole life with few apparent problems; and from all outward appearances, he seemed quite happy and successful. This person appeared to move freely in and out of all the doors of life. However, where he lived was in the prison of sin which he denied could hold him or would have any consequences. The door to that prison cell of sin is open, and he seemed to move about freely, often boasting of his personal freedoms. This was true until one day the door of life closed, and in death the door to that prison of sin also closed, never to open again. No more freedoms and no more brags, for the door is locked for all eternity. This person may demand for the door to be opened, but Satan laughs and says, “I won your mind, and now I have won you.” In the cell of his sin and death he had become a trophy for Satan. This is obviously allegorical, but the real outcome at the end of life without Jesus and His Salvation is JUST AS FRIGHTENING!

The past two Sundays we have defined Christianity as loving God on purpose with our heart and soul and this Sunday I want to share how we love God with our minds.

WE GIVE NO PLACE TO THE DEVIL:
     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 set their minds on the things of the Spirit. Romans 8:5 ESV
     When I have an object of value, I put it in a safe place in order to protect it. I do not and will not place it where it might be broken or damaged. If we set our minds upon this world, we are placing it in danger, for the mind should be protected by the Spirit of God. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. Romans 8:6 ESV

WE MAKE NEW LIFE THOUGHTS:
     Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may decree what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2 ESV
     In the life of a person who has become a Christian, a process of reprogramming the mind begins. In the computer world there is a phrase- garbage in, garbage out. In other words, if you program into the computer that 2+2= 5, then when seeking the answer for this equation, the computer will always tell you 5 until you renew the answer to the correct number 4. Seeking to be right in our own way is like programming our minds with a way we deem to be true. Proverbs 16:25 gives you the result of such thinking. There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.

WE FOCUS UPON GOD:
     If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your MINDS on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. Colossians 3:1-2 ESV

     This is how we accomplish both giving no place to the devil and making new thoughts. Our focus in life must be a single focus upon God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This is the most important of all we do as Christians, for to focus here is to set your mind in a safe place and to learn the new way of thinking that will change how you live. It is gaining the correct answers to all the problems and challenges life has to give.

     The best way to accomplish the above three thoughts is to spend as much time as possible in the word of God. To place scripture in your mind as a Christian is like reprograming our minds to love God more. It fills our minds with truth and not the garbage of the world. This is how we can love God with all our mind.

Because of HIs Grace ~ Pastor David