As I preach in the prisons and disciple young men in the things of God, one of the most frequently asked questions is how to get your thought life under control. First you must understand that your mind did not get saved and will never be saved. The part of you that was saved was your inner man or your spirit man. You are a spirit(the God part of you), you have a soul(mind, will and emotions) and you live in a body(your earth suit). Your mind does not comprehend the things of God nor has a desire to(1 Cor. 2:14). That is why you have to make it servant to your spirit by daily renewal. Romans 12:2 says, "And do not be conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may know what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. It is your responsibility to renew your mind daily through the Word of God. One definition for renew means to update. Your mind needs a constant update from its carnal, sinful and earthly thinking. The mind is where the battlefield is and the conflict takes place between good and evil(Romans 7:13-25). Paul found out that his continual battle of sin was in his sinful, unrenewed mind and body. He tried to get his mind and body to line up with his spirit and that is what we have to do to be victorious believers. Your spirit must be king, your soul must be servant and your body must be slave. Satan wants to gain control of your mind so he can influence your thoughts. He also uses your senses(the flesh) to deceive and control the mind. When you do not release negative experiences from your mind then it can lead to mental,emotional and spiritual disorder. Notice every sin begins with a though first, then eventually if it goes unchecked it will produce sin. The transformation from natural man to the spiritual man takes place in the mind. We must WIN the battle of our minds to be victorious. God does not remove or shut down the desires of the flesh. He wants you to overcome, manage, maintain and control these desires.
5 Keys to renewing your mind.
1. The Word-this is how you remove your old thinking and replace it with a new mindset. The Word teaches all things that we need to know to be successful believers.
2. Worship-this invites the presence of God into your mind. The bible says that you are the temple or the dwelling place of His presence. Where the spirit of the Lord is there is liberty. Every negative, carnal, sinful thought has to go when the presence comes in.
3. Praying in the Spirit- every time I pray in the Spirit it feels as if my mind is being washed out. The Holy Spirit, I believe is taking His spiritual soap and washing your minds from dirt, grim and other stinking thinking that does not belong.
4. Meditate on good things-one thing that really gets under my skin, is negative people. Philippians 4:8 tells us to meditate on things that are pure, noble, just, and lovely not on the negative in every situation. Meditate on the good things in your life and dismiss the bad.
5. Talk to yourself-Jesus in Mark 11:23,24 tells us to speak to the mountain and command to be cast into the sea. We have to talk to our minds and command negative thoughts to be thou removed. It may seem silly to talk to yourself, be in order to be a conqueror over your mind you must. When sinful, negative thoughts come in, command them to get out in the name of Jesus!!
It is time that we change our thinking and get our minds aligned with our spirits. It is time to GET YOUR MIND RIGHT!
Blessings to you,
Evangelist Chris Jacobs
