Rene Descartes (day·kaart), the French mathmetician, scientist, and philosopher from the 1600s, famous for the saying “I think, therefore I am.”

Much lesser know story is the time he walked into a bar in Paris and orders a drink. When he finishes his drink, the bartender asks him if he would like another. Descartes replies, “No, I think not,” and POOF! he disappeared in a puff of logic.

Recap

Flourish: Growing Healthy Believers

One of the scribes approached. When he heard them debating and saw that Jesus answered them well, he asked him, “Which command is the most important of all?”

Jesus answered, “The most important” is Listen, Israel! The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God” with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is, Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other command” greater than these.”

Mark 12:28–31

When Jesus says “This is the most important commandment”, we should pay careful attention. God’s commandments aren’t the arbitrary laws of a dictator; they’re the purposeful, loving guidance of a Father who wants what’s best for His children—he wants them to flourish.

So to be growing healthy believers means to be loving the Lord your God with more of your heart, soul, mind, & strength; day after day, year after year, decade after decade, through all eternity.

Everything we’re going to talk about in this summer series will fall into one these broad categories.

Today, we’re going to start with talking about the mind.

Why start with the mind?

Back to Descartes, he may not have been right about “I think, therefore I am”, but it’s clear through Scripture and backed up by our own lives, what we think and the way we think absolutely affects how we understand life.

Because it changes the way you experience everything else.

MARK: “Did you make a mistake since coming here?”

ME: “I’m sure I have, but I’d have to think about it.”

Look of horror… he said, “in coming here!”

What I thought he said changed my answer.

Why we think?

Because we’re made in the image of God.

It’s what makes us different than animals.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not my ways.” This is the Lord’s declaration. “For as heaven is higher than the earth, so my ways are bigger than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Isaiah 55:8–9

Change your thinking, change your life.

And because they did not think it worthwhile to acknowledge God, God delivered them over to a corrupt mind so that they do what is not right.

Romans 1:28

Because of their thoughts, God left them to their thoughts.

You were taught how to think about life by your parents/family, by culture you grew up in, by school system, by your peers, by social media, by entertainment (Lord, have mercy!)

Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

Romans 12:1–2

Part of the work of the Holy Spirit is to change the way you think, the renewing of your mind. But you have to be willing to admit that what you thought previously was wrong.

What’s the last thing you really changed your mind about?

1. Challenge Your Thoughts.

Have you ever slowed down to pay attention to what is going on in your mind?

We need to take captive our thoughts and examine them. To take something captive is to take control of it and put it in a controlled environment — like putting a ferocious animal in a cage. Then, we need to take a close look at our thoughts and consider what we are thinking or believing and why.

As we do this, we need to consider if our thoughts line up with what is true of Jesus and our new life in him. Do our thoughts conform to the truths of the gospel?

The enemies of our soul tell lies about God to tempt us, to breed distrust in relationships to divide us, and to rehearse accusing words in our ears to destroy us. What kinds of words are you hearing in your mind?

  1. Challenge Your Thoughts.

2. Bring Your Mind into Submission

the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds. We demolish arguments and every proud thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to obey Christ.

2 Corinthians 10:4-5

As you capture thoughts, invite the Holy Spirit to bring them into submission to Jesus, to the truths of the gospel. We have been given the Spirit to make known the truth about Jesus and to convict us of anything not in line with the gospel.

Here are some of the key questions to ask the Spirit to address in me:

Prayer is not only bringing my requests to God. Prayer is also submitting my thoughts and beliefs to God’s Spirit, so that my mind can be renewed by the truths of God’s word as I submit and listen.

  1. Challenge Your Thoughts.
  2. Bring Your Mind into Submission

3. Consider the Fruit

One of the ways we fight the war of the mind is by considering the fruit we’re presently experiencing, or the fruit we would experience if we engaged a particular thought or suggested action.

If the fruit doesn’t resemble the fruit of the Spirit or the life of Jesus, we can be certain that our minds are not presently in submission to Jesus. Instead, we are submitted to someone or something else.

The Spirit brings conviction and leads us in repentance. Repentance is not simply a change of behavior, but a change of belief that produces changed behaviors.

We need the Spirit to reveal where we have believed lies and to lead us to the truth about Jesus, granting both eyes to see and hearts to believe. As the Spirit moves, we will experience a change of mind that will change the way we live.

  1. Challenge Your Thoughts.
  2. Bring Your Mind into Submission
  3. Consider the Fruit

4. Fight Back

The war of your mind is not a passive activity, but an active, vigorous fight, fought with the power of God and spiritual weapons made available to us through the gospel. As the Spirit makes the truths of Jesus known to you, you must hold fast to them, take cover in them, and learn to proactively fight with them.

This is the very essence of wisdom in this matter. Have you realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself? Take those thoughts that come to you the moment you wake up in the morning. You have not originated them, but they start talking to you, they bring back the problem of yesterday, etc. Somebody is talking. Who is talking to you? Your self is talking to you.

Now this man’s treatment [in Psalm 42] was this; instead of allowing this self to talk to him, he starts talking to himself, ‘Why art thou cast down, O my soul?’ he asks. His soul had been repressing him, crushing him. So he stands up and says: ‘Self, listen for a moment, I will speak to you’.

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Don’t fear deep thinking.

Prefix “a-” before word negates it (theist, atheist)

Amuse: literally to “not think”

God gave you a brain for a reason—use it!

Anti-intellectualism is a tool of the enemy.

Think about what I’m saying, and the Lord will
give you understanding of all these things.

2 Timothy 2:7, NLT

Set your minds.

A wise person is hungry for knowledge,
while the fool feeds on trash.

Proverbs 13:14, NLT

So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

Colossians 3:1–2

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.

Philippians 4:8, ESV

With your minds ready for action, be sober-minded and set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 1:13