One of the greatest cliche's of our
time says that “a mind is a terrible thing to waste.” As I sat
in church today, I realized that sometimes a mind is a terrible thing
to
have, if it's not "had" in a right way...if that makes any sense.
As I have listened
to the teachings on anxiety and depression that my church has been
going through, it's surprised me how much I have forgotten how
powerful the mind is, and how radical our thought lives may be.
I say
that sometimes a mind may be a terrible thing to have because it can
enslave us. If we are not careful, our thoughts can consume our
lives, and we become strangers to our own being. We become numb,
if you will, to what we really want out of life, all because our
minds and thoughts are taken captive by something destructive.
At the
heart of anxiety and depression are thoughts. And, although it
sounds so simple and straightforward (because it is), when I heard
this at church today, I was honestly taken aback. John Mark noted
that, basically, we become what we think. To put it another way, how
we think influences how we feel. Our thoughts shape and determine
our lives and the way that we live them.
As
they said back in the day, “as a man thinks in his heart, so is
he.”
And
isn't this so true? Recently, my mind has been caught up in all
sorts of what-if scenarios. I've questioned where God has me in
life, and then when He shows up to take me somewhere, I question if
He's right. Instead of focusing on His thoughts, His words, I allow
my mind to fill all empty space within it with doubt and worry.
With
anxiety. With depression.
And
this can happen with anything. I have friends who fill their
thoughts with their past, or things they have down wrong. They
wallow, and let these thoughts steal joy from them outright. And
still, other friends let a broken heart invade their thoughts. The
pervasive lies that they are not good enough, or that they did
something wrong which caused everything to go wrong, are alive and
well in their minds and so shape how they live.
We are bitter, somber, sad, depressed, anxious. And yet we wonder why
we are like this.
We are
like this because we think in this way. We think about our
struggles, so it makes sense that we continue to live them out and
wallow in them.
In the
first passage we read, we see Paul, who is no stranger to being
downcast. Paul, so venerated for his devotion to Christ even while
riddled with chains, knows what it is to struggle, yet he encourages
us to look beyond our struggles to see the sacrifice that is required
of all of us:
“Therefore,
I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer
your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is
your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this
world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will
be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing
and perfect will.” Romans 12:1-2
Here,
Paul shows us how to think and live in a different way. Instead of
focusing on our struggles, he tells us to live as sacrifices, holy
and pleasing to God. Can you imagine doing this? How different
would your life be if you constantly thought about sacrificing all
you are to God? And he doesn't just say to do this for no reason,
but because it is an act of worship.
So
often we forget what worship really is. Worship is sacrifice; these
two concepts are synonymous. Often, we think that worship means
singing songs, when in fact it means to come before God and offer
something.
If
you're not offering or sacrificing, you are not worshipping. And
when we think on things that are negative, and lies fed to us, we are
not worshipping God, and that is no good.
He
then goes on to tell us not to conform to the pattern of this world
(not the entire world, just the culture that is set up against God),
but to be transformed by renewing our minds!
How we
think has a vital impact on following Jesus. If we allow Him to
renew our minds, we can be transformed. But, if we don't, we will
remain stagnant...not moving, or following Jesus anywhere.
If we
want to change how we live, we have to change how we think!
After
discussing this passage, we moved on to 2 Corinthians. Both letters
to the Corinthians are favorites of mine in the NT. They are written
in a way to convey such conviction, but also great hope. Our
discussion centered around our thoughts and how we need to align them
with the knowledge of God:
“For
though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.
The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the
contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish
arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the
knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it
obedient to Christ.” 2 Cor. 10:3-5
Here,
it describes how although we live in the world, we are not fighting
with what the world has. Instead, we have God's power which is
strong enough to overcome and demolish strongholds (places in our
lives where the enemy, such as satan, the world system, or the flesh,
have taken over). We have this divine power, in the spirit, and we
need to realize that this is exercised when we take captive every
thought and make it obedient to Christ.
And, I
say it again: We demolish strongholds when we take captive every
thought and make it obedient to Christ.
This
is where I felt the most conviction. When I am left to my thoughts,
I do not take them captive in order to make them obedient. I let
them run wild, like selfish and feral children. I let my mind wander
about plans for my future, ill thoughts towards other, and so many
other thoughts unbecoming of a woman seeks to search for the heart of God.
I let
myself live in a fantasy of what I want, what I think I deserve, and
what I hope is coming to me.
It may
be the saddest place in the world.
Thank
God that I don't have to think that way.
We
have the power, through Jesus, to decide what we are going to think
about. God is with us, through everything, through our thoughts
about anything-and-everything-terrible-and-unholy-under-the-sun, and
He will help us.
We
need to lean into the spirit for self-control, and move on from
thoughts that keep us enslaved.
We
need to live in what God has for us, instead of what our mind creates
for us.
So, I
say it again: take every thought captive AND make it obedient to
Christ!
And
the last passage we went over was Philippians 4:4-7 which focuses on
rejoicing in the Lord:
“Rejoice
in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your
gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious
about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with
thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God,
which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your
minds in Christ Jesus.”
Here
we centered around the idea of simply turning anxieties into prayers.
What are you anxious about? What is worrying you? Turn these
thoughts into prayers. Come before God, in thanksgiving and present
your requests, needs, worries, anxieties, to Him!
Thanksgiving
is thanking God in advance for stuff that has yet to happen. Pray to
Him openly and honestly and expect that He will do good things. They
may not be what you want, exactly, but thank Him because you know
that He hears AND answers.
Worry
about nothing, pray about everything, thank God for anything.
Take
every thought captive, and make it obedient to Christ.
Turn
your anxieties into prayers.
Think
on what is noble, good, true, praiseworthy, right, lovely, etc.
Move
on from what is plaguing you, and fill your mind with God's thoughts.
That is my prayer for you.
In
Christ,
Lilia
