January 30, 2020
“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” Ephesians 4:22-24
I grew up in a farming community in a family of farmers. Most of the county roads in the rural areas were either dirt or at best topped with caliche. Unlike today, this was during a time when very few people had four drive vehicles. Therefore, driving on these roads after a heavy rain or melting snow was quite a challenge. I knew families who lived several miles from a paved road who would park a tractor at the paved road during extended rainy spells just to drag their vehicles back and forth to their homes.
The first vehicle to go down a muddy road would leave deep ruts. Any vehicles coming after the first one did not have much choice other than to steer their vehicle into the ruts and follow the same path. Once you were in the ruts it was very difficult to steer your vehicle to take another path.
I am made in God’s image and therefore have the ability to choose what I think about with my mind. However, my mind and brain work in a similar way to trying to driving down a muddy road. My brain will respond to what I am thinking with my mind. The more I think about something the deeper I create “ruts” in my brain. Once these ruts of thinking patterns are developed it is very difficult to not follow those thinking patterns. Some of those thinking patterns produce good fruit but others can produce bad fruit that is harmful to me and others that I interact with.
Many of our thinking patterns are the result of the family and society environment that we grew up in and are somewhat due to what we heard and observed other people say and do. However, many other thinking patterns developed in our brains because we choose to think about those things. I was exposed to pornography as a young boy not by my choice, but I did choose to dwell upon what I saw and read. Eventually those thoughts became thought patterns in my brain that my body and emotions would automatically respond to. For many years I was a slave in my mind to sexual immorality and lust because I chose to think about such things. Even if I tried to not think about those things something would trigger the thoughts and down the muddy ruts I would go.
That all changed when I met Jesus. He gave me a new heart and a new spirit and the ability to take captive every thought that stands against the knowledge of who he is and who I am in him! However, it was not easy just like it is not easy to break free of the ruts on a muddy road. It takes time for the road to dry out and then hard work to fill in the ruts and grade the road so that it will drain properly. Likewise I had to choose to fill in the ruts and grade the road of my mind by following Philippians 4:8 which states, “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.” Eventually new thought patterns were developed in my mind and brain and I was completely free from the power of pornography. But that was only the beginning of the process of the Holy Spirit showing me other thought patterns in my mind that were standing against the knowledge of who Jesus is in me. I find that now I struggle more with thought patterns that were formed in my youth that include racial prejudice and contempt for people who are not like me in some form or fashion. I know these thought patterns are wrong and I hate them. However, just like the hard work that was required to fill in the ruts and regrade my mind to be free from pornography, I have to take captive every thought and bring them into captivity by the power of the Holy Spirit and then chose to exercise the mind of Christ Jesus that he has given me. Deuteronomy 30:19 states, “This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.” Will you join me in choosing life and not death by the renewing of our minds?
Blessings,
Kevin