Our Mind is a source of trouble for us and it needs to be managed with wisdom. God has given us our minds and we are to use them in the way God intended. However our mind is often a source of pride, or a place where our human pride can be seen. And, sadly, many people come to worship their mind, to their own hurt.
Whatever wonderful qualities you may think your mind provides, take note that the Bible warns us our mind can be a problem and needs to be changed for the better.
The Apostle Paul clearly tells us to have our minds renewed.
“Don’t be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Romans 12:2
Our mind is programmed by the world, so when we come to faith in Christ we have to have our mind renewed, to think the thoughts of God.
“Be renewed in the spirit of your minds” Ephesians 4:23
In the arrogance of our mind we can want to preserve the ideas we have held onto and use our mind to inspect the things of God. This is pride. The fatal flaw of that kind of thinking is that there are things in this world that appear as wisdom but are nothing short of devilish mind tricks to keep you from the miraculous grace of God.
“This wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.” James 3:15
“Among the mature, however, we speak a message of wisdom, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.” 1Corinthians 2:6
“The natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.” 1Corinthians 2:14
“The wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. As it is written, He catches the wise in their craftiness.” 1Corinthians 3:19
How sad to trust your mind and prove to be a fool by doing so.
“Professing themselves to be wise they became fools” Romans 1:22
As a Christian lad I had great confidence in my mind. I did well enough at school and I thought I was pretty good at understanding things. I was also proud of my abilities and did not realise the pride and arrogance in my heart.
I took delight in explaining things as that showed people now clever I was.
As a result I actually thought less of the Bible. I thought the Bible was limited, but my explanations were important. I felt that the Bible couldn’t stand alone, but needed explanatory notes, such as my comments.
I was displaying arrogance of mind and mind worship.
I exalted my mind. I felt that people were better off to hear my explanations than to actually read the Bible. When I did my own irregular Bible devotions I would rather read the explanatory notes than the Bible text. In my heart I actually scorned the Word of God.
The Bible is incredibly powerful, without the help of any additional support systems. The unaided Word of God has done more than all the sermons and explanations could ever do.
When we turn to explanations and rely on these helps we compromise the Word, making it subject to man’s explanations. The Word has its own inherent power – to create and to make wise the simple, to give light and much more.
God spoke the Word at creation and God’s Word has continued to work powerfully in people’s lives.
“And God said, Let there be light. And there was light.” Genesis 1:3
“The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure, making the simple wise.” Psalm 19:7
“The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.” Psalm 119:130
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” Matthew 24:35
Among the serious issues with our mind are arrogance and pride, trying to exalt our limited thinking over that of God and God’s Word, when God’s thoughts far outstrip ours.
“As high as the heavens are over the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:9
Another serious problem is when our mind interrupts what God is saying and doing. When a father tells a child to obey an instruction the life of the child is protected by that instruction. But if the child demands a full explanation as to why and what for, the child is not showing faith and trust in the instruction, but elevating their mind over everything else.
Many Christians find that as soon as they hear of some wonderful thing about God or what God is doing, their mind leaps into action and demands an explanation.
While they are distracted with demanding to know the whys and wherefores they are distracted from simply responding in faith and experiencing what God is doing.
If have noted that at times when there is a sense of God’s presence someone can cut across it with a technical question or other mental distraction. They aren’t in touch with God’s presence and they effectively draw others away from it.
Let me repeat that God has given us our minds and we are to use them in the way God intended. God did not intend our mind to compete with God Himself, or with God’s Word, or to distract us from faith and from relationship with God.
Some years ago, as I was driving somewhere, one of my sons asked, “Dad, are you enjoying driving right now?” The question came out of nowhere and I had to pull myself back from the pleasant experience of travelling, to enter a mental process of analysis.
Years later, when that son was driving me somewhere, I threw the same question at him. He was no better equipped to answer than I was when he asked me.
Analysis is not part of the process of enjoyment. It’s a mental game that puts the mind dominant over everything else.
Don’t let your mind demand a central place it does not deserve. Your mind can reflect and analyse all it wants at some convenient time, but when it comes to walking with God and enjoying all God has for you, put God first and Don’t Worship Your Mind.