Enemies of the Mind – Part 4
We have studied some enemies of the mind that can affect the way we think, therefore affecting our conviction about the Word of God – which will prevent transformation of the mind that leads to conformity to Christ; which is God’s desire for each and everyone of us. The Bible teaches us:
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. (Romans 8:28-29 NIV)
How are we able to begin that process of conforming? We know it begins by dying with Christ through baptism, which puts us on the new path of holiness and transformation through the Holy Spirit who works in the believer:
Ro 12:2 Do not conform any longer 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.
We must yield to the Sprit to allow this transformation to take place. Then we will know God’s will for us!
1Pe 1:14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.
Some of these evil desires cause us to have a wrong state of mind, as we have been discussing in this series. Wrongness of the mind is evidenced in:
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Guilt
2- Materialism
3- Worry
4- Divided Allegiance
All these cause sin to oppress us and trap us. Christ came to deliver us from these and restore ourselves to an intimate and fruitful relationship with Himself.
Let’s take a look at some more enemies of the mind:
V- Self-Centeredness – The toughest enemy
A – One of the worst opponents to peace of mind is your very self. To the selfish mind, the standard of comparison is always other people. All advertisers capitalize on this fatal flaw. They use the most powerful weapon they have: your ego. The self has always been the focus of philosophers. Consider the 3 most popular world views that have dominated human thinking but have never been able to fulfill anyone:
1- Ancient Greek philosophers emphasized “Know Yourself”
2- Ascetics (austere-minded individuals) focused on “Contain (control) Yourself”
3- Hedonists (seekers of pleasure) taught “Enjoy Yourself”
4- Jesus taught “Deny Yourself”. This is God’s Heavenly View. The only way we will get to Heaven. The only form of thinking that promotes soundness of mind and wholeness of spirit.
B – Self-centeredness is the opposite of healthy self-esteem and wholeness. Man has a consciousness of God (Ecc 3:11), and the suppression of that concept is at the core of human rebellion. Serving God is our only satisfaction: when we worship God (surrendering to His Lordship) we will secure contentment and happiness for ourselves (Ecc 12:13).
C – Manifestations of Self-centeredness:
1- Self will
We all have a tendency to do what we want. We listen and we ask, but in the end, we do what we want.
2Ti 4:3 For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
Jude 1:18-19 They said to you, "In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires." These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.
These are passages warning us about following our own desires and doing our own thing despite the corrections and advice given to us. Our wills should be subordinate to each other, our leaders and mostly God, who is our Creator. God will test your willingness of subordinations through your brothers and sisters and the leaders He has placed in the church. If you do your own thing your own way, thinking you are better, which is the next fruit of Self-centeredness, not only can you never serve others, you will never be truly happy!
2- Self-righteousness
Who are you the first to defend? Yourself? This is the attitude of the perfectionist and the self-righteous. I am right and everyone else is wrong. Here’s the attitude that is always blaming others for everything that’s going wrong in your life. How pitiful! How can anyone be fulfilled or happy in this state of mind? All this only leads to frustration since we are imperfect and will make mistakes all throughout our lives!
Lu 18:9-14
9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable:
10 "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
11 The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men-- robbers, evildoers, adulterers-- or even like this tax collector.
12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.'
13 "But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'
14 "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
Who slept more peacefully of these two? Who’s conscience was tranquil and soothed?
Look at Paul’s attitude:
Php 3:8-9
8 What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ
9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ-- the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.
What a relief! I don’t have to earn my way to Heaven! I couldn’t have done it anyway even if I tried! So, if you can’t do it, why pretend you are so good and righteous? Why be a fault finder, a church cop, a finger pointer? Are you trying to justify yourself in light of other people’s failures? God is testing your humility through all our faults! Surrender to the transformation process of the Spirit and surrender to your brothers in the church! Be at peace with yourself!
Tit 3:4-7
4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared,
5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,
6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior,
7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.
3- Self-pity
Self pity is one of the most destructive fruit to emotional tranquility. Also one of the most pitiful to observe. Poor me, poor me! Look how Asaph describes his close brush with this character flaw:
Ps 73:1-5
1 A psalm of Asaph. Surely God is good to
2 But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold.
3 For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4 They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong.
5 They are free from the burdens common to man; they are not plagued by human ills.
When God allows his to see things from a divine vantage point, he sees the folly of his ways:
Ps 73:13-19
13 Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence.
14 All day long I have been plagued; I have been punished every morning.
15 If I had said, "I will speak thus," I would have betrayed your children.
16 When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me
17 till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny.
18 Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin.
19 How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors!
4- Selfishness
Nothing is more debilitating to our character than selfishness. The selfish are not satisfied, hence, don’t experience blessedness. Remember that to be blessed is to be extremely happy and content.
Ac 20:35 In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’
The more you give of yourself the more purpose you find in your life and contentment. You truly are able to give the most valuable things given to you: grace, mercy and forgiveness; when you have learned to give of yourself and what you have, understanding that God is the giver of all.
A selfish person doesn’t believe God is helping them; therefore they need to do a better job of it than God. There is no trust and no love in the selfish, for their capacity to love has been diminished to love only themselves, if you can call it real love.
5- Self-adulation
Ro 12:3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.
God doesn’t want your head to get big. Don’t base your own judgments of yourself on whims or feelings; not even on what others may tell you, but with soberness, with the measure of faith God gave you. Now this is an incredible teaching for how and what we ought to think of ourselves! Of course, all the character flaws we’ve been discussing that are a part of self-centeredness (Iitis) are related. If someone suffers form one of them the others are not too far away. So the person who is focused on self, who does what he wants because he’s the only one who’s right in his eyes, because no one can understand him and therefore he has to meet his own needs first, must elevate himself in his eyes since no one else is doing it. Sounds familiar no?
God has given you a measure of faith along with talents that you may have mental and emotional soundness. You have to look beyond your nose though to be able to see it and use it. J
1Co 4:5 Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.
Key word… WAIT! Don’t get on your high and mighty horse and pronounce judgments, especially on people’s motives! You cannot know what is in the heart of men, as skillful as you may be. Perhaps you can lead someone to confess their motives, but to guess them?? No way! Leave it up to the Lord and continue to love and serve them.
Never, ever boast about who you are or what you have and do:
Pr 27:21 The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but man is tested by the praise he receives.
Pr 27:2 Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; someone else, and not your own lips.
1Jo 2:16 For everything in the world-- the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does-- comes not from the Father but from the world.
And be careful of the praise you accept from men:
John 5:44 How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God?
D – Jesus is the perfect example of balance.
He emptied Himself for our benefit. Like Artie so beautifully described last week, Jesus valued your life more than His Godship. He emptied Himself and made Himself nothing and took on the very form of a man and became obedient to death, even death on a cross (Phil 2:7-8)!
Gal 1:3-5
3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,
4 who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,
5 to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Are we wise enough to learn from our Master? I do so hope we are. After all, we all are here today to learn and allow His Spirit to transform our lowly minds to His glorious one.
I will close with Paul’s state of mind, worthy of imitation:
Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory. (2Tim 2:10)