In The Mind Part I, we talked about our thoughts and how vast our mind is. We talked about how easily our mind can be manipulated to believe lies and falsehoods the enemy tells us about ourselves. We talked about the fact that the Bible tells us that the thoughts and intents of man are evil and how easily our imaginations can create a cavern of negativity. Where we left off was with Paul’s letter to the church at Corinth; the very last line of the lesson was 1 Corinthians 2:16 and that is where we will begin for The Mind Part II.

1 Corinthians 2:16 KJV: For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.

NLT: For, “Who can know the LORD’s thoughts? Who knows enough to teach Him?” But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.

What do you think it means to have “the mind of Christ?”

Ecclesiastes 12:13 says, Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this [is] the whole [duty] of man.

Where sin is present, there is absence. The first absence is the fear of God. 

Psalm 36:1 KJV The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes.

Psalm 36:1 NLT Sin whispers to the wicked, deep within their hearts. They have no fear of God at all.

With no fear of God, there is no fear of consequence or accountability. It’s easy for us to not hold ourselves accountable. In fact, self preservation is so powerful we learn young, “kill or be killed;” or “survival of the fittest;” or “it’s a dog eat dog world.” The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, so without it, there is no wisdom working in your life.

The second absence is Jesus Christ the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the Only begotten Son of the only wise God.  

Without the light of Jesus Christ in their lives, darkness reigns through sin. Darkness moves us to try to fill that void with sin. Natural concepts are reflective of spiritual concepts. Just as dark matter and dark energy are spreading in our galaxy, so is sin. Sin is continually looking to expand. Sin is referred to as leaven in the Bible, because when you add yeast or baking soda  (leaven) to flour, it rises; it expands; it grows. What sin conceives in our heart grows to reach our mind. 

We talked about it in Part I, but let’s cover it again. When we hit puberty and entered into our teen years, we became tormented by an overload of thoughts. Everything became intensely complicated due to an increase in hormones and stress. During those years, we’re hit with a flood of darkness through trends, friends, school, culture. Without a solid foundation on Jesus, or maybe because we lost our footing in Him, we tried to comprehend the deep things of life without His Light. We really found out how dark this world is; how twisted and jaded people are, cruel and often heartless. Satan really works at this time in us to distort God’s image, the image  we were created in, in order to disfigure us for the rest of our lives with sin. Out of hurting hearts, we learned how to hurt others, and we did so with our words, our actions, and attitudes. 

Have you ever had what is referred to as a “light bulb moment?” 

A light bulb lit over the head, accompanied by an AHA!

The light bulb signifies a sudden brilliant idea or a moment of genius.  In the middle of a lack of thought, void of ideas, the light bulb illuminates and eureka as they would say! Here’s some facts about our brains:

1. The brain generates enough electrical current to power a 25-watt bulb. (EUREKA!)

2. Memory and cognitive abilities begin to decline in the late 20s.

3. The human brain can recognize and remember over 50,000 distinct scents.

4. Neural signals in the brain travel at a speed of 268 miles per hour.

5. According to the Laboratory of Neuro Imaging at the University of Southern California, the average brain generates 48.6 thoughts per minute—amounting to about 70,000 thoughts per day.

6. A larger brain does not correlate with higher intelligence; physical size is responsible for around only 10% of intelligence variability. Source: American Medical Journal of Medicine

70,000 thoughts a day! The thought process is unique to every individual. What one person sees or hears is processed according to their own mind. The acceptance or rejection of the idea is based on one’s own thoughts. Psalm 10:4 says, “The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.” Maybe you’re thinking, “How can I have God in all my thoughts? Is that even possible?” The answer is yes! 

Here’s what we have to know to achieve this:

1. Thoughts become your beliefs 
2. Beliefs become your words
3. Your words become your actions
4. Your actions become your habits
5. Your habits become your character

Do you feel that GOD has control of these?

We’re going to be talking about the first two in this Bible study:

There are four parameters of our thoughts:

Insightful “problem solving”  Who, what, when, where, how and why	Experiential “the task at hand” based on experience and observation
Incessant  “brain chatter” constant flow of ideas and scenarios	Intrusive “unwanted” disruptive, annoying, uninvited

Thoughts can be physically based, such as hunger, thirst, tiredness, etc.; they can be emotion based, such as happiness, sadness, anger, betrayal, etc; or they can be spiritually based. Spiritual based thoughts is where we find the mind of Christ. We’ve got to move our thoughts into this category away from our senses and our wants or needs (physical), how we feel (emotion), and focus them on our relationship with Jesus (spiritual).

Romans 8:1,2, 5-8

KJV: There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. … 5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded [is] death; but to be spiritually minded [is] life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind [is] enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. NLT: So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to Him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. … 5 Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. 6 So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. 7 For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. 8 That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.

So first thing first: Are you in Christ Jesus? Do you belong to Him?

If you’re unsure, understand then that the answer is no. When you’re in a relationship with Jesus, you know it. There’s no question. There’s no deliberation of thought. When you know, you know. If you feel shaky on it, then you’ve got to receive the truth that your heart isn’t right with Him. The remedy is simple: Repent. To repent is to ask for forgiveness for your sins and then turn away from it. It’s a 180, not a 360. 

In order for us to have the mind of Christ, we have to relinquish control of what we think is right based on our opinion and let the Lord lead and guide the way in truth and He can only do that when we have given our heart FULLY to Him. So if thoughts become our beliefs the next things to ask is this:

Are your thoughts based on opinion or fact? 

Proverbs 3:5-8 KJV  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths. 7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. 8 It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.

Proverbs 3:5-8 NLT  Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6 Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take. 7 Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the LORD and turn away from evil. 8 Then you will have healing for your body and strength for your bones.

So many people say, “well we’re only human” as a means to justify their sin. If we allow sin to control our thoughts it will control our beliefs, our words, our actions, our habits and our character. Vince Lombardi, one of the greatest coaches to ever live, was the football coach for the Green Bay Packers in the 1960s. He led the team to five NFL Championships in seven years including a three year streak, and back to back Super Bowl wins in 1966 and 1967. He once said, “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence.” Let’s look for biblical truth.

PERFECTION

Deuteronomy 32:4 KJV    [He is] the Rock, His work [is] perfect: for all His ways [are] judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right [is] He.

Deuteronomy 32:4 NLT    He is the Rock; His deeds are perfect. Everything He does is just and fair. He is a faithful God who does no wrong; how just and upright He is!

2 Samuel 22:31, 33 KJV   [As for] God, His way [is] perfect; the word of the LORD [is] tried: He [is] a buckler to all them that trust in Him. … 33 God [is] my strength [and] power: and He maketh my way perfect.

2 Samuel 22:31, 33 NLT    God’s way is perfect. All the LORD’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to Him for protection. … 33 God is my strong fortress, and He makes my way perfect.

OUR PERFECTION COMES FROM HIM

Isaiah 26:3-4 NKJV You will keep [him] in perfect peace, [Whose] mind [is] stayed [on You], Because he trusts in You. 4 Trust in the LORD forever, For in YAH, the LORD, [is] everlasting strength.

Hebrews 13:20-21 NKJV Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 21 make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom [be] glory forever and ever. Amen.

1 Corinthians 1:5-9 NKJV that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge, 6 even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, 7 so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8 who will also confirm you to the end, [that you may be] blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God [is] faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Deuteronomy 18:13 KJV   Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God. Deuteronomy 18:13 NLT   But you must be blameless before the LORD your God.

It’s through the blood of Jesus Christ that we are perfect in Him. It doesn’t mean we’re not gonna fail; we’re gonna fail. It doesn’t mean we’re not gonna fall; we gonna fall. The point is that we rely on HIM who never fails and never falls when we do. The point is that we repent and seek Him in those times instead of throwing in the towel, “hiding” or “running” from Him, or continuing in sin because we failed. Learn from it and grow in Him! Every “failure” is an opportunity to learn. Thomas Edison said, “”I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” That’s walking with Christ– learning that only God’s way will work.

Go in confidence after you repent from your fall and heed the word of truth! 

The Word of God says in Deuteronomy 31:8  “Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; He will neither fail you nor abandon you.”

It’s on the main page of this site And Jesus said in Matthew 28:20 NLT   “… be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Paul sums this up in Hebrews 6:1 NLT   So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don’t need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds and placing our faith in God.

Your thoughts will become your beliefs. Belief is defined as:

1. An acceptance that a statement is true or that something exists
2. Trust, faith, or confidence in someone or something

Take a moment to think: What are your beliefs?

The most important belief we can have is in the Son of God, Jesus Christ. The simplest gospel is found in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” 

Romans 10:9-11 NKJV  …if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” 

Your heart, not just your head must believe that Jesus is the Son of God; that He died for you, to atone for your sins, that He defeated death and the grave and rose again on the third day and has ascended into heaven and is alive forevermore. 

Are your beliefs (and convictions) your own?

In this age, our thoughts are bombarded daily through opinions of those around us or what we hear or see. Social media is a huge “influencer” of our opinions which then become beliefs. Sometimes things that are “viral” are literally a virus of lies or falsehoods with the satanic influence of making us sick. These people who spread these viral thoughts are simply workers of iniquity, some knowing and some unknowingly. They work for Satan; sowing tares, in hopes that some will land among the wheat and grow to a full crop. 

Satan knows scripture. If he threw scripture at Jesus in His time of temptation, what makes you BELIEVE that he won’t do it to you? We’ve probably all heard the phrase, “you are what you eat.” We’ve also probably all heard the phrase, “we eat with our eyes.” Consider the sheer bombardment we face every day from Facebook, X, Instagram, blogs, websites, podcasts, work, TV, movies, music, work, texts, and interactions in our community while out and about. Everything is sensationalized: information presented about something in a way that provokes  public interest and excitement, at the expense of accuracy. Sin is the same. Lies are presented in a way that provokes you to enticement and interest, at the expense of your soul, through what you believe. In sin, we think that we’re so smart. In sin, we believe that we’re smarter than God, just as Satan believed. We think that we have our lives in hand and we have everything figured out; until we don’t. We believe the lie that we are “the masters of our own reality.”  Never forget this:

S M Y S :: Sin Makes You Stupid

Romans 11:34-36 KJV For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been His counsellor? 35 Or who hath first given to Him, and it shall be recompensed unto Him again? 36 For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, [are] all things: to whom [be] glory for ever. Amen.

Romans 11:34-36 NLT  For who can know the LORD’s thoughts? Who knows enough to give Him advice? 35 And who has given Him so much that he needs to pay it back? 36 For everything comes from Him and exists by His power and is intended for His glory. All glory to Him forever! Amen.

Colossians 1:16-17 KJV For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether [they be] thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

Colossians 1:16-17 NLT  For through Him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see–such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through Him and for Him. 17 He existed before anything else, and He holds all creation together.

In sin, we forget the basic fundamentals. We are here, we are alive because of GOD. If you simply remove one letter from the word belief, we get the word belie. Our sinful, negative thoughts belie the word of God. To belie is to give a false impression of; to contradict; to disguise. Pretty soon we find ourselves believing satanic lies designed for our self destruction.

“No one cares”	“Weak!”
“You’re worthless”	“Who cares, it doesn’t matter”
“Remember your past…”	“You can’t change”
“Don’t bother, you’ll just fail”	“You’re not enough”
“You’ll never make it”	“You’re no good”
“No one loves you”	“You’re a loser”

All of these vanish away with Jesus. Jesus cares. Jesus loves you. Jesus is your strength. You are precious to Him. Jesus cares for you. You can change by His Spirit. His forgiveness forgets your past. You can make it in Him. You are more than a conqueror and have victory in Him. You were enough for Him to die for you. These are lies from the great Deceiver.

Are there lies from the Deceiver you have believed about yourself?

Henry Ford once stated, and my husband quotes it frequently, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t–you’re right.” Never let go of Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Jesus said in John 14:1, “Let your heart not be troubled; you believe in GOD, believe also in Me.” He also said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” [2 Cor 12:9] Change is transformation and it is part of being a Christian. You are in the act of becoming more like Christ.

When it’s time for a butterfly caterpillar to become a butterfly, they form inside of a chrysalis. A chrysalis is a hardened smooth shelled casing made from their own skin. When we become a new creation in Christ, old things pass away and behold all things are made new. What we were, transformed into something new. When it’s time for a moth caterpillar to become a moth, they go into a cocoon which is soft and porous, and made of silk like threads which they case around themselves. Moths are corrupters and consumers. They eat and destroy. There is no beauty in a moth (unless you’re a bug nerd). Jesus said in Matthew 6:19-20, Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: What God creates is beautiful; what we often “create” for ourselves is destructive. Our freewill keeps us from the real change that God desires for us.

Change is an ongoing process, where you become less and He becomes more. The world will tell you that becoming a Christian and living for Christ means you’ve gotta give everything up. What they don’t and can’t understand is that when you have a true relationship with Jesus, you’ve come into communion with the Spirit of God. You are changed not by your might, power, or will, but by the Spirit of God. You want to please Him. You want to be better. You want to be blameless because it honors Him. You become malleable; you’re able to be shaped and molded into the best version of yourself because you are in a relationship with The Manufacturer. He made you. He made your heart, your soul, and your mind. Those are places to be ruled and there are two choices: either God rules within you or Satan does. God’s will in action over your thoughts and beliefs will guide your path. He knows what’s best. All things work together to them that love God, who are called according to His purpose [Rom 8:28]. Satan is a thief and a robber and the thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy; but Jesus came that you might have life, and that you might have it more abundantly. [John 10:10]. Satan’s goal is your destruction and your thoughts are his number one way in. 

1 Corinthians 2:9-12

KJV But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 10 But God hath revealed [them] unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

1 Corinthians 2:9-12 NLT

That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” 10 But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. 11 No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. 12 And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.

Work on changing your thoughts to His thoughts and making your belief sure in Him. Know that we can have the mind of Christ and it is His desire for us.

-CC

Brother Wisdom’s Scriptures:

1 Corinthians 7:32 KJV – But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord: 1 Corinthians 7:32 NLT – I want you to be free from the concerns of this life. An unmarried man can spend his time doing the Lord’s work and thinking how to please him.

Luke 6:46-49 KJV – And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? 47 Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: 48 He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. 49 But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great. Luke 6:46-49 NLT – “So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say? 47 I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then follows it. 48 It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built. 49 But anyone who hears and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins.”