Mind of Christ

Hello Bride of Christ,

The other day I caught myself standing in front of a device that sits on my nightstand just in awe of the pictures it was reeling through. I was not surprised by the old photos it was displaying, but by the contrast between how I was feeling right then in that moment looking back on the moment compared to how I felt when living that moment. Why such the stark contrast in emotion and sentiment?

Often, I find myself not enjoying the present moment because my thoughts are elsewhere preparing for the next event, contingency planning, or shaming myself for forgetting something or someone. The mind is a battlefield.

Paul, when writing to the fellow Jesus followers in Corinth, clued them into this keen fact, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.” (2 Corinthians 10:3-6)

This battle ground is not flesh or physical, but rather spiritual. The weapons of combat are not carnal, but rather in God. The setting or environment of this battle is not a physical location, but rather in our minds.

Strongholds in our mind.

Arguments in our mind.

High things in our mind.

Do these battles sound familiar? Does this self-talk sound familiar?

Bride of Christ, there is hope in our Lord. As Paul encourages, let us bring every thought captive to the obedience of Christ because we have the mind of Christ. We have the mind of Christ and therefore the ability to process every thought like Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16). Although we cannot stop the thoughts from coming because the battle is persistent, Paul gives insight to the Ephesians on how to protect the mind by putting on the whole armor of God which included the helmet of salvation. If we want to be present in the moment and see God’s goodness as it is occurring, we need to become aware of the battle and take every thought captive to the obedience of Jesus Christ. As Jesus did when tempted by Satan, take each thought to God’s word, for the weapons to combat these thoughts are found in God. Therefore, as Paul wrote to another group of believers, “let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 2:5)