THE ATTITUDE OF YOUR MIND
WEDNESDAY 01 SEPTEMBER 2021
The attitude of a Christian's mind determines the way he lives. It reveals or demonstrates the hidden man of the heart, which is of great price in the sight of God. Paul wants us to be made new in the attitude of our minds, by setting our minds on things above and renewing them with the Word so we can experience the fullness of the new life we have in Christ.
Reference: Ephesians 4:23 New International Version (NIV) "To be made new in the attitude of your minds."
Note that this is talking about resetting your mindset, after you have given your life to Christ. To be made new in the attitude of your mind starts with equipping your mind with the Word. It is to redesign your thinking pattern and gain a different insight for a holy Christian Living. Your thinking must align with your new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Paul started by warning the Christians in Ephesus that they must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking, because those Gentiles were darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God. They sustained ignorance in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they gave themselves over to sensuality and for this reason, they were conditioned to indulge in every kind of impurity, with all manner of greed (see Ephesians 4:17-19 NIV).
What should get our attention in Paul's description of the kind of lifestyle the Gentiles lived is the fact that he mentioned about the futility of their thinking. People's way of life start first, with their thought pattern and their reasoning process. If you are not born again, in all your dealings, you are natural and so, you are using existing carnal mind and knowledge to draw conclusions, to make decisions and to construct your lifestyle. According to Paul, as long as someone isn't yet born again, they are darkened in their understanding because they are separated from the life of God. So apostle Paul stresses the importance of being made new in the attitude of our minds, once we come to Christ.
To be made new in the attitude of your mind starts with feeding on the Word of God. For instance, Paul quoted in his exhortation to the Philippians, "Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report ... think on these things " (Philippians 4:8). In this verse, he was specifically showing them how to be made new in the attitude of their minds. Everything he listed is an attitude that can find expression within the mind. Being true, honest, just and pure may not always have a physical or concrete evidence, because most times, we experience them in our minds, and that means, they exist more in our thoughts.
To explain further, if your thought pattern is focused on something that is true, honest, just, pure, lovely or special, a stranger passing by or even someone near you, cannot always tell that you're pure in thought or mind because our thoughts are not visible to the natural sight. It's your thought and its abstract. Paul can only tell us to think the right way, but its up to us to focus our minds on the right things through constant practice. And the Word is still the best material for this focus that leads to lasting, positive change.
Beloved, to acquire the right attitude in your thinking as a Christian, it is also important to have the right set of people around you, who motivate you in the right way. Always choose genuine Christian friends who have the mind of Christ (see 1 Corinthians 2:16). The Bible says, "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." We are sharpened in our thought pattern when we mingle with Christians who are trustworthy and faithful in their faith walk. Therefore, be intentional about choosing your friends and filtering your thoughts, and then, think right on purpose. This is because God is more concerned about a Christian's inner life than what humans see and judge. Shalom!
Scripture Reading - Proverbs 4:23; Romans 12:2; Colossians 3:1-3; Romans 12:9.
Guided Prayer: Dear Father in heaven, I thank you for your Word which is able to build me up and keep me anew in the attitude of my mind. By feeding and meditating on your Word, divine thoughts and ideas naturally rise to the top within me and I maintain good confessions. Thank you precious Holy Spirit for helping me with the responsibility of filtering my thoughts and generating righteous thoughts, fully saturated with divine inspiration in Jesus' Name, Amen!
