Freedom from Captivity
Chapter 7 - Repentance - Change of mind
Matthew 3:1-2,“In
those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (RSV)
Matthew 4:17, “From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom
of heaven is at hand.” (RSV)
The central message of John the Baptist and Jesus as we can
see from the above mentioned verses was on Repentance. The word ‘Repentance’ is essentially a ‘change of mind’. Since our thought life
is secret and hidden from others many are negligent about keeping a check on
the same, but repentance is the transformation that begins from within one’s
mind.
Repentance is rightly an alteration of our thought process. People can sometimes control our actions, but our thoughts are totally under our control and as our thoughts are hidden from others, we often don’t give much importance to controlling our thoughts. However, if our thoughts are not kept under control as they should be, they can cause many problems and complications for us.
Repentance is rightly an alteration of our thought process. People can sometimes control our actions, but our thoughts are totally under our control and as our thoughts are hidden from others, we often don’t give much importance to controlling our thoughts. However, if our thoughts are not kept under control as they should be, they can cause many problems and complications for us.
The message of both Jesus and John the Baptist were echoing
the same thing; if one wants to enter the Kingdom of God, then repentance is
the prerequisite. The word Kingdom rightly implies, that there is a King who
rules, and everything that happens there should be under His divine Lordship.
The message is categorical; only when one brings the mind under control will
one come under the Lordship of Christ and gain entry into the Kingdom of God.
Many are leading defeated lives because they have tried to
change the outside but they have had no victory in their mind. If our mind is
not renewed we will not see any real change.
In Romans 12:2,“Do not conform yourselves to the standards
of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your
mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God---what is good and is
pleasing to him and is perfect.” (GNB)
If our mind is not changed there will be no change of life
style. If the thoughts are new then the mind will be renewed, but if our
thoughts are held captive by Satan there will evidently be no transformation of
our lives.
What are the things
that enslave the minds of people?
Wicked Thoughts
Proverbs 21:27says, “The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination: how much more, when he
brings it with a wicked mind!”(WEB)
Many are trying hard to cope with thoughts that are wicked
and evil. They are unable to think anything good because the mind is filled
with negative and vile thoughts.
Proud Thoughts
In Daniel 5:20, we
read, “But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he
was put down from the throne of his kingdom, and they took his glory from him.”(LITV)
The above verse talks about King Nebuchadnezzar, whose heart
was hardened with pride. Many are struggling with proud and lofty
thoughts. A person with proud thoughts
can easily be identified, as their talk with always be centered on themselves
and their achievements. They will also constantly compare with others, to prove
that they are far better than them. A
proud mind is a clear sign that the Lord is not in command but the devil is,
because humility is the Lord’s hallmark and pride is the trademark of the evil
one.
Fearful Thoughts
In John 20:19,we read “That Sunday evening, the disciples were together behind locked doors
because they were afraid of the Jews. Jesus stood among them and said to them,
"Peace be with you!" (GW)
After the resurrection of Jesus, we see the disciples were
hiding behind locked doors because their minds were filled with fear. Many are
gripped with all sorts of fear and are living in a state of constant fear. These could be fears from the past, fears of
the immediate or even fears regarding the future, but whatever it may be, many
are unaware that fear is contagious. It surely affects the lives of those
around us. In the list of those who will not find entry into the Kingdom of
God, is mentioned those who are fearful and the reason for this is that, where
there is fear there is no room for faith.
Doubtful Thoughts
Luke 12:29, says, “And do not give
overmuch thought to your food and drink, and let not your mind be full of
doubts.” (BBE)
The above
mentioned verse clearly admonishes that our minds should not be filled with
doubts. Some people doubt everything. A colleague shared an experience of
working with a boss who was extremely suspicious and doubted everything. One day when the employee took a photocopy of
a letter, and handed it over to the employer, he was shocked to see him study
the photocopy intently to check if it was the same as the original. It might sound hilarious, but a lot of people
live in constant doubt and suspicion. If Satan has his control over our mind,
he will make everything and everyone look suspicious and will not let our mind
trust anyone.
Thoughts that Blind
2 Corinthians 4:4 reads,
“Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of
those who don't believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good
News. They don't understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the
exact likeness of God.” (NLT)
The above mentioned verse talks about a mind that is blinded
by the god of this age. The reason Jesus came to the earth, was to give His
life and bring us a wonderful salvation. He offers us victory by overcoming
death and leaving His word and His Holy Spirit to guide and comfort us, but
many people are blinded to this glorious good news of the Gospel of Jesus
Christ. Satan’s plan is to blind our minds so we can never comprehend the
beautiful message of the Gospel.
Only if we win the battle in our mind we will be able to see
and experience victory in every area of our lives.
In 2 Corinthians 10:4 we
read, “The weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and
blood]. Our weapons are divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.”(AMP)
God has given us certain weapons to overcome the battle that
rages in our mind. It is indeed true that Satan has built fortresses in our
mind which we need to break down and destroy. In order for this to happen, we
require God powered weapons. It will not
be possible with our own human effort to break down these strongholds. Some
people give a worldly advice that the best way to overcome evil thoughts is to
keep it occupied, but that will only be a temporary solution.
How are the Strongholds
Built?
In 2 Corinthians 10:5we
read, “Casting down imaginations and every
high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into
captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ,” (EMTV)
If we were to investigate how strongholds are built, the
first step is when thoughts are instilled in our mind. The next step is that
these thoughts stimulate our imagination which start to linger in our minds.
These thoughts and imaginations when not brought under the Lord’s authority
will definitely become strongholds. It is
so much easier for one to control the mind at the thought level, than to allow
it to develop into imagination and let Satan build a stronghold in our mind,
which then becomes a struggle to overcome.
We must categorize our thoughts and not let self-pity, fear, doubt, failure and pride become the evil one’s strongholds in our minds. Martin Luther said, “You cannot keep birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from building a nest in your hair.” It’s simple, we must learn to stop the thoughts at the very outset, rather than let them dawdle on and become tools that the enemy uses to enslave and keep us captive.
We must categorize our thoughts and not let self-pity, fear, doubt, failure and pride become the evil one’s strongholds in our minds. Martin Luther said, “You cannot keep birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from building a nest in your hair.” It’s simple, we must learn to stop the thoughts at the very outset, rather than let them dawdle on and become tools that the enemy uses to enslave and keep us captive.
How do we overcome
these Strongholds?
If we notice most of our struggles with our thought life is
when we are alone. It is at those times
we need to speak the word of God loud and clear. We should not give room for
any negative thoughts. It is entirely in our hands. We must take the conscious effort to cast out
every thought that is not pleasing to the Lord and bring our minds under the
captivity of God and His word.
Instead of constantly telling ourselves what we are not
supposed to think, we should train our minds to think those things that really
edify and build our faith. That is why Paul gives this admonition to the Philippian Church in Philippians 4:8,“In
conclusion, my friends, fill your minds with those things that are good and
that deserve praise: things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and
honorable.” (GNB)
It is important for us to analyse each of our thoughts and
see they are as Paul exhorted in the above verse. It is paramount for us to deliberately break
down and destroy every one of the strongholds that Satan has managed to build
in our minds. May the Lord renew our minds to think and speak those words that
build and edify us and others. May we fill our minds with those things that are
good, that deserve praise, things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely and
honourable.
A prayer :
Heavenly Father, help me to analyse every thought, to take every thought seriously and be careful that no wrong thought remains, leading to wrongful imagination in turn giving an opportunity for Satan to have a stronghold in my life. I speak the Word of God and fill my mind with it, so that it will be the source of all my thinking and imagination. I break every stronghold of Satan in my life by the power of the Living Word of God. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, I pray. Amen
A.Dixon
www.goodnewsfriends.net
Transcribed by : Ms. Esther Collins
Email : goodnewsfriends.net@gmail.com
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