Using Our Minds For Christ

II Cor. 11:3 - But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

1. “I fear”

2. I am deeply concerned.

3. Proverbs 23:7 - For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.

4. This passage explains that we are not to look upon the material possessions of those around us.

5. What they have doesn’t always reflect what they are thinking.

6. What they have doesn’t always reflect on how they got their possessions.

7. Proverbs 4:23 - Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

8. To keep your heart, you must listen to the words of a Godly father.

9. Words of advice are what you will live your life by.

10. If you life your life by the wrong words, you life will be wasted.

11. The secret of a righteousness nation (and a righteous person) is in what they think.

12. Gen. 6:5 - And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

13. A nation can make all the laws they want to make, but if the people want to disobey them, they will find a way around obedience.

14. Our nation was founded on Christian principles, but because wicked people today don’t think the way our founding fathers thought, their actions are different: and they are trying to change the way our nation thinks.

15. Our minds are not our brains.

16. Your mind does the thinking, the brain is what you think with and express yourself with.

17. A pianist is not the piano. The piano can do nothing without a pianist. A pianist can not express music without a piano.

18. Some brains are better than others, just like some pianos are better than others.

19. Our minds = understanding, attitude, moral judgment.

20. The thought is the father of the deed.

21. The mind thinks a thought, the brain records that thought, and the body carries that thought out.

22. The Wright Brothers thought about the airplane, their brains recorded the thought, their bodies build and flew the airplane.

23. A musician thinks about the music, his brain records, and writes the score, then the body plays the music.

Four Points About The Mind

1. The carnal mind must be converted.

2. The converted mind may be corrupted.

3. The corrupted mind can be conquered.

4. The conquered mind must be controlled.

1. The carnal mind must be converted.

2. II Cor. 4:4 - In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

3. Rom. 8:6,7 - For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

4. Carnal doesn’t mean to be love obscenities and terrible wickedness.

5. Carnal means “fleshly”.

6. Verse 7 - The carnal mind is enmity with God which means that the carnal mind is God’s enemy, or that the carnal mind is at warfare with God.

7. How can a carnal mind be made right before God?

8. Luke 13:3 - I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

9. The word means “to change your mind”.

10. Repentance is when God allows you to see what sin is, what you are, and the consequences of those sins.

11. When a person is saved, they receive the mind of Christ.

12. I Cor. 2:16 - … we have the mind of Christ.

13. Phil 2:5 - Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

14. You don’t get the I. Q. of Christ, or His brain (what He has recorded from His mind - this is His Word, and you get that as you study and grow in Christ) when you are saved - you get His mind.

2. The converted mind may be corrupted.

3. II Cor. 11:4 - Our text.

4. Salvation doesn’t guarantee that your mind will always think the right things.

5. Scriptural baptism doesn’t guarantee that your mind will always think the right things.

6. Being faithful in church services, Bible readings, and prayer doesn’t guarantee that your mind will always think the right things.

B Satan draws us away from right thinking like he did with Eve. Gen. 3.

1. He caused a doubt for the Word of God. Verse 1.

2. He denied the Word of God. Verse 4.

3. He substituted his own words. Verse 5.

4. Satan working in the minds of people.

5. Lost people.

6. John 13:2 - And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him;

7. Matt. 13:4, 19 - And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: 19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.

8. Saved people - Acts 5:3 - But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?

9. Just because you are saved, doesn’t mean that Satan cannot blind your mind!

3. The corrupted mind can be conquered. (You can take back that which Satan rules over.)

4. II Cor. 10:3-6 - For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; 6 And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.

5. Definitions.

6. Stronghold - a place that is firm, strong, or that is capable of holding securely. Like a castle.

7. Imaginations - reasoning. We get the English word “logic” from this word.

8. Knowledge - the science of God. This means the laws, rules and regulations of God; the way God works things.

9. Thought - Perception, purpose, intellect, disposition.

10. Obedience - Attentive hearkening, compliance, submission.

11. Satan will entrench himself into our thought processes in what the Bible calls a “stronghold”.

12. What is a “stronghold”.

13. A way of thinking that doesn’t seem possible to change.

14. A system of thinking that has turned into bondage.

15. Some strongholds.

16. Compulsions you can’t seem to control or stop.

17. Obsessive thoughts you can’t seem to stop thinking.

18. Unreasonable fears that continually crop up, and you can’t seem to stop them.

19. Illogical Hate.

20. Seemingly Unavoidable, inexplicable jealousies.

21. A violent temper.

22. An aggressive spirit.

23. Uncontrollable lust.

24. Unchecked appetite and urges

25. Irrational timidity and fear.

26. Groundless distrust.

27. Unwarranted criticism.

28. Carnal weapons that cannot dislodge Satan from his strongholds.

29. Education.

30. Psychiatry.

31. Psychology.

32. The power of positive thinking.

33. These all these are properly used, they have their place, but their place is not trying to dislodge Satan.

34. Spiritual weapons that will dislodge Satan from his strongholds.

35. Word of God.

36. Confession.

37. Repentance.

38. Restitution.

39. Victorious believing prayer.

40. Faith.

41. The authority of God.

42. Example.

43. A man and woman decide to live together.

44. Her mind begins to convict her of her sin.

45. The man doesn’t want to leave because he was invited to live there.

46. She gets a lawyer and forces him to leave, even though he doesn’t want to.

47. Satan doesn’t want to leave the strongholds he has developed in our minds.

48. The authority of Christ is able to make him leave.

4. The conquered mind must be controlled.

5. This completes the victory.

6. It is not enough to stop thinking wrong thoughts.

7. We must begin to think right thoughts.

8. It is not enough to take Satan down off his stronghold throne.

9. We must allow God to take His rightful place in our thoughts.

10. Phil. 4:8,9 - Finally, brethren, 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; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. 9 Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

11. Whatsoever things are true - The Reliance Test - Can you rely on it? Can you trust your eternity to it? Is this what Christ would want you to think?

12. Whatsoever things are honest - The Respect Test - The word “honest” means venerable, which means honorable. Would Christ think it was honorable for you to be involved in such a thing?

13. Whatsoever things are just - The Righteousness Test - The word “just” means “equitable, innocent, or holy”. Does God think it is just?

14. Whatsoever things are pure - The Reverence Test - The word “pure” means “clean, innocent, modest (fit for the purpose), chaste. How does God see it?

15. Whatsoever things are lovely - The Reconciliation Test - The word “lovely” means “friendly towards, or acceptable”.

16. The word “lovely” doesn’t mean lovely like a flower garden.

17. It means “toward love”.

18. People and things are reconciled by the love of God, not anything else.

19. Would God approve of this reconciliation?

20. Whatsoever things are of good report - The Refinement Test - The words “good report” means “good reputation, or well spoken of”.

21. If there be any virtue - The word “virtue” means “manliness, (valor), excellence”. Would God say it was excellent?

22. If there be any praise - The word “praise” means “a commendable thing”. Would God recommend that we praise it?

1. Think on these things - The word “think” means “to take an inventory of, to estimate, to conclude, to esteem, to impute, to reason”. Would God want to think on these things?