Battlefield of the Mind

My Belief

You know what drives me crazy!!!? Stupid, jerk people that make my life harder. You know who I am talking about. I can’t stand the idiot that makes a left hand turn out of the right hand lane right in front of me! I can’t stand the dummy who gets on the moving sidewalk at the airport and stands there for a 1/4 MILE!!! How about a few more… The old lady doing 35mph in the left hand interstate express lane, the jerk at the post office who snaps at me because I don’t understand 20 different forms of mail, my friend with all his “backhanded” “friendly” comments or my coworker that knows how to do my job better than his own!!!!

Each one of these things causes me to have very negative thoughts toward each of these respective people. Some of them I want to give a piece of my mind, SOME I want to give and EVEN BIGGER piece, and some I would just like to ask to step outside for an old fashion lesson in “manners”! In each one of these cases the argument could be made that I am justified in my frustration and that if our PC society was not what it is, then I should have the right to lash out at these types of people. The problem is, that I am a Christian… While my earthly flesh wants to return evil for evil, my heavenly Father wants me to return GOOD for EVIL. This all starts with the battle in my mind. The first place I can show the love of Christ to all is in my mind. I have to win that battle over the evil in my head. I have to offer a smile to the post man, forgive my friend, and show compassion to the slow and weak. This is what Jesus did for me. I am slow and weak and a terrible sinner. He came and took all of the punishment that was JUSTIFIED for me. I can’t fight the “good fight” unless I can win the battle in my mind. I also have to take captive all sinful thoughts of lust and greed. We live in a provocative world that is design to stimulate the male sexuality. Also our culture is driven by career success and money. All of these things infect my mind at different times and I must capture and surround them in my head. Paul describes it best when he says he takes every evil thought captive and Jesus explains to indulge in this thinking is the same sin as the act itself.

Scripture

^{2 Cor 10}

⁵ We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

^{Matt 5}

²¹ “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder,^[a] and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ ²² But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister^[b][c] will be subject to judgment.

²⁷ “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’^{[e] 28} But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Application for Life

Jesus please help me win the war in my head so that I can show the love you have shown me to others. Help me lean on your Holy Spirit to continue to refine and purge my mind of all the garbage that I put in it from this World. You deserved none of the punishment you endured and yet you did it for me. Help me to offer love to those that wrong me, salvation to those that tempt me, and the hope of reward in heaven of which this world cannot compare. Help me to live in the mindset of Christ.