“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” – Jer 17:9 (KJV)
The Scripture has different names for the mind. It is called mainly as “mind”, “heart” and “soul”, depending on who was writing, the time or dispensation of the writing and the language at the time of writing. Ultimately they point to the same “app” in man, which like the communication apps, can be corrupted; so, “the soul” (app) that sinneth (gets corrupted) shall die (deleted).
This “app” in man, is like a radio and has become empowered through Adam’s disobedience, to receive signals from two sources, Light and Darkness, giving birth to two kinds of mind. No; not that man is carrying two different minds, rather, this is in the usage and development of the mind. What we allow in can either kill us (delete us from God’s presence) or build us God-ward.
“Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind.” – Col 2:18 (KJV)
“For to be carnally minded is death…” – Romans 8:6a (KJV)
This is the first mind, undeveloped mind. The owner is careless of the information that enters his mind and refusing to exercise it with the word of God. Paul talked about exercising the senses. And God talked about retaining Him, which does not come easy but possible through practice. In our Christian walk, we have fallen severally, yet coming back up again. Retaining God takes exercise. Whoever fails to retain God in their knowledge is one who is failing to exercise the Word and consequently allowing corruption into the mind (the heart, the soul, or senses depending on what you choose to call it), leaving it as “flesh” or “carnal”. This first kind of mind is the unregenerate mind and an enemy of God.
“Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.” – Romans 8:7 (KJV)
The second kind of mind is the one whose owner quests for, hunger and thirsts for Truth and desires to retain God in their knowledge. This mind is developed with the word of God, which like the antivirus, also garrisons the mind, protecting it from pollution, “for when the enemy comes in as a flood, the Spirit of God will lift up a standard.”
“…but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” – Romans 8:6b (KJV)
Each of these two minds wants supremacy over the body, so a battle ensues, leading to confusion and in most cases ignorance of what to do. This is the battle Apostle Paul reported in Romans 7:23.
“But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.” – Romans 7:23 (KJV)
These warring powers are spirits.
“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.” – 1 Cor 2:12-15 (KJV)
These two spirits alone can affect the mind. Nothing from outside man can pollute the man or defile him. The threat to him is what he processes in his mind; things that came from either God or from the forces of darkness; both from within.
What he permits to dwell in his heart is his defilement. In his ignorance of this two windows however, he can be hurt by outside forces.
How?
The enemy delights in and thrives on the ignorance of the children of God. Using his ignorance of the word, the enemy injects fear into the believer and this separates him from God. God cannot co-habit with fear neither does He operate in an atmosphere of fear; “for God has not given us the spirit of fear …” (2 Tim. 1:7)
That is why God warned Jeremiah. Though I am sending you, I will not defend you if you allow fear into your life!
“Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them.” – Jer 1:17 (KJV)
So if the enemy can inject fear into the believer, he can succeed against him, as God, through the ignorance of the man stays away. (Rom. 1:28)
Ignorance is the killer of gods!!!
“They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course. I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High. But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.” – Psalms 82:5-7 (KJV)
It is absolutely necessary for us to retain the word of God; as Apostle Paul would say “let the words of Christ dwell in you richly, and in all wisdom” (Col. 3:16), because this is the way to overcome the dragon “..and by the word of their testimony…”( Rev. 12:11)
What defiles the man is not from outside him, and not really the information he receives, but what he does with the information!
“And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.” – Mark 7:20 (KJV)
That is why we need to guard our hearts, and with all diligence.
“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” – Prov 4:23 (KJV)
Information is what can affect your heart, either positively or negatively!! Physical things like hair, fingernails, adornments, etc, cannot affect or pollute you.
Your mode of dressing does not pollute you. It can affect your neighbour; yes, but not you!
We’ll leave this for some other time.
As said earlier, this is our battle, our warfare. In this battle, we decide the victory or defeat by our decision. It is not just the information received, but what we do with the information; therein lies our victory or defeat! (1kgs. 20:14c)
What would you do with the other information in your members, warring against the instructions of the Lord in your mind fighting to bring you into captivity and bondage? God is interested!!!!
It is not easy, yet if you compromise, you will be defeated.
Now, look at it from this scripture.
1kgs 20
Ben-hadad, the king of Syria came with his forces and besieged Samaria, the then capital of Israel. He knew he was more powerful military wise than Ahab and Israel and came to conquer, occupy and put her under tribute.
Information came to Ahab from two sources. Ben-hadad sent a message of fear, God sent a message of hope. A choice was set before the king. For the first time, Ahab did a good thing. He pulled down the voice of fear but hearkened to the voice of hope, the voice of God.
Like Samaria, the mind is besieged by the forces of darkness with all kinds of demonic suggestions and desires in its quest to take over our minds and consequently our bodies. These suggestions and projections into our minds rise against the word of God and against our knowledge of Him.
The point of choice is always where we are defeated! We allow our emotions to have the better of us!
When Ben-hadad had been defeated and was to be killed, Ahab worked by emotion, sparing his life for material gains and giving room for the Syrians to come back stronger (1 Kings 22), killed Ahab and defeated Israel. That is the consequence of compromise.
Ahab made a fatal mistake, which today, we still make: being insensitive in the choice we make. We allow emotion to lead our decisions.
Two instructions come into our minds all the time. Who would we believe? The Voice of the Lord? Or the voice of the enemy besieging our minds, and rising against our knowledge of His word?
Hear Paul
“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.” – 2 Cor 10:5 (KJV)
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