The Bible and the Power of the Mind

The Bible often talks about the power of the mind and the thoughts that come from it. Moses, Paul and Samuel talk about the powerfulness of the mind; Solomon, Matthew and Moses talk about how it can be deceived really easily; and David, Luke and Paul talk about God's blessings that come with opening your minds to Christ.

Minds and thoughts are powerful and worthy of protection; one's thoughts are able to change their reality and the circumstances they live in are actually a result of our thoughts.

Referring to a new covenant given by God, Moses says: "Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads" (Deuteronomy 11:18 NIV). In this verse, God is telling everyone to put His words into their minds. Because God's Word is so important, minds become important as well. Everyone's minds' importance is also shown in Philippians 4:6, which says "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:7 NIV). God is willing to do anything to protect our Spirit if we recognize Christ as our Savior. God will especially protect Christians' minds from evil influences because of how important their minds are. Minds are also important because they are a mean that God uses to talk to Christians. In 2 Samuel, Samuel talks about how God spoke to King David through Nathan, a prophet. 2 Samuel 7:3 says "Nathan replied to the king 'Whatever you have in mind, go ahead and do it, for the Lord is with you'" (2 Samuel 7:3 NIV). God can use minds to speak to and guide someone by giving them thoughts that help them overcome whatever obstacle they are facing. God can still speak to people through their minds on a daily basis and this is why minds are powerful and important. It is still an individual's choice to follow those thoughts an if one is an unbeliever, it might be hard for that unbeliever to trust those thoughts.

However, everyone's minds can be also easily deceived. When Satan governs their minds, people do not follow God and they have to face the consequences of that. Drunkenness is an example in Proverbs that describes what happens when one falls into sin and lets Satan govern their thoughts: "[our] eyes will see strange sights, and [our] mind will imagine confusing things" (Proverbs 23: 33-35 NIV) Because of this, minds are not always reliable. The Holy Spirit also influences a person's minds because, if they do not welcome the Holy Spirit in their lives, one's mind is not able to listen to God's voice. Deuteronomy says "But to this day, the Lord has not given you a mind that understands or eyes that see or ears that hear" (Deuteronomy 29:4 NIV) Because of this, it is quite easy for Satan to rule over an individual. Sometimes, however, if Christ is the one ruling over them, they are able to identify Satan's decisiveness quite easily. When Peter was trying to convince Jesus to not sacrifice himself "Jesus turned and said to Peter, 'Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.'" (Matthew 16:23 NIV) Not only was Jesus able to identify Satan in Peter, but also to realize Satan never has God's concerns in mind but only human ones. Satan can deceive one's mind by taking their thoughts away from God's will but, if you are a Christian, you are able to recognize which thoughts are human and which ones are actually thoughts God has put in your mind. If you are an unbeliever, this might be difficult for you but it does not stop you from praying to God so that He might help you identify all the demons in your life that are stopping you from having a relationship with Him.

God will bless everyone if they are willing to open their minds and listen to Him. 1 Chronicles says "And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever." (1 Chronicles 28:9 NIV) In this verse, Solomon had to open his mind to God so that he could understand and listen carefully to God's plan for Him. Having a willing mind is a way to see and obey God. However, having a willing mind is not the only thing affecting one's ability to listen and obey God. Luke talks about what Christ did to His disciples when there were not understanding, "[...] He opened their minds so they would understand the Scriptures." (Luke 24:45 NIV) God tells everyone that their minds need to be open and they need to have the Holy spirit in them so that they are capable of truly understand Him. In Romans, Paul says that "The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace." (Romans 8:6 NIV) Flesh is evil and everyone needs to be governed by the good, who is Christ. Everyone has to live in accordance with the Holy spirit so that their minds are set on what the Spirit desires.

Based on what the Bible says, we can understand how persuasive our minds can be. All of someone's thoughts, actions and choices start from their minds and they have to be sure God is the one holding power over them. It is very hard but this is what God called Christians to do; to try to be like Him and, in order to be like Him, they have to think like Him.

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