If you are around my age you no doubt remember the hugely popular 1970’s TV show The Six Million Dollar Man. Steve Austin was the world's first bionic man. Soon after, a female Bionic Woman series debuted. Then it was The Terminator (1980’s), which also featured a buffed out female cohort. The fans couldn’t get enough. The sequels evolved into a franchise. Every decade produces it’s own superheroes and superheroines.
It’s easy to get lost in the pop cultures fantasies. The fact is, for Christians, we get something much more spectacular. God offers us something more valuable than all super human abilities put together. He gives his children the ability to have the mind of Christ. No lie! (1 Corinthians 2:16).
When you have the mind of Christ, your thought life doesn’t hurt you because we are no longer slaves to our darker tendencies. Instead of toxic and deceptive thoughts orchestrating negative and destructive actions, our thoughts can be purified—if we make a commitment to work with God. Negative thoughts can be discarded. The result—we are strengthened and healed. Then we are most apt to imitate the Master.
God equips us to make godly decisions. If it doesn’t fit who you are, a child of the Most High God, reject that thought.
Your position is secure in Christ. Therefore, respond accordingly. When hit with a tempting or impure thought reject it. Say: “That thought or action no longer fits who I am! God tells me to put this thought to death—die ugly, deadly thought!”
Paul knew that life was hard, but he also counseled people not to dwell on the negative. The road block of God says: “Fix your thoughts on what is true and good and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely, and dwell on the fine, good things in others. Think about all you can praise God for and be glad about” (Philippians 4:8, TLB).
If you know that when you open a magazine full of expensively dressed, skinny, beautiful women that it will be a temptation to imitate them or feel bad about yourself, throw the magazine away. Find something else, something pure, to grab your attention.
When that tabloid calls out, Buy me! I‘ve got such juicy gossip for you! choose to put up a road block. Buy a wholesome, godly type of magazine or nothing. Now you’re beginning to create a new, and soon well worn, track. When I’m told a co-worker needs a ride home, I don’t hide because it’s inconvenient to go out of my way, I offer to drive her, creating a new track.
“Think on.” It’s your choice, but it is also a command of God; we disobey it at the risk of disaster. We can choose to lower ourselves to the world’s standard, or put that tempting or lustful or greedy or prideful thought to death. It is work! We choose to put these things to death because they don’t fit who we are. We choose freedom so we can be real authentic ourselves.
It’s okay to admit you have a long way to go. I do too! Most of us struggle with petty sins, jealousy, pride, and toxic thinking. When we lay these mindsets down and put on Christ’s mind, we are able to enjoy a new dimension of happiness very few ever find in this world. True!
What mindsets and ruts are you setting by the convictions you choose to follow? The Bible says to “keep a close watch on all you do and think. Stay true to what is right and God will bless you and use you to help others” (1 Timothy 4:16, TLB). Don’t get discouraged if you are finding this difficult. It doesn’t come natural to most of us.
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