Framed
Pt. 3 – Mind Frames
As I have stated there are many forces trying to wield influence to shape us or frame us. There are billions of dollars spent each year in an attempt to frame our desires, our style, our wants and our likes. However, I also told you that although I know that your environment, your education, and even the region in which you were raised have a part to play in framing your world I am convinced that there is one factor that has more power and more impact on shaping your than any other. That determining factor is your mind or your thoughts. So we jumped off of Proverbs 4:23 and 23:7 which say:
Text: Proverbs 4:23
Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life.
Proverbs 23:7 – “as a man thinketh in his heart so is he.
So we talked about the need to deal with our mind. We talked about the mind games the enemy plays with us. That if we are not careful in tired moments he will trick us and paint pictures for us that seem to be right and true that are false and he sets us up for failure. We talked about the fact that our perception (true or false) determines our reality. That is why you have to have some folks in your life that can challenge your perception when you aren’t seeing correctly. We said that you have to be careful what you allow into your head because it can get into your feet and you will run at the wrong moment. You will escape right at the moment of breakthrough. You will give up right on the doorstep of a miracle. I ended by telling you that you have to get your head right and everything else will follow. You will come out of all your problems head first. How do you picture yourself?
Review from week 2!
1. Fixing our mind is a daily process.
2. Fixing our mind will fix our behavior.
3. The mind is mean!
So, if we are at war with our carnal mind and if how we think has to be fixed how do we do that?
4. We must be brain washed!
Ever a day in which we need to be brain washed it is this day. There is filth, temptation, visual stimulation at every turn. Mind warps everywhere. We need to purify our mind. We need to wash our mind . . . how?
a. Think like Jesus
Philippians 2:5-8
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
The first step is to think like Jesus. But before we can look at how He thought we need to look at the first word in that passage. We must let this mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus. He didn’t say let this spirit be in you. He said let this mind be in you! You have to let it become your mind! Let . . . allow. Some of us never have the mind of Christ simply because we never let, allow or submit our minds so that the thoughts of Christ take up root in us. We drown out those thoughts with other things. So what did Jesus think about?
What was on the mind of Christ? How did Jesus think?
1. Father's business - Kingdom minded. He wasn’t Dell minded. He wasn’t sports minded. He wasn’t clothes minded. He wasn’t reputation minded. Some of you are so concerned about your reputation that you can’t think like Christ because you are so worried about what someone else will think! He wasn’t community minded (first – although He did care about the community). He focused His thoughts on the Kingdom.
2. Serve – came to serve not be served. He wasn’t thinking about His way or the highway. He wasn’t thinking about His rights. He wasn’t thinking about how he could retire comfortably regardless of cost to family. He was thinking constantly about how He could serve those around Him and make their lives better! He thought humbly. He put others first. He came to serve not be served! Some of us will never be able to win the war of the mind because we think this is all about us. We spend no time thinking about others! And the problem is that self-centered thoughts usually eventually turn into sin-centered thoughts!
3. Death – well that is morbid. You want us to think about death all the time. No, that isn’t what I am saying. I am saying He constantly kept the end in mind. Some of us make daily decisions and choices without ever considering the end result. We would think more Christ like if we would keep the end in mind. How is this going to end? How is this going to impact long term? What are the long term (at the end of my life regrets/impact) this will have? This helps us not to be controlled by the need for immediate gratification all the time! When you start with the end in mind you aren’t as likely to make stupid, snap, destructive choices!
b. Think about the right things.
Paul goes one step further and even tells us exactly
what we should think about.
Philippians 4:8 (NIV)
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.
If we think on those things our world would be framed differently. We struggle because we don’t focus on the right things! In other words if we refuse to focus on what is true . . . noble, right, pure, lovely . . . old fashioned preachers had it right! We have to guard what we watch, listen to because we are commanded to think on right things because God knew that if we didn’t focus on these things our world would be framed by bondage and pain. Maybe the reason you didn’t hear about old time folks dealing with pornography addictions, anger issues, is because they weren’t feeding their mind on those things. I know they had other issues but they got that right!
We need to be aware that the enemy will try to get us to think on the wrong things. He does this in 4 steps: he suggests (quick thought/idea), he contradicts (openly opposes God), imagination (we have to use power to stop it here) which leads to action which creates a stronghold.
c. Wash with the Word
I have some bad news. We don’t wash our minds with worship. We don’t cleanse our mind with praise. Not that worship and praise hurt our thinking, but the truth is that we cleanse our mind by the washing of the Word. The reason many of you continue to struggle with your thought life is because you are never cleaning your mind up with the Word. I try to bring you the Word on Sundays but you need daily Word!
Why is Word intake so important? The Word tells on itself.
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul and spirit, joints and marrow, as it judges the thoughts and purposes of the heart.
Get that. The Word is the standard by which we judge whether we are thinking God thoughts. If we don’t wash in the Word, then how are we supposed to know the standard? It is the measuring stick!
David understood the importance of washing in the Word . . . listen to what he says in:
Psalm 119:9-11
9How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word.10 I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands.11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
It is important to wash in the Word because it helps us stay pure. It keeps us from sinning!
You may say well I would be sure to do this if I knew how. Do I get in the tub with 400 Bibles? How do you wash in the Word?
There are three basic ways to wash in the Word.
1. You need to hear the Word. Romans 10:17 tells us that faith cometh hearing and hearing by the Word! That is why it is important for you to be in a church where you hear the Word and not just pop psychology, newspapers, or opinions! Why you need to be hearing Word daily in your music and in between services. You feed your soul by what you hear. In your ear = in your spirit! I am convinced that some of you are having mind issues because the only Word you hear is on Sunday! 1 hour isn't adequate to override the other 167 hours! Well we need another service then. No you need to change the radio station, listen to POD Casts, and read out loud!
2. You need to speak the Word.
You don’t hear much about this anymore, but the Jews practice a verbal tradition. Even to this day they understand the power of the spoken Word. When their young men train to be priests they have to recite the Word. I believe there are several reasons this is important.
Temptation has been studied and it has been proven that if you do something out loud (count backwards for instance) that speaking out loud has the power to grab your mind and cause you to quit thinking about what was tempting you.
Your mouth can help you change your thoughts. Joshua was instructed in Joshua 1 to never let the book of the Law depart from his mouth. He was instructed just prior to this to be strong and courageous. God knew that as Joshua would recite the Word of God he would receive strength!
David understood this same truth.
Psalm 119:13-14
13 With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. 14 I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches.
This requires you to actually, out loud recite Scripture. This also means that you need to memorize Scripture. Not telling you that you have to remember chapters! Instead why don’t you purpose in your heart to learn 4 or 5 passages over the next 6 months to a year? I encourage you to be wise in selecting them. If you are facing sickness, then there is no since in memorizing Scripture about grace. Learn Scripture that will help you to be healed. If you are weak, then learn passages about being strong. If you are battling your thought life, then learn passages that deal with your thoughts and when you are tempted speak them out loud!
Everything that comes into our head doesn’t have to come out of our mouth but you had better learn the powerful truth that what comes out of our mouth gets in our head!
So we wash in the Word by hearing the Word, speaking the Word, and
3. Meditate on the Word
Meditating is tied to speaking by the way. When we think of meditating we get a mental image of someone in a trance with their legs bent in positions that would put us in traction.
However, the word “meditate” comes from the root Hebrew word which means “to chew!”
You can’t chew until you have something in your mouth. We talk first then we are able to do it. Not vice versa. We want to do then talk. Meditation requires time to think over and mull over the implications and power of Scripture.
I think what this says to us is that we need to spend time thinking on the Word, studying the Word . . . that’s what we have you for pastor. No, Paul told Timothy that we must all study to show ourselves approved and that approval is based on how well we handle the Word.
Remember Joshua is instructed to never stop speaking the Word but then he is also immediately instructed to meditate on the Word.
Listen to the instructions again in Joshua 1:8
8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
Notice too that our success level is directly linked to speaking and chewing on the Word.
David echoes this in Psalm 119:15-16
15 I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways.16 I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.
So, if we are going to fix our mind we will do so by being brain washed. Taking on the mind of Christ, thinking the right things, and washing our mind with the Word.
