God desires not only a Change in the Mind of His children at the time of conversion; He also desires a Mind that is Totally Renewed. The Reason evil spirits can work is that we have not been liberated entirely from a Carnal Mind. We may start out with a Narrow Mentality which cannot tolerate others or a darkened mentality that cannot comprehend deeper truth or a foolish mentality which cannot bear any important responsibility; and afterwards we slip into deeper sins.
This is because "the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God"(Romans 8:7).
After reading Romans 6, we may falsely see ourselves as having already been freed from our carnal mind. But what we do not appreciate is that the Cross must operate minutely in every area of us. Romans 6:11 must be followed by 6:12 (read). The Mind must be Renewed Completely, since any part of its carnality is hostile to God.
For us to have Our Intellects Renewed, WE MUST DRAW NEAR TO THE CROSS. This is plainly called for in Ephesians 4. The apostle Paul describes the Darkness of our Carnal Mentality in Verses 17 and 18; but in Verses 22 and 23, he informs us how the Mind Can Be Renewed: "Put Off Your Old Nature which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt thru deceitful lusts, and BE RENEWED IN THE SPIRIT OF YOUR MIND."
We know our Old Man has been crucified with the Lord (Romans 6:6). Here we are exhorted to "put off" so that our Mind might be renewed. This bring the Cross into view as the Instrument for its Renewal. We should understand that our old brain is also part of that old man which God wants us to put off entirely. The salvation which God imparts thru the Cross includes not only a New Life but the Renewal of every Function of our soul as well. The salvation which is rooted deeply in our being must gradually be "worked out."
A serious lack among us is in not perceiving the need for our Minds to be Saved (Eph. 6:17). We fail to recognize that God desires to save us to the uttermost in that all our abilities are to be renewed and fit for His use. The mind is one of our natural endowments. God calls us to believe that our old man was crucified on the Cross; thereafter we need to accept God’s judgment towards the old man and exercise our will to resist or to put off its deeds including Our Old Thoughts. We must come to the foot of the Cross, willing to forsake our traditional mentalities and trusting God to give us a New Mind. My bothers and sisters, the old mind needs to be thoroughly Put off. Yes, its Renewal is God’s Work, but the Putting Off -the denial, the forsaking- of our old organ of thought is what We Must Do. If we perform our part, God will perform His.
There are many of God’s children, although saved and have a new life, still carry an Old Head.
None of their former theories, thought processes, or prejudices have been changed; only a frame has been added. They use their old brain to search, to accept and to propogate spiritual truth. No wonder they fall into errors and cause conflicts in the church! Just as God is displeased with the wicked man who uses his own strength to do the Lord’s work, so He is displeased with the wicked man who uses his own mind to apprehend God’s truth. An Unrenewed Mentality is spiritually dead; hence everything which comes from it is likewise dead.
We should practice dailty denying all Carnal Thoughts. Otherwise Renewal will be Impossible. For how can God ever succeed in His responsibility of renewing our mind id we still think according to the flesh?
We must examine every one of our Thoughts in the light of God. Whatever is not of Him or is contrary to His truth must be "squeezed" or "pressed" out of our head. The Examination of our thoughts should determine whether
1) it comes from our old mind or
2) it comes from the ground given away, and whether
3) it will yield new ground to evil spirits, or whether
4) it comes from a narmal or renewed mind.
We should ask why our thinking is confused, prejudiced, rebellious or infuriated-why we oppose certain truth before we even examine them-why we are aginst some believers whom we have only heard about?
We must face the fact that A WAR IS ON. And unless we fight, how can we retake the fortresses of the enemy which are in the mind? The enemy is very real; how then can we be less vigilant?
