Scripture: 2 Corinthians 10:3-6 (The Message)
Text: 5We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ.
2Don‘t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. (Romans 12:2, The Message)
Today’s subject is a focus on the MIND. There is a battle today for your MIND. Every action and decision made is the result of a seed planted in the mind. There are tens-of-thousands if not millions of things that influence everything about you. They can be so powerful that the control they have is like hypnosis which is known as “the power of suggestion”. Sometimes these influences badly affect our ability to think rationally and act properly in given situations. Social suggestion is the ability of an outside source, product or person, to convince us of something that may not be entirely objective or even true. Dr. Charles Henderson provides a case in point. He tells of a woman who “had suffered from acute bouts of depression for 30 years when she saw a newspaper ad looking for subjects for an antidepressant study to be conducted by the Neuropsychiatric Institute of UCLA. She applied to be a participant and was accepted into the research program.
She went to the institute at the appointed time where she was prepared for participation with interviews and a 45 minute session on an electro-en-ceph-a-lo-graph [i-lek-troh-en-sef-uh-luh-graf] to record her brain activity. When she left she had a bottle of pills she was to take. She was excited and couldn’t wait to get started taking them.
The woman, who was at that time a 46-year-old interior designer, got dramatically better within a couple of weeks. Her bouts of depression had disappeared and she no longer felt worthless (she had at one time seriously considered suicide). She was functioning at a higher level, and feeling better, than she had in years. For two months she went to the institute weekly for interviews, tests, and EEGs to record her progress. At the end of the study she was a different person. She attributed her nearly miraculous recovery to the new antidepressant drug which was the subject of the study. It was venlafaxine, better known as Effexor.
But on her final visit she received a stunning shock: She was told that she had not been taking medicine at all, but a placebo… She had been taking nothing but sugar pills.” The pills could not be the result of her amazing improvement because sugar pills do not have any pharmacological drug ingredient or chemical compounds.
http://www.bcx.net/hypnosis/placebo2.htm
This story is one example that shows us
1. THE POWER & INFLUENCE OF SUGGESTION
By taking sugar pills, this woman thought she was taking a new drug and she became convinced that it was the answer to her depression and that she was actually getting better. If her powers of reason were altered by a perceived reality, t is not hard to believe that “the power of suggestion” can offer the same antidotes and hypnotic powers to every aspect of our lives. This is a very scary idea when we consider how it can control our spiritual lives – our relationship and thoughts of God; our beliefs about heaven and hell; or that there are many ways to God and one is no more true than another. The power of suggestion can have us believe that there’s nothing wrong with a ‘soft’ lie, sex before marriage, living with someone in a common-law relationship or homosexuality. We can justify just about any action or reaction to anything that is conjured up in our minds or situations we face. In other words we can become spiritual hypnotized by social suggestion – it’s not wrong; it’s okay; everybody’s doing it. God loves you and he’ll understand and forgive you.
Spiritual hypnosis comes in many forms:
A. Hypnotized with doubts/anxiety
Psalm 94:19 - When doubts filled my mind
The doubts of this verse concern a multitude of realities as offered by John Gill. There are thoughts of the majesty of God and how we relate to him. It is offered that we sense security yet an uncertainty at the same time. We believe we have hope but are consumed with hopelessness; saved but lost; sure but doubtful at the same time. It is a struggling desire to be all God created us to be, realising we can never attain to that image; waiting for heaven but never sure it will come.
These thoughts and struggles are the result of being spiritual hypnotized by the power of social suggestion. A child who’s been told by an abusive parent “you’re no good” or “you’re too stupid to excel” translates those powerful messages of suggestion into their minds so that they believe God thinks the same things about them. Just as they struggled through adolescence trying to prove themselves or craving to be loved, truly, purely loved, so now they struggle and their minds are filled with doubts that they believe in hope against all hope. They try to accept that God loves them while at the same time cannot forget the suggestions of the past that they are “no good”. The potential for spiritual freedom is hypnotized by the other conflicting message.
We could all tell our own stories of similar thought-experiences and of being overwhelmed by things true or perceived that are beyond our control, living in dread and conflict at every turn. (Run transitioned slideshow). We generate perceptions. Like the images before you, we are led to see one thing and in seconds we see something different. It is not that what we see doesn’t exist; it is not always a situation of either/or, or both. The point is that we are shown the dangerous possibility of external influences being able to manipulate us into seeing, believing and accepting what they want us to see, believe and accept.
B. Hypnotized with evil thoughts
Ezekiel 38:10 - "This is what the Sovereign LORD says: At that time evil thoughts will come to your mind, and you will devise a wicked scheme.
This prophecy was to a king in another time and place. Yet, it is a prophecy of things yet to come. The whole premise of this passage is for us to understand that Satan is bent on molesting and destroying the church of Jesus Christ. One of his most powerful weapons to bring this demise about is the power of suggestion – he leads us to think evil thoughts and from that seed is born schemes and finally actions and behaviours that are destructive which tear down the church. It is no surprise that the people Satan conscripts to join his forces are within the church. He generates ideas, thoughts and feelings that put believer against believer; he produces in-house corruption, fighting and division; doing so, he wins. We will not have time or energy to do the work of the ministry and grow the Kingdom of God because we have exhausted our resources on surviving the onslaught of other Christians. We can be so tuned in to Satan’s lies that we become spiritually hypnotized and cannot see the truth about ourselves. It is easier to blame everyone else or to look at their faults as justification for our own behaviour because then, in some twisted sense, we believe we’re off the hook for what we’re doing for how we’re behaving.
Doubts, pride, evil thoughts and other mind games of Satan generate Spiritual Hypnosis – we become desensitized to God’s influence and presence in our lives. You don’t need God. You are your own god. You can achieve it on your own and God is nothing more than a figment of your imagination and something you were taught over the years. As a matter of fact, you are a god yourself. Isn’t that the message Satan gave Adam and Eve in Genesis 3:1-5? 1 Now the serpent was the shrewdest of all the creatures the LORD God had made. "Really?" he asked the woman. "Did God really say you must not eat any of the fruit in the garden?" 2"Of course we may eat it," the woman told him. 3"It’s only the fruit from the tree at the center of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God says we must not eat it or even touch it, or we will die." 4"You won’t die!" the serpent hissed. 5"God knows that your eyes will be opened when you eat it. You will become just like God, knowing everything, both good and evil."
Spiritual hypnosis through the power of suggestion
Not only do we face forms of Suggestion but we have to deal with the methods of Suggestion.
i. MEDIA
We have wonderful opportunities as never before, through that marvelous invention called INTERNET, to reach people with the Good News that God wants to be in relationship with them. We can transmit the gospel of Jesus around the world in milliseconds in a variety of forms and it is absolutely free (well, apart from our monthly internet charge)!
Derrick Brace is a friend of mine who writes for the “Down Homer” (a Newfoundland magazine). I read his articles often. He writes with an-out-doors-man flair in his article called “My Back Yard”. I mentioned our website and my blogging efforts. He mentioned that it must be great having an international audience. I had never considered that reality.
While media influencers can be positive and useful tools to educate, train, uplift and inspire, they can be more destructive than Korea’s nuclear tests that we have been watching with interest in the last few weeks. For instance, internet is filled with every imaginable vice to corrupt our dependence on God. People are hypnotized by sex as pornography slips into their homes; money is promised through get-rich-quick schemes, and how desperate we are for power, the three deadliest enemies of the Church, as spoken of in Hebrews 13 and our relationship to them. And then there is the devil’s control in that familiar tool called email – where people discredit and attack, but would never confront you physically to say what they easily pen in an email.
Could we include telephone here I wonder? Listening to the pain of another and praying together to encourage each other will do far more for your visit or telephone chats than talking for thirty minutes about everything you don’t like. Don’t spend time with people who bring you down; people who have nothing good to say; people who sin with their mouths. Heed the words of Paul in writing Titus 3:10, “If anyone is causing divisions among you, give a first and second warning. After that, have nothing more to do with that person.”
ii. TELEVISION
Television is having adverse affects on us. “Researchers in Indiana have measured the effects on a brain scan. The study’s principal investigator, Dr. Vincent Mathews, said prolonged exposure to violence actually affects brain function and behavior.
Dr. David Walsh, National Institute on Media and the Family asks, “"What good could possibly come from having a 15-year-old spend hours and hours and hours decapitating people and organizing drug rings and murdering prostitutes?"”
http://www.troubledwith.com
It should alarm us that we can watch scenes of people being murdered, raped, abused, and exploited, while we eat our popcorn in the name of entertainment. We cannot hear the voice of God because we have become immune through media influencers. In other words we are spiritually hypnotized through the power of social suggestion.
iii. MUSIC
One source examined the effects of music on people trying to solve a problem on a computer. Participants were exposed to varieties of music, including Classical music, Punk, and no music at all. The people who listened to Classical music performed better solving tasks and fixing the problems, than those who listened to Punk music or didn’t have any music. Another interesting point for those who listened to the Classical music was their tendency to offer more off-task comments during the task than the people who didn’t listen to any music. When we have music playing before our worship service, if the music is loud and upbeat you will likely chat with people and mingle more. If the music is low and reflective music, you would likely be more prone to sit quietly in your pew. There are exceptions of course but this philosophy of behaviour has been tested and proven.
While the earlier scientific example demonstrates the positive power of musical influence, we must not be blind to the negative power of music that seeks to draw us away from God and fill our minds with alternatives to Him. I have no intent of “dissing” (disrespecting) musical artists or producers. There are positive and negative forms of secular music. My point is the simple recognition that what we watch, listen to and ‘eat’ on a daily basis influences our thinking, acting and value systems. A week of Degrassi or Nelly Furtado versus a week of Chris Tomlin, wholesome television and intentional efforts to godly activities, will dictate a very profound difference on our week. Surfing the web for inspirational reading versus aggressive, violent video games will impact our interactions, moods, and attitudes.
All of these and other influencers affect the way we think, believe, and behave or in other words affect our MORALS. If we watch it, taste it or test it long enough, we’ll believe it and live by it.
There is an article titled, “Teen Trends: Inside the Mind of Teens” – where the author looks at teen trends and shares some alarming realities. He notes that “THEY’RE HYPER-SEXUALIZED. Things like mini-skirts in schools, guys taking drugs to get bulked up for sports, Real World MTV hook ups with young adults sleeping with strangers in each episode, online dating sites and Internet porn... This stuff is in their face every day…
"Live and let live -- as long as you’re not hurting anyone" is the emerging philosophy.” (http://www.drugfree.org/Parent/Knowing/Teen_Trends)
Women face eating disorders to have the perfect body. Men are pumping their bodies full of drugs to enhance muscle image, and teens are influenced by a society that has redefined traditional family values, friends are the new family and everyone is out to satisfy the latest craze and get the newest thrill.
These negative mind-altering realities are what the apostle refers to in Romans 7:23 – “But there is another law at work within me that is at war with my mind. This law wins the fight and makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.” We actually become slaves to sin. We lose God’s blessing for a momentary blast of gratification. We become spiritually hypnotized so that the true is a lie, the lie becomes truth and we are dead in our sins and blind to the presence of God.
When we consider the power of influence over our minds in hundreds of forms and contexts, our Scripture text is needed for these 21st century realities: 5We {must} use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ.
The anti-depressant we need is not a quick-fix solution from social, media or high-tech hypnosis. We have the anti-depressant to these dangerous fixes. The first is,
2. THE POWER OF CHOICE.
We never have to be subjected to the power & influence of Suggestion! The gift of God that distinguishes humanity from every other life-form is intellect and the power of choice. It is the will to make choices that counters the argument that we are mere puppets in God’s circus of life. When he made us in his likeness and image he gave us the whole nine yards by giving us the freedom to choose good or evil; to obey him or disobey him. His one instruction to not eat from the tree “in the center of the garden” (Genesis 3:3) came with the bold print warning us of what would happen if we chose against his guidance. Sadly, we make the wrong choice.
Another Scriptural example of The Power of Choice that would make any mother proud is that of a young Jewish man named Daniel. Many of us remember the Sunday school song, “Dare to be a Daniel / Dare to stand alone.” Stand alone he did on more than one occasion. When Israel was taken captive by the Babylonians the king of Babylon wanted to get the Jewish boys eating their foods. This would have been an unholy act for these young Jewish men. When the instruction was given, we have the recorded response of this faithful, stand-alone Daniel. “Daniel made up his mind not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. He asked the chief official for permission to eat other things instead.” (Daniel 1:8) If Daniel had not taken time to know the Torah, the Holy Scriptures, he would have failed this test. But knowing the will of God, he chose that will, even if he must stand alone.
There is nothing more liberating than standing where we know truth stands. God is never more pleased than when his people decide to listen to him in obedience, even when friends and family walk a different path.
Klyne Snodgrass tells a story in his book, Between Two Truths - Living with Biblical Tensions:
During World War II, Winston Churchill was forced to make a painful choice. The British secret service had broken the Nazi code and informed Churchill that the Germans were going to bomb Coventry. He had two alternatives: (1) evacuate the citizens and save hundreds of lives at the expense of indicating to the Germans that the code was broken; or (2) take no action, which would kill hundreds but keep the information flowing and possibly save many more lives. Churchill had to choose and followed the second course.
Liberating does not always mean easy. But at the end of the day you can live with yourself and be pleased to please God. In addition to that, there are
3. THE REWARDS OF CHOOSING GODLINESS
The apostle Mark charges us, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ (12:30) Why?
The apostle Paul tells us ‘why’ in Romans 8:6 - If your sinful nature controls your mind, there is death. But if the Holy Spirit controls your mind, there is life and peace.
That is why friends, and in light of everything we’ve looked at so far, we must heed those words of Paul in 2 Corinthians 10:5 (KJV): bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” or as we read from The Message, “fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ.
Scripture says in Romans 8:7 that “the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.”
What is carnality? Charles Ryrie explains. “According to the Greek dictionary, it means to have the nature and characteristics of the flesh…carnal sometimes relates to material things like money (Romans 15:27)…it refers to our disposition to sin and to oppose or omit God in our lives. The flesh is characterized by works that include lusts and passions (Galatians 5:19-24; I John 2:16); it can enslave (Romans 7:25); and in it is nothing good (Romans 7:18). Based on this meaning of the word flesh, to be carnal means to be characterized by things that belong to the unsaved life (Ephesians 2:3).”
It is for this reason we must decide if we will accept the invitation to “be renewed in the spirit of your mind.” (Ephesians 4:23)
WRAP:
• Explore the areas of your life that demonstrate you may be subject to being spiritually hypnotized by the world.
• You have the power to change those realities! God gave you the Power of Choice!
• The rewards of God are worth the journey of change that he calls you too.
