What's on your mind

 What do you think about?  My mind thinks about a lot of things. At times, it keeps me awake as I think about my day, the next day, what went wrong and right, about my long list of things to do and so on. We all think. That is what we do. God addressed our minds several times in his word.  

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Romans 12:2 KJV

He wants to renew our minds.  We are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Why does he want our minds renewed? Our minds are what controls us. What we think about becomes our action and our motivation.  We think about how we feel, about others, and about right and wrong. We think about how to act and react. We do a lot of thinking. We make up our mind to do certain things  and take certain actions. Our mind is the influence of our life choices and can be influenced.  

We have some commandments about what we should think on. He wants to give us a new mind that is clear and able to think on the good things of God.

 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Philippians 4:8 KJV

 We have a lot of good things to think about. God is good and all his blessings are good. There are lovely things, true things, pure things we can think about. We have become mired down in thinking about things that are not of good report. We begin to dwell on the bad news, the latest news, the politics, the fear, the worry, the what ifs.  These things cause more fear, more worry, more doubt and snowball into crippling us from being effective and powerful.

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

2 Timothy 1:7 KJV

He did not intend us to live fearful, but to know we are his children with all the benefits that come with it. We have love, power and a sound mind.  We need to know who we are, who paid the price for us, and how to live with a sound mind through our faith in Him. God gave us his word, not just to tell a story, but give us the weapons of our warfare. 

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

2 Timothy 2:15 KJV

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

Ephesians 6:17 KJV

We have a greater weapon when we think on the word of God and speak his word.

For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.  For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

Romans 8:5‭-‬7 KJV

A mind that is thinking on the things of this world is not pleasing to God and goes against him. These things are not of God. It is not ok to allow our minds wander with the sinful things of this world.

Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,  Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,  Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Galatians 5:19‭-‬21 KJV

Many of these works of the flesh are born in the mind and are works of the mind.  These do not please God. He wants our fruit to be of His Spirit.

These flesh works are the spirits of this evil world that want to influence our minds. What we allow to take root in the mind will be what we think and act on. Do you act out of love, joy and peace, or out of stife, envy, and wrath?  What is controlling your thoughts and your actions. We have control over those things.  We have the power to cast out the thoughts and bring them into submission.

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

2 Corinthians 10:5 KJV

Take those thoughts and subdue them by the power of the word of God with his spirit that dwells in you. We are the one that allows our thoughts to wander, get out of control, and begin to imagine the what ifs. We give place to those thoughts and dwell on them when we ought to be bringing them into captivity. God gave us the authority over the mind and wants us to serve him and worship him with every part of us, including the mind.

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

Matthew 22:37 KJV

We make the choice to think on the things that are of good report or to allow thoughts that are not pleasing to God to take hold.  The mind is a battlefield for your soul. The mind is where the enemy sows doubt and fear. The mind can be his playground if we do not guard it carefully.  Put up a defense in the mind. Keep it filled with the things of God. Keep guard for the mind will not be subject if you allow it. Offense, hate, complaint, anxieties, depression are works of the mind that keep us from the freedom God has given us.  Keep those thoughts in captivity. But instead think on whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

cultivate the fruit

Spring is on the way and the weather is changing. It is beautiful. Plants go in the ground and begin to grow.  We look forward to the fruit that the plants will bring forth. There may be some good fruit that grows, but to really bear fruit, a plant needs to be tended and cultivated. My mother was always good at growing plants and making sure they were trimmed, fed, nourished and placed in the right amount of sunlight. She put a lot of effort into her plants.

 

Galatians 5:22-23

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

²³ Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

 

This also goes with our spiritual fruit. We have spiritual fruit that comes from God, but it is not able to develop and grow if we do not cultivate it. Our fruit will not be good or effective if we have not spent some time allowing God to cultivate his fruit in us with reading the word, prayer, Bible study, and even some fasting.

 

Luke 13:6-9

6 He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none.
7 Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?
8 And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it:
9 And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.

 

Jesus gave this parable. This parable demonstrated this principle that if fruit is not growing, we need to tend and feed the fruit.  If that fruit does not grow, we risk being cut down as we are not useful or fruitful.

 

John 15: 1-8

I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.

² Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

³ Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

⁴ Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

⁵ I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

⁶ If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

⁷ If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

⁸ Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

Jesus explained that we are to be connected to him, the vine. We will bear fruit when we stay connected to him. We must abide in him.  Abide means to remain stable or fixed in a state, or to continue in a place. We continue in him, we are stable in him.  If we do not cultivate our fruit by remaining close to him with stability, our fruit cannot grow.

 

Psalms 92:13-15

¹³ Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.

¹⁴ They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing;

¹⁵ To shew that the Lord is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

 

God wants us planted and firm in him to flourish. We become a demonstration of how he provides for us, and how he holds us up. He is our foundation. He is able to to sustain us and bring forth the good fruit in us.

 

Ezekiel 18:8

⁸ It was planted in a good soil by great waters, that it might bring forth branches, and that it might bear fruit, that it might be a goodly vine.

 

Without cultivation and care, our fruit will not flourish and become good as God wants for us. We can only flourish when we are tending to our relationship with God. God will plant us, cultivate us and care for us when we are planted firmly on the foundation of His word and spend time in prayer and communication with God. Listening for His voice, knowing His voice, and responding to His voice will give us the direction we need to grow strong and fruitful.

 

We are the vine that needs to bring forth the fruit and God is the gardener that will tend to our fruit. We must submit to him as he works on us, prunes and trims us and teaches us how to bear fruit. He will make us fruitful and multiply our fruit greater than we ever can on our own. We must choose to be submitted to his care.