Walking with the Wise #282: The Battle of the Mind

“One with a twisted mind will not succeed.”

—Proverbs 17:20 HCSB

Entrusting yourself to Jesus is an act of the will done on a daily basis. If we fail to crucify the flesh by taking up His cross and doing the dual action of appropriating His crucifixion and His resurrection as our own then we will find sin permeating our life—spreading all over us like spiritual gangrene, eventually bringing about spiritual destruction. As the Bible says,

“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot”—Romans 8:5-7.

Feeding the fallen flesh’s immoral cravings inevitably has an effect on the mind. It distorts all thoughts of God and begins to promote and encourage all kinds of sin. The Bible says,

“And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them”—Romans 1:28-32.

God will give a person over to do what should not be done if they continue to shut Him off from their life by indulging in the sinful nature. The downward spiral of disobedience that adds sin upon sin will eventually result in pain, heartache, and death.

Our responsibility is to fight the sin that lives in our earthly members by realizing Jesus’ death has become our death and His resurrection has become our resurrection. And by faith in Him, through the power of His Spirit, we can defeat sin and live in righteousness.

Put to death what is evil in you, live according to the power that brought Jesus Christ back from the dead, and experience the peace that transcends all understanding. Amen.