You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires. Paul in the book of Ephesians writes: “to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” Eph 4 vs23-24 About our minds, or the attitude of our minds, John Piper says:
“The mind doesn’t just have a view, it has a view point
The mind doesn’t just detect, it has a demeanor.”
It has its own attitude, wow! Ever heard of pessimists and optimists? Yup, people who have positive and negative attitudes of the mind.
Ever been badly hurt? What about do something that felt good but wasn’t exactly the ‘right thing to do? Unconsciously, we may try to convince ourselves to feel a certain way based on what shaped our mental attitude. For that bad expe– rience, we might now see people as untrust– worthy or open doors as traps. And that time you did something you shouldn’t have, but it felt good at the time; watch how it slowly turns into “Well it wasn’t that bad.”
Now it’s natural to remember events in your past and it’s normal to remember what hurt you. However, the problem is when you allow it to have a huge effect of the way you view things. Then your mind isn’t free yet. You cannot truly show the love of God when you aren’t mentally free.
For example, when you hear a sermon about ‘those who betray you or those who disown you’ you can easily be blinded by those whom you have felt hurt you, and unconsciously return back to the place you were before you gave your ‘forgiveness’. Not only that, but you pay no mind to those whom you hurt or betrayed. You can easily list a number of people who you feel fall into that category of ‘disloyal, ungrateful and judgmental people’, but forget those who could put you on that same list.
A person with a chained mental attitude uses everything to prove that their thoughts, feelings, actions are right above everything and everyone else’s. I think the most dangerous thing a Chris- tian can do is to confuse their negative mental attitude with God’s word. This is why Paul asks us to pray for a renewing of the mind so that we may test and approve what God’s will is for us. – His good, pleasing and perfect will never fails any believer. .Romans 12:2. We need a re- newed mind so we can truly walk in accordance to God’s word.
“ So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts” Ephesians 4vs17-19
The mind refuses to accept the truth because the harden heart feeds it. The doubt, pain, bit- terness, denial, pride… all comes from the heart. May we first address the sick heart? May we first run to the mender, who is Jesus? I pray that God shatters our hard hearts and renew our minds so we may have the attitude of Christ.
