Friday, January 22, 2010

MIND OVER MATTER

“If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” John 8:36

“. . . . . . Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind . . . . .” Rom 12:2

My little brother performed a little experiment on our dog recently and it taught me an invaluable lesson. Tiger, our dog has a nasty habit of scaring visitors away so we keep him chained during the day. One end of the chain is looped into his dog collar and the other end tied to a metal hook by his dog house. The chain is about seven feet in length.

That particular morning, my brother called Tiger over and as always, hooked the chain to his collar but then he did something else, he untied the other end of the chain, the end that that goes into the metal hook and he then left that end lying on the ground.

Over the next five hours, we watched Tiger but he never went beyond the span of the chain. He had become so used to being tied up and having only limited yard space to move in, that even when he was left to go free, he didn’t. In his mind, he was still tethered to the chain so he stayed within the confines of the length of that chain!

Watching that dog that day made me ask myself, “Rayo, Christ has freed you. Why are you keeping yourself captive?” The bible says I AM FREE INDEED! Why am I staying tethered to sin? Why am I limited spiritually? Why am I not spreading my wings and mounting up like the eagle I am?

Every time I give in to sin, I am not living in the freedom Christ died to give me. Every time I say ‘I cannot’ to something God wants from me, I am living like the freed ‘captive of the mighty’ who still seats at the foot of the strongman that Jesus has defeated.

The bible says “as a man thinketh in his heart so he is” Prov 23:7. How true is that statement! It wasn’t the chain that kept Tiger bound that day, it was his mind. Just as it is not any hold of the devil or any bindings of sin that holds a Christian down, it is our mind!

It is high time we refuse to live as slaves anymore when Jesus has made us heirs. Take control of your mind with the help of the Holy Spirit and start “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 Cor 10:5.

How far you are going to go this year will depend on how far your mind takes you. Isn’t that enough reason to ‘renew your mind’ in God’s word?

4 comments:

  1. Good to read your thoughts and see where God is moving in your life.

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  2. Thank you, Rebekah. May God continue to move in the lives of His children

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  3. Beautiful. Until we are conscious (and accept by faith) we are free, we live as tho' we are bound.

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  4. @ Rethots -Yes! That is exactly what we have to understand. Thank you.

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