June 28th
“Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.” 1 Peter 4:1-2 NKJV
Our minds are amazing wonders of God. Their creativity, computational power and complexity has yet to be approached by the world’s most advanced computers. As with all of creation, our minds were created to glorify God. They reflect his amazing qualities.
When we sin, our minds are corrupted and weakened in their ability to glorify God. The scripture refers to this process as a “darkening”of the understanding (Romans 1:21) which leads to a “depraved” mind and futile thinking (Romans 1:21,28). For example, looking at pornography impregnates our minds with sexually explicit thoughts and images. It stirs the creative power of our minds to fantasize about sexual sin. The images can remain in our memories for years, making it difficult to regain a pure thoughtlife.
There is hope for those of us who have taken the plunge into porn and other sexual sin. The scripture says that the blood of Jesus is able to cleanse our conscience from the dead works of sin (Hebrews 9:14). By “arming” ourselves with the mind of Christ everyday, we engage the cleansing power of the blood of Christ. We do this by:
- Believing that we have the mind of Christ through the Holy Spirit
- Casting off the sinful thoughts associated with the “old self”’
- Denying our lusts
- Redirecting our thoughts toward pure topics
- Asking for God’s help as we tackle the above tasks
It’s likely that casting off the “old self” thoughts and denying our lusts will cause some “suffering” on our part. For example, our flesh may ache for fulfillment of its cravings for porn and masturbation during the withdrawal process from sex addiction. Initially, it may seem almost unbearable to deny our lusts, but in time the pangs will subside. As Peter mentioned in the above passage, such suffering will help us ultimately stop sinning. Then we will be free to live for the will of God and no longer waste time and resources in pursuit of lust.
Questions for further thought:
How is arming ourselves with the mind of Christ an act of faith?
What actions can we take to fill our minds with light instead of darkness? (Luke 11:34-35)
What are some examples of suffering in the flesh in relation to resisting temptations?
Prayer:
“Heavenly Father, thank you for sending the Holy Spirit to live in me and guide me in all truth. I desire to walk in the reality that I have the mind of Christ and that I am a new creation in Christ. Please forgive me for filling my mind with darkness through the dead works of sin. Please cleanse my conscience with the blood of Jesus and strengthen me to cast off sinful thoughts, deny lust and redirect my thoughts to pure topics. Thank you, Lord! I praise you and bless your name! Amen.”