Human Mind @ MindSay

Was reading a news story about a woman who committed suicide following a cancer diagnosis by setting herself on fire in a parking lot. It definitely makes you wonder about the workings of the human mind -- assuming she committed suicide to avoid future suffering, it seems odd that she chose such a horrific, presumably excruciating means to an end. Mysterious creatures are we...

 

The real battle between good and evil that a human being fights is within the mind. Believers and Unbelievers alike are created in the image of God. After Adam’s fall that image became twisted. Christ provides a position of Salvation of the real person – the human spirit. Humanity and the rest of creation is awaiting the time of FULL Redemption when spirit, soul (mind) and body receive complete transformation in the Salvation of Christ.

 

In Christ the human spirit is un-twisted and the image of God is restored. Unfortunately we still live in a twisted world with our mind and body. This is why the Christian imperative is to dwell in Christ. That which is dwelt on is the way the mind and body gravitate.

 

I believe this is an explanation of why there are good people which are unbelievers not in Christ. Their human spirit may not be redeemed but their mind is self-disciplined toward goodness to overcome the twisted nature of the unredeemed.

 

Conversely there are the Redeemed who have had the twisted straightened, yet focus on the twisted nature of existence still dominated by Satan. Thus Christian’s battle to not sin is according to the degree that Christ is placed in their life.

 

It is all about the mind.

JRH

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The Devil’s Destination

Rick Renner

 

Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able
to stand against the wiles of the devil.
- Ephesians 6:11

 

What I am about to tell you is so simple - yet it is also life-changing and revolutionary. I want to help you understand how the devil tries to work in the realm of the mind and emotions. If you grab hold of these truths, they can set you free from the devil’s lies forever!

 

In Ephesians 6:11, Paul explicitly tells us how the devil operates. He writes, “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” I want you to especially pay attention to the phrase “the wiles of the devil.”

 

The word “wiles” is taken from the word methodos. It is a compound of the words meta and odos. The word meta is a preposition that means with. The word odos is the word for a road. When the words meta and odos are compounded into one word, as in Ephesians 6:11, it literally means with a road. You’ve probably already figured out that the word methodos is where we get the word “method.” Some translations actually translate the word methodos as the word “method,” but the word “method” is not strong enough to convey the full meaning of the Greek word methodos.

 

Let me make the meaning of this word real simple for you. As I said, the most literal meaning of the word “wiles” (methodos) is with a road. I realize this seems strange, but when you connect this to the devil as Paul does in Ephesians 6:11, it means that the devil is like a traveler who travels on a road. He is headed in one direction and has one destination.

 

Let me give you an example of what I mean. If you’re going to take a trip, the logical thing for you to do is get a map and chart your journey to your destination. You don’t take just any road; rather, you strategize to find the best and fastest way to get where you’re going. Right? It would be pretty fool­ish for you to jump in the car and take off with no sense of direction. Taking any road could lead you in a multitude of wrong directions. It’s just better to use a map and stay on track. Correct?

 

This is precisely the idea of the word methodos. The devil isn’t wasting any time. He knows where he wants to go. He has chosen his destination. Rather than mess around on a bunch of dif­ferent routes, he has mastered the best way to get where he wants to go. He is not a mindless traveler. And when he arrives at his place of destination, he has one main goal he wants to accomplish: He wants to wreak havoc and bring destruction. Therefore, we must ask: “Where is the devil traveling, and what does he want to do once he gets there?”

 

Paul answers the question about Satan’s destination in Second Corinthians 2:11 when he says, “…we are not ignorant of his [Satan’s] devices.” Pay careful attention to the word “devices” in this verse. It is the Greek word noemata, a form of the word nous. The Greek word nous describes the mind or the intellect. Thus, in one sense Paul is saying, “…we are not ignorant of the way Satan schemes and thinks.”

 

But the word noemata also denotes Satan’s insidious plot to fill the human mind with confu­sion. There is no doubt that the mind is the arena where Satan feels most comfortable. He knows if he can access a person’s mind and emotions, he will very likely be able to ensnare that individual in a trap. One writer says that the word noemata not only depicts Satan’s scheming mind but also his crafty, subtle way of attacking and victimizing others’ minds.

 

I personally like this because it identifies the primary destination of the devil - to get into a person’s mind and fill it with lying emotions, false perceptions, and confusion. It was for this reason that Paul urged us, “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).

 

The words “bringing into captivity” are from the Greek word aichmalotidzo, which pictured a soldier who has captured an enemy and now leads him into captivity with the point of a sharpened spear thrust into the flesh in his back. The captured enemy knows that if he tries to move or get away, the Roman soldier will shove that spear clear through his torso and kill him. Therefore, this captive doesn’t dare move but remains silent, submissive, and non-resistant.

 

However, when Paul uses the word aichmalotidzo in this verse, he writes in a tense that describes the continuous action of taking such an enemy captive. This is not a one-time affair; it is the lifelong occupation of this soldier. He constantly has a spear in his hand, and he is always pushing it against the flesh of an enemy’s backside as he leads him away to permanent captivity.

 

Because the devil loves to make a playground out of your mind and emotions, you must deal with him like a real enemy. Rather than fall victim to the devil’s attacks, you must make a mental decision to seize every thought he tries to use to penetrate your mind and emotions. Rather than let those thoughts take you captive, you have to reach up and grab them and force them into submis­sion! You must take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ!

 

But if you’re going to beat the devil at his game, you have to put all your energy into taking every thought captive. If you’re not really committed to seizing every thought the devil tries to inject into your mind and emotions, he’ll strike you again! So once you make the decision to do it, stick with it. It’s time for you to take charge of your thoughts and drive his lying insinuations right out of your brain!

 

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Lord, I don’t want the devil to fill my mind with insinuations and lies. My mind belongs to You, and the devil has no right to flood me with false perceptions, vain imaginations, or lies about who I am or what I will never be. I refuse to let him operate in me any longer! You have provided me with the helmet of salvation, and by faith I put it on to protect my mind against the devil’s assaults. He can strike as hard as he wishes, but Your Spirit and Word protect me!

 

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

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MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

 

I confess that I bring every thought into the captivity of Christ! When the devil tries to invade my mind with lies, I capture those lies and drive them clear out of my brain! Rather than fall victim to the devil’s attacks, I seize every thought that he tries to use to penetrate my mind and emotions. I grab each lie and force it into submission! Because I stand firm on the Word, the enemy’s lies are not able to exert any power against me.

 

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

    It's been an interesting last couple of days, and I must say:  I'm rather looking forward to the next few as well.   For once, I feel as if no matter what's going on, it's not that bad.  I've been searching for the deeper meaning of things, and really the basis of human wants and the interworkings of the mind, and I think I've got it narrowed down from last week sometime (as much of a stride as that sounds).  I'd like to attribute most of it to Communications, mainly because that class is so worthless and stupid and completely wrong in what she tells us about being humans and what we naturally think and what apparently has to be our thoughts...I get so upset in that class...it's so wrong.  She tells us that we're a certain way and that's just the way it is and there's no changing it, but that's a false statement.  As humans, we have the capacity to think and reason, and the whole free will thing factors in to prove that we can do whatever we want, but with the free will comes laziness and a lack of will to think outside our little realm of comfortable, socially-acceptable thoughts (which doesn't make any sense to me...they're thoughts in your head, they don't have to be socially-acceptable). 

I've also noticed that another user (imnotpoetic) has made a resolution to get things accomplished.  I'd like to wish her the best of luck, and I hope she accomplishes her goals, whatever they may be.  I like to watch people apply themselves for the betterment of themselves.  It makes me very pleased to see people looking to themselves to solve problems instead of looking to others.  It really captivates everyhting I've said about people being able to do things they really want to and only needing the right thing to spark the imagination and inspiration.  Now that I've said all that, I don't want you to let me down.  Don't dash my happiness.  Accomplish your goals and make me proud, and progress like you know you're capable of.   I have faith in you.


Anyway, back to my blog, I was sitting there today and I came up with most of the stuff on this particular list, the rest is from other classes.

1. I never really hada  reason to hate that kid, and I still don't, but I do feel slightly justified now
2. Who do I know with that name?!
3. It is hidden rather well in most circumstances.
4. I alwasy did like that kid :)
5. Hoping something happens and thinking it will are entirely different.  Hoping requires absolutely nothing but fantasy, whereas thinking something will happen is supposed to have taken thought and reasoning and at least a slight amount of logic.
6. "It's affected me for years." and yet you can't remember the story? 
   
7. If the individuals of a group cannot function as individuals, they shoulnd't funcction as a group.
8. Cuz there's rules applied to those that there aren't elsewhere.
9. Also, if you learned or believed anything they tell you in Communications, you're retarded.
10. Why is that typical?  You're an idiot.
11. She's not that hot...what's the big deal?  If anything, she's kind of creepy.
12. Feels like I'd just be going through the motions...which is something I definitely don't want to be doing.  I'd be doing basically what was happening before:  missing it when it's gone, never appreciating it when it's there.  Taking advantage of the one really good thing that had happened in a long time, and never realizing it until too late.  I'm glad I caught myself.
13. It's really really really really really really really complicated.
14. Ha!  A Utopia with religion?   Whatever.
15. Yes and no.  Why?
16. *sarcasm*  yeah, thanks Mr. Thomas.
17. Holy freakin piss.
18. Can we get some stability please?
19. People can be incredibly stupid.
20. Maslow's wrong.  Very wrong.  His pyramid of basic human needs is total bullshit.
    
21. That changed your life?  Depressing....
22. Again, take a freakin joke.  Jesus Christ.
23. The question wasn't serious, why are you?
24. Still #1, thank you.
25. Interesting mood change.  Quick too.   *sniff*
26. Harley Davidsons are worthless.  So are people who want one.
27. Recognition through falsities and dreams is the lowest form of dishonesty.
28. The things I treasure most in life cannot be taken away.
29. Opinion: to each, his own.  But some opinions are still wrong.
30. Looking at it, God (in one form or another) is the leading cause of death.
31. It creates more harm than harmony.
32. The idea is to keep the momentum, or lose as little as possible.
33. I hate people who look up every answer in the book on a review.  It's a review, you should know it.
34. Never leave a paper trail.   Ever.
    
35. God, especially when she does it like that!  wtf?!
36. CONSISTANCY.   Learn it, apply it.
37. Hmm...well, that wouldn't be logical, then, would it?  Idiot.
38. Not neccessarily.
39. Then you probably shouldn't have said anything.  Moron.
40. No, you should probably be the same to everyone all the time, unless circumstances in the past have altered the relationship, but that's not what you were talking about so piss off.
41. Maybe it's jsut the words and examples she uses that make it stupid.  Then again, maybe she's just full of shit.

Tonight's the night the world begins again.  I was talking with a friend (or so-called, self-proclaimed friend) the other night and I laid it out:  we never really talk, said friend only talks to me when they want something, we've never been more than friends but I suppose we'll never be less, and I don't like it.  That person talks to me a bit more, and I think they're trying to build a small friendship, but it's a weak start.  I don't care, I have enough friends, and they don't stab me in the leg like that one has.
Also, I'm throwing myself out on a limb tomorrow.  Sort of.  It's a plan I have...I think it's a good one.  It might work like I envisioned, but then again, let's be realistic: it probably won't.  And I'm okay with that, laregly due to the idea that I just need to get it done and over with so I don't have to keep it inside like this.  I've told 2 people about it:  Emily and Austin, probably the only 2 people that I'd feel okay with telling just about anything.  If you two read this, I'd like to say thanks for everything you've done over the years.  Really.  I don't know exactly who I'd be right now had I not had the companionship and advice you two have given me.  This one's mine though; I thought it up, I'm putting it into action, and I'll reap what I sow from it.  In a roundabout way, I feel like maybe I can get some good out of it...either I get some very good, or I get some very awkward.  We hope for the former, and I'll live with the latter if it so happens to be that way.