A PRAYER FOR THOUGHTS AND DREAMS

I have friends struggling with bad dreams.  For one person, they go back to his time of service in Vietnam.  My friends have memories that have been triggered by recent personal events.  I wonder how to pray for my friends.  As in their cases, one’s “mind” may be outside of willful control due to the non-conscious release of chemicals that trigger neurological responses.  One’s “mind” is deeply embedded.  It is not just a matter of brain neurology.  Mind is enacted through bodily experiences as well as one’s environmental embeddedness, and, consequently, thoughts and dreams may be triggered by various factors.

I have published earlier posts on basic Christianity, the nature of temptation,and the active mental discipline of rejecting evil thoughts that come to mind (7/10/24, 2/6/25, and 2/17/25).  One’s mindset can be on the things of the sinful nature or on the desires of the Spirit (Rom 8:5-6).  But my friends’ situations are different.  They are not allowing temptations to dwell in their thought lives.

I am reminded though, that the Spirit who searches all things and knows the deep things of God (1Cor 2:10b-11), must fully know the depths of their minds.  And, if the Spirit can bring to the disciples’ minds what Jesus taught them (John 14:26), then I imagine that the Spirit can bring fresh and healing thoughts to my friends’ minds even as they sleep.  That is my prayer.

Come Holy Spirit.  I pray that You, who know the thoughts and memories that come to our minds, will nurture those of my friends even as they sleep.  Provide thoughts that are healing, care for the thoughts that need comforting, and turn back any that would cast shadows in their hearts.  Amen.

CHRISTIANITY 101: DEALING WITH TEMPTATION, PT2: MENTAL HABITS

 In the previous blog on temptation, I mentioned six main points: 1) Our “battle” is with spiritual forces of evil.  2) Our “battlefield” is the mind.  3) Temptation, which occurs in the mind, is not sin.  4) Temptation must be stopped in the mind before it leads to sin.  (Our thoughts do not define us; our responses define us.)  5) Our temptations are not unique and are not beyond dealing with.  6) Jesus has experienced our temptations and can help us through them.  I want to expand upon point #4 by taking a close look at Romans 12:2:

Do not permit yourself to be conformed to this present age, but be allow yourself to be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve what is the will of God– what is good and well-pleasing and perfect. (Rom 12:2)

Technical, but important, notes:

·       The two verbs for “conform” and “transform” are imperatives (commands) in the middle/passive voice.  The significant point is that we are recipients of external forces that act upon us, but we have roles to play, both negative (not to be conformed) and positive (to be transformed).

·       “Age” here is often translated as “world,” but what is significant is a negative nuance.  The present “age” is under the dominion of sin and death as opposed to being of the Kingdom of God’s Spirit and life.

·       One verb, dokimazo, is here translated by two, “test and approve,” because the sense is that one assays something for what is genuine or not in order to choose the genuine.

·       “Mind” is a term I should have clarified in my last post.  In Greek, mind (nous related words) is more than a faculty of reason.  It includes apprehension and comprehension with volitional commitment.

Commentary

Living in this “age” puts us in the position of being conformed to that which is not of God’s will.  As mentioned in the last post, there is a dimension which is adversarial to God.  We are to resist being shaped in that negative direction.  The area of conflict is the “mind” where temptations arise in the form of our thoughts and desires.  In our culture, I sometimes hear people conclude that they are what they think: “God made me, this is what I desire, so this must be who I am.”  No, the “mind” is the testing/assaying ground in which thoughts and desires are to be assessed as of God or not.  We are to submit our minds to God so that they increasingly become transformed in the likeness of Jesus’ mind.  We are to create mental habits that tests our desires, discerns what is God’s pleasing and perfect will, and rejects what is not.  This involves mental discipline: “we take every thought captive to make it obey Christ” (2Cor 10:5b).  It also calls for spiritual disciplines of prayer, study, and fellowship that increase our sensitivity to God’s Presence.  It is not easy.  However, anything that aligns us with the will of God brings its own reward of peace.

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of respect, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if something is excellent or praiseworthy, think about these things.” (Phi 4:8 NET)

Jesus, my thought life is not easy to control, but I want it brought under your reign.  I want to think and desire that which is pleasing to you.  Transform me.  Amen.

CHRISTIANITY 101: DEALING WITH TEMPTATION*

I have never experienced a church that explicitly taught believers how to deal with temptation, particularly as new Christians.  It involves spiritual “warfare” in a “battle” for the mind.
Six main points
1) Our “battle” is with spiritual forces of evil.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens. (Eph. 6:12)

(Too often spiritual dimensions in life are ignored or overblown.  A healthy starting point is this analogy: As an infection is to a cut, so is spiritual evil to our normal pathologies.  There is a real dimension that is adversarial to God.)

2) Our “battlefield” is the mind.  (The key point is in bold.)

For though we live as human beings, we do not wage war according to human standards, ⁴ for the weapons of our warfare are not human weapons, but are made powerful by God for tearing down strongholds. We tear down arguments ⁵ and every arrogant obstacle that is raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to make it obey Christ. (2 Cor. 10:3)

3) Temptation is not sin.  Jesus was tempted.  (The main noun and verb for “temptation” carries the idea that it tests a person and exposes their character in the Light of their response.)

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. (Matt. 4:1)

4) Temptation must be stopped in the mind before it leads to sin.  Our thoughts do not define us; our responses us.

But each one is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desires. ¹⁵ Then when desire conceives, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is full grown, it gives birth to death. (James 1:14)

5) Our temptations are not unique and are not beyond dealing with.

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your strength, but with the temptation will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. (1 Cor. 10:13)

6) Jesus has experienced our temptations and can help us through them.

For since he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted. (Hebrews 2:18)

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.  (Hebrews 4:15-16)

Summary and Application
Temptuous thoughts are normal, but they should be rejected as foreign to who we are as people of God.  Some people let such thoughts define them: “Since I feel X, I must be X.”  Others let temptations linger until they give birth to sin.  Temptations must be instantly identified as foreign to the Presence of God and one should call on God's help to reject them.
Although I often fail with various spiritual temptations, still I will be personal about a habit I seek to develop.  When I see a woman and begin to have a lustful thought, I attempt to stop it by saying a blessing for that woman and asking Jesus in His mercy to lead me to “escape” it and to cleanse my mind.  More personally (too personally?) I vividly recall an experience, on another issue, when one image after another was coming into my mind.  At first, it frightened me.  Then, I inwardly said, "Satan (= adversary), you can put any image in my mind you want, but I do not have to accept them.  Come Holy Spirit!"  My body literally shook and the images were gone.
Lord Jesus, you know how frail I am.  However, I want my mind, my thought-life, to be pleasing to you.  Lead me through every temptation and cleanse the thoughts of my heart.  Amen.
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*I posted on this topic more fully on July 10, 2024, "Temptation, the Mind, and Spiritual Warfare," but in a recent conversation I was encouraged to post on it again.  Shorter is sometimes better.

 

TEMPTATION, THE MIND, AND SPIRITUAL WARFARE

 I wish all new Christians had a basic lesson on temptation.  The NT puts temptation in the realm of spiritual warfare.  That topic reminds me of an irony.  On the one hand, I have an atheistic-leaning philosophy colleague who once mentioned that he believed in the reality of an evil dimension and wondered if he should then believe in a dimension of good, of God.  On the other hand, many Christians reject the notion of a spiritual reality of darkness.  I worry that it is dangerous for the Church to neglect this issue when teaching about temptation.  (Below: I do not like to string “proof texts” together, but the following ones will make my main point and hopefully will encourage further study.)

The “Battlefield” of the Mind
Our movement into sinful behavior starts with our inner, thought-life.  That is where Christians are to confront their own sinful tendency.  James gives us the process by which sin is birthed.  It starts with our own "natural" human desires:

… but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.  Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. (James 1:14-15, NIV)

Moreover, Paul lets us know that the thought-life is the location of spiritual warfare:

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (2 Cor 10:3-5, NIV)

To be fair to the context of 2 Corinthians, Paul is initially speaking of the teachings and arguments of his opposition (strongholds and arguments); however, as he moves toward “we take captive every thought” (noama), his focus shifts to the inner thought-life of each person, because it is in the mind that we are led astray.  For example, in a few verses following, he mentions:

But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. (2 Cor 11:3, NIV).

Or one might refer to:

They [Gentiles] are darkened in their understanding [dianoia – from same semantic range as noama] and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. (Eph 4:18 NIV)

Christians are to guard and renew their minds in Christ:

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed* by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-- his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Rom 12:2 NIV)

The temptations we face are quite normal:

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. (1Cor 10:13, NIV)

Yet, when we live in Christ (participatory theology), we are empowered to overcome temptations:

Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. (Heb 2:18, NIV)

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are-- yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Heb 4:15-16, NIV)

Application
We live in a culture that blithely accepts that who we are is what we think and feel.  Moreover, in terms of neurology, it is true that the brain is “addictive.”  That is to say, our mental processes easily become thought patterns into which we become “locked.”  However, biblical teaching is consistent about holding us responsible for our inner thought-life ("heart" and "mind"), because that is where deception and sin are birthed.  An early lesson in Christian living should teach us that we are to engage and “battle” ungodly thoughts and desires so that our minds might be transformed in Christ.
    This inner life is also the realm of spiritual “warfare.”  I think the following statement I once heard is on the right track: “As an infection is to a cut, so is the spiritual realm of darkness to our normal pathologies.”  That is to say, just as we all get cuts and scrapes, we all have normal weaknesses and temptations; but, there is a spiritual dimension in life that can destructively exacerbate our weaknesses.  For example, “the Satan” in Hebrew means “the adversary” to God.  The notion is that there is some real adversarial activity that we experience.
    So, how do we “battle” for the mind?  We are to take our thoughts captive for Christ.  I will give a personal example.  It is not atypical for me as a male to see a woman and have a lustful thought.  Temptation is normal.  However, it is my responsibility to make sure that such temptation does not germinate.  The pattern I have tried to develop is to turn the temptation around into something good.  To myself, I pray, “Lord, bless this woman, and cleanse my thought-life.”  I find that blessing someone personalizes them and changes my thinking about them.  My main point is that who I am is not simply a matter of what thoughts and desires come to mind, but how I allow Christ to transform my heart and mind.
    Moreover, besides stopping thoughts that are contrary to God, we are also to nurture positive thoughts:

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-- think about such things. (Phi 4:8, NIV)

 Lord, you know that I am frail and weak in myself.  Help me in Christ to guard my thoughts and nurture them that they might be pleasing to you.  Amen.
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*Re: "be transformed."  English cannot quite capture the sense here of what is called the “middle voice” in Greek.  The idea is that the subject “you” acts in cooperation with the agency of God to effect transformation.