James 1:5-8,(ESV) “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”
It’s quite simple, but I missed it for decades. God will give us wisdom if we will just believe in Him, without wavering. If we are double minded, looking to God, then to the flesh, we can’t expect to receive ANYTHING from God. We will be unstable in ALL our ways. Ouch! Does that explain a few things in your life? It sure did in mine. My thoughts were not fixed on the right things.
Romans 8:5-6, “Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.”
What we think determines whether the sinful nature controls our minds or the Holy Spirit. One leads to death and one leads to life. It’s either or, not both. We just established that we can’t be double minded and expect to receive anything from God.
Ephesians 4:20-21, “Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.”
“Lust and deception” refer to the desires of the flesh – our appetites and the wrong beliefs that we hold. We’ve already discussed gluttony as a lust of the flesh. But in what other ways are you deceived? What do you believe about your weight, gluttony, your ability to walk in freedom, or even the power of the Word? What thoughts and attitudes do you need to let the Spirit renew?
We have spent a lot of time on what we think and feel, but we need to continue looking at what our mind/thoughts and heart/feelings should be. What else has God said about these things? How do we manage them? In this chapter, we will explore these things through the lens of belief, looking and what we believe about what God has said, versus what man has said. What is our source of wisdom, understanding and knowledge?
How many diet, nutrition and exercise books have you read? How many magazine articles have you consulted for weight loss advice? What customs, traditions and systems of man have you turned to for help? Who’s wisdom, knowledge and understanding are you applying to your eating, weight loss and life? Where has God’s Word and His wisdom, knowledge and understanding fit into the equation? He is who we are to seek primarily, but have we given Him even equal time and attention to bring about transformation?
Since the point of all of this is to be transformed, let’s remind ourselves what Romans 12 says about how to be transformed.
Romans 12:2, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”
In this verse, we see the compare and contrast of the wisdom of the world and it’s customs, versus changing how we think. God wants to transform you into “a new person”, but it begins with your mind, not your behavior. When we get our heads straight and begin to dwell in the Word and place our focus and priority in the right place, the transformation will necessarily begin. We will be compelled and led by the Holy Spirit to do what is right – in all areas of our life. As we change the way we think, aligning our thoughts with His, we are transformed. Not only that, but we learn to know God’s will through this process.
What does that look like in a practical sense? How do we let God transform us by changing the way we think? How do we learn His will?
1 Corinthians 2:10-16, “But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us. When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths. But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things, but they themselves cannot be evaluated by others. For,“Who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to teach him?” But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.”
We could spend hours just on this single passage of Scripture. In earlier chapters, we established, by the Word, that we have the Spirit of God in us. That fact is reiterated in this passage. Here we discover that that same Spirit “shows us God’s deep secrets”. His Spirit, in us, reveals to us God’s own thoughts. We have the “mind of Christ”. Christ means, “the Anointed One”. We have the mind of the Anointed One. If we believe that and walk in that, thinking thoughts of the Anointed One, what an impact that will have on bringing transformation!!! Notice too, that we are specifically told that all of this revelation is not through human wisdom. We must be spiritual to know and understand what God has given us. Truth – all truth – is a spiritual concept. John 16:13-14, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me.” There is no truth apart from Him.
Ephesians 5:15-17, “So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise.Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.”
How do we know that our minds are being renewed and that we are walking in the Spirit?
Proverbs 4:20-24, “My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body. Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.Avoid all perverse talk; stay away from corrupt speech.”
Philippians 2:13, “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.”
Does it please God for us to be depressed, frustrated, overweight, unhealthy and in constant war with food and our own flesh? Of course not! We are told in Galatians 5:24 to “crucify the flesh”. God sent His son so that we can have abundant life! (John 10:10) He wants to give us the desire to do what pleases Him and the power to do it! He is pleased when we have faith in Him. Hebrews 11:6, “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.” He wants to reward us, we just need to believe it – believe in Him and seek Him!
Proverbs 16:1-3, “We can make our own plans, but the LORD gives the right answer.People may be pure in their own eyes, but the LORD examines their motives.Commit your actions to the LORD, and your plans will succeed.”