I've been reading the Book of Psalms very slowly recently - participaing, processing, absorbing.
And I've come to the conclusion that the entire book can be summed up in two verses from the psalms themselves:
Oh, give thanks to the LORD for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever! The LORD reigns - let the earth rejoice!
Monday, January 23, 2012
Sunday, January 22, 2012
The Human Mind
"According to the Bible the mind of man is unusual in that it constitutes a battlefield where Satan and his evil spirits contend against the truth and hence against the believer. . . . The Apostle [Paul] likens man's arguments or reasonings to an enemy's strongholds. He pictures the mind as held by the enemy; it must therefore be broken into by waging war." *
I recently finished editing a book that teaches over and over, for over 200 pages, exactly what is written above. **
And yet, it wasn't until this morning that I really understood it.
Although I spent months with a manuscript that made this concept perfectly clear, it was not at all clear to me.
The sad part is, I sure thought it was clear.
But, given today's darkness-shattering ah-ha moment, it obviously wasn't.
And (okay, maybe this is the sad part), I had absolutely no idea it wasn't perfectly clear until it actually became perfectly clear.
Funny how that works!
So, just to make sure I really do understand it, here it is in my own words.
Our minds (our thoughts, desires, reasonings, opinions, etc) are enemy territory. We naturally think they are ours - and because we belong to Christ, we believe that they too are essentially "Christian". But they are not. The war for our own minds is offensive, not defensive. We must jump out of our safe places and rush forward under full assault - not just hold our ground and wait for death or the rapture. It's not a matter of holding on - but one of actively, aggressively, even hostilely invading and conquering. Ours is not a passive battle. It is either fully active or non-existent. And if by fighting an offensive war with a defensive strategy we fail to take over (notice I don't say "take back") the territory of our minds, we lose.
Try looking at your spiritual life in this light and see if things don't make a whole lot more sense.
----------------------------------------------------------
* Vol 3 of The Spiritual Man by Watchman Nee
** The Word: Apparatus for Salvation, Renewal & Maturity. If anyone would like a copy of this book, just let me know. I have a little pull with the author (he's my brother-in-Christ-in-law - that is, his son married my daughter), and can get it for you cheap - as in free.
I recently finished editing a book that teaches over and over, for over 200 pages, exactly what is written above. **
And yet, it wasn't until this morning that I really understood it.
Although I spent months with a manuscript that made this concept perfectly clear, it was not at all clear to me.
The sad part is, I sure thought it was clear.
But, given today's darkness-shattering ah-ha moment, it obviously wasn't.
And (okay, maybe this is the sad part), I had absolutely no idea it wasn't perfectly clear until it actually became perfectly clear.
Funny how that works!
So, just to make sure I really do understand it, here it is in my own words.
Our minds (our thoughts, desires, reasonings, opinions, etc) are enemy territory. We naturally think they are ours - and because we belong to Christ, we believe that they too are essentially "Christian". But they are not. The war for our own minds is offensive, not defensive. We must jump out of our safe places and rush forward under full assault - not just hold our ground and wait for death or the rapture. It's not a matter of holding on - but one of actively, aggressively, even hostilely invading and conquering. Ours is not a passive battle. It is either fully active or non-existent. And if by fighting an offensive war with a defensive strategy we fail to take over (notice I don't say "take back") the territory of our minds, we lose.
Try looking at your spiritual life in this light and see if things don't make a whole lot more sense.
----------------------------------------------------------
* Vol 3 of The Spiritual Man by Watchman Nee
** The Word: Apparatus for Salvation, Renewal & Maturity. If anyone would like a copy of this book, just let me know. I have a little pull with the author (he's my brother-in-Christ-in-law - that is, his son married my daughter), and can get it for you cheap - as in free.
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