“Wherever your mind goes most naturally and freely when there is nothing else to distract it—that is what you really live for. That is your religion. Your life is shaped by whatever preoccupies your mind. The overcoming of sin in our lives begins in our minds; and victory over sin is only ever the result of having minds set on the Spirit.”
I don’t know about you, but the words above hit me square in the face as my eyes rolled over each new word. I looked back over the last several days to consider exactly where my mind goes in moments of solitude. What I found made me my shudder. My mind doesn't drift to bad or inappropriate places, it just seldom drifts to thoughts of Christ.
The path of discipline, health, working hard and getting better can preoccupy my mind. These things are important, worth contemplating and the primary focus of this blog. Today, I want to pause and think about exactly where my mind does and doesn’t go in moments of silence.
What you focus your mind on shapes your life and character. Whatever preoccupies your thoughts has control over you. That’s called an idol in Christian circles. It’s such a big deal it’s the first commandment given to Moses and the one Jesus cites as the most important.
That’s a big deal and why daily time in God’s Word is so vitally important. It transforms your mind and helps orient it around the person and work of Christ.
I don’t know about you, but I want to be controlled by those thoughts. Thoughts of Christ, not lesser things. No matter how good or important they may seem.