CHRISTIAN, IT IS NOT A SIN TO USE YOUR MIND
Introduction:
Many Christians fail to realise what a vital resource their minds are. They have been convinced that it is unspiritual, in fact, sinful to use their minds and so they allow this magnificent resource from God to waste.
They look for prophecies, words of knowledge and words of wisdom on every matter. They are persuaded that these revelations are the only reliable guides for their lives that they become a laughing stock repeating cycles of mistakes in the name of following divine guidance.
Discernment of spirits, a gift of the Holy Spirit, seems to elude many Christians today that they support the weirdest stuff and are misled by all sorts of tricksters.
Whether you have supernatural gifts or not, God has given you what you need to reason and make good judgments- your mind.
Three things brethren who chase supernatural messages should bear in mind:
1. Not all revelations are accurate or from God. There are so many voices speaking in the spirit realm and one can easily mistake the false for the true. The devil, the Bible says, disguises himself as an angel of light and his workers too (2 Corinthians 11:13-15).
2. That someone gave you a right word or many right words from God in the past does not mean that everything they tell you must be applied in toto. Some words are just based on good intentions but they are presented as straight from God.
3. Not all prophecies have universal applicability. The prophecy that worked for Sister Gladys may not work for you.
Where your mind comes in
The Lord Jesus told us in Matthew 10:16 to be as wise as serpents. Some translations use the word “shrewd” or “smart” in place of “wise.”
What do these words mean?
According to the Web Dictionary, to be wise is to exercise “good judgment or common sense in practical matters,” to be shrewd is to be “marked by practical hardheaded intelligence,” and to be smart is to demonstrate intelligence, to be “clever or ingenious.” This mental attribute that Jesus commands you to put to use shows what a wonderful resource from God your mind is.
In 2 Timothy 1:7, the Bible reminds us that “God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a SOUND MIND” (emphasis, mine). In 1 Corinthians 2:16, we are told that “we have the mind of Christ.” Surely, God didn’t give us that mind to throw away!
Instead of despising and devaluing your mind, this is how you should use it.
4 ways Christians should use their minds
1. Renew your mind with the word of God.
“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” – Romans 12:2 (KJV)
When you constantly feed and meditate on the Bible, it will sharpen your mind and help you to detect what is of God and what is evil, what is right and what is wrong.
2. Expose yourself to general knowledge too.
Learn about history, how the economy works, political and religious systems and their principal actors, etc. Knowledge of the world is very important as it helps us to understand emerging events and issues. This, in turn, helps us to have informed reactions to them. I believe that part of the reason Paul was a very effective apostle was his level of knowledge which made him able to preach to both Jews and Gentiles, and speak meaningfully to craftsmen and elite alike.
3. Do not be afraid to ask questions and investigate things.
If you don’t understand something or it doesn’t quite sit well with you, research it. You can start with Google. There’s a vast amount of information on the internet on every subject. Talk to your superiors too but don’t be cowed into accepting something simply because someone says so.
4. Practise critical thinking.
Learn to distinguish between facts and opinions, rational and emotional arguments, speculations and proven matters. This will help you weigh issues and make up your mind about them on the right basis.
Conclusion:
As long as you’re submissive to God’s Spirit and soaked in His word, your mind will be a good filter for what you see and hear and you will not be a constant victim of manipulation and deception by the devil and his workers. You will be able to evaluate matters properly and accept only what is right for you.
Scriptural references:
“… we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.” – Ephesians 4:14
“Brothers and sisters, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults.” – 1 Corinthians 14:20
“Buy the truth and do not sell it—
wisdom, instruction and insight as well.” – Proverbs 23:23
“The one who gets wisdom loves life;
the one who cherishes understanding will soon prosper.” – Proverbs 19:8
Thanks for this ma’am.
The world greatly relies on Christian’s to set it aright but if we fail to exercise our minds effectively we’d be making a grave mistake
True. God bless you!
Thank you very much ma. Indeed our minds have been made by God to guide us.
Consequently neglecting what the mind tells us is the neglect of oneself.
True. God bless you!
I believed all you said Ma, because God created man in his image and likeness, consequently, man can think critically more than other creatures. So weather spiritual revelation or not, man can solve his problems using his mind.
In regards to this, can problem solved using the mind be called CRITICAL revelation? Opposite to spiritual revelation?
😃😃😃
I know about critical reasoning, not critical revelation. The point is that whether there is revelation or not, your mind can work for you.
You are richly blessed in Jesus’ name.
This is a nice post, ma’am! I learned that we Christians should expose ourselves to general knowledge so as to acquire more understanding about issues and we should not be afraid to ask questions about what we are not sure of.
Right. Christians would be the smartest people around if we properly used our God-given mental capacity.
Thank you ma for this. The mind is one of the greatest gifts God has given us.
True.
Thanks for this, ma! It’s high time people understood that being a Christian doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use your mind. God already gave it to us for a purpose.
The mind is a tool God has given us, God is proud of us when we put our mind to effective use.
As Christians,we should be able to make our own decisions, we should not be cowed into accepting what we don’t want.
You have a certain way with words ma… Makes reading feel breezy.
Thank you and God bless you!
Religious extremists need to be referred to this post.
Another beautiful piece. Many Christians do not use their minds that much. To most Christians, as long as we know what is in the Bible, it is enough for them. Reading wide or having knowledge of other things is a no no for them which is very terrible.
When we look at the scripture, we see that Jesus had a wide knowledge of many things. His disciples too and we must learn to be like Jesus in all areas of our lives.