7UP:
You’re Out of Your Mind
Philippians 4:8
October 12, 2008
This week we turn to the mental area of our lives. ‘You’re out of your mind’ you may say for talking about this. But if we are going to follow Jesus in holistic community, we’ve got to give God control of this area of our lives as well.
Speaking of mental, a young lady went to Country Assistance Office to sign up for benefits. When she finally met with a case manager, she was told that her husband would have to sign the papers as well. The young lady just sort of stared at the phone not saying a word. Believing that maybe the young lady wanted to call her husband, the case manager slid the phone closer to the young lady and said, “You have to dial 9 to get out.”
The young lady picked up the receiver, dialed 9, put the receiver down, and walked out without saying a word. A few hours later the young lady was back in the office with her husband and he signed the papers. As the young lady stood up to leave, she asked, “Do I have to dial 9 again to get out?”
The mental area of our lives needs to be given up to God. But what does this mean? What is this mental area of our lives? And how do we differentiate this area from other areas especially the emotional area of our lives? We get a clue from Philippians 4:8:
Finally, brothers, 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.
So the mental area is what we think about. The technical term is the cognitive area of our lives.
The mental area is our thinking or cognitive area.
In psychology especially educational psychology goals are often written for students in the lessons based on three areas: the cognitive area which is the thinking area or the mind, the affective area which is how we feel or our emotions, and the kinesthetic area which is the physical area that deals with our bodies and touch.
We need to seek to give God control of this area of our lives as well as the physical and emotional areas, which we already talked about.
Why this area?
• Because God’s ways are not our ways.
Scripture reminds us that God’s ways are not our ways. His thoughts are not our thoughts. He is God. We are not. He created everything. He put it all into place. How are we to understand it all? This is why it is so important to seek to know God. Seek to know God’s ways. Seek to know what is right in God’s eyes.
I read about ten years ago an interesting statistic. Our medical knowledge doubles every 2.5 years. Is it any wonder why medicine has so many specialties? It literally is hard to keep up. Yet, we have only scratched the surface. God holds all these mysteries in his hand.
• Because we need help.
We don’t always have it all together. We make a mess of things we don’t always have things figured out. We don’t always understand. Like the little girl who told her mother when she brought home brown eggs because that was all the store had, “Look mommy, whole-wheat eggs!”
We need help. We often need to get our own thinking in order. Ever since the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve just got a tasted of knowledge concerning what is right and wrong, we have gotten things messed up. God knows everything perfectly. But we don’t. Without God and God’s direction, inevitably we determine things that are wrong as right and what is right becomes wrong.
We need help. We need guidance and direction. Often we make a mess of our lives when we try to do it our own way.
When we studied this in our small group, we looked at the story of a man who was possessed by a bunch of demons. He was wild. He tortured. Casting Crowns has written a song telling this story. And I found a video that has dramatized the story and song. Let’s take a look.
http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=edc9c59b2eb29776027a
Interestingly, the scripture says that the man was “restored to his right mind.” We need help. We all do. Giving God the mental area of our lives means God’s healing touch and restoration. Sometimes not all at once but certainly no matter how messed up our minds are, it is a better way of living, God’s ways, then on our own. Whether we have stinking thinking problems or we have mental illness or we suffer from the effects of mental problems because of choices that we have made, God brings healing and restoration to those who seek him.
The symbol for this area is light. Illumination of our minds. Jesus talked about the light of our eyes. The light of our minds that shines out of eyes from our hearts and souls. But if there is darkness, how great is that darkness!!
We are not meant to live in darkness. We were created to live in the light—in God’s light. I worked with a young lady several years ago whose boyfriend surrendered to the darkness. He blew his brains out with a shotgun just as she entered their bedroom. It was devastating. I knew the guy. And I remember thinking that but for the grace of God and his deliverance that could have been me.
The corresponding deadly sin is lust. Jesus tells us that lust is really a matter of the heart and the mind. Lust begins in what we think about. What we focus on. What we dwell upon. What things entertain our thoughts will ultimately nurture the growth of our desires.
So Paul says think about things that are right, pure, good, noble, true, lovely, beautiful, admirable, magnificent. If anything can be attributed to God, if anything out there can used to praise God and give him glory, then these are the things we ought to fill our minds with. In fact, Paul wrote a prayer out in the beginning of this letter that says that he prays that the church’s love will abound more and more in knowledge (certainly sounds like the mind to me and the mental area, doesn’t it?) and depth of insight. So closely connected to this mental area is our emotional maturity as well. Love and our ability to love are influenced by our thoughts and mental development. Of course what we are saying is that all of these areas have a tremendous impact upon the spiritual area of our lives. The things we think about should be praiseworthy. Yet, so often our emotional immaturity and our obsession with the wrongs that have been done to us are replayed over and over causing us to become bitter and resentful, which in turns starts to alienate us from God and other people eventually causing high blood pressure and heart problems and who knows what else.
Remember back when we talked about the physical area of our lives? Romans said to offer our what as a living sacrifice? Our bodies. But then Paul does on and says that we are to be transformed (this is the next verse) by the renewing of our minds. As we offer ourselves and our bodies to God, we allow God to renew our thoughts and our minds and what we think about and what we dwell upon in order to be changed from the inside out.
So what does this mean?
What does this mean?
• Restoration
We’ve talked about this… God restores. He wants to restore our minds as well as our bodies. God wants us to live in his light not in darkness. No matter where you are at. No matter what you are battling. No matter what is dragging you down. No matter what is afflicting you. God will never, ever, not in a million years, leave you. His desire is to bring healing and restoration. You can trust him. There is absolutely no better way to live then to holistically, completely give God the control of your life including the control of your mind. It also means:
• Renewal
This is the renewing of your mind. Again, I have already been over this. I am just giving you the organization of what God seems to be saying through me and the group.
God wants us to have life. Abundant life. We are not called just to exist. God wants us to be more than a survivor. More than someone who gets by. More than the broken. In fact, God says we are more than a conqueror. We are changed. We are transformed by the renewing of our minds. We are given a new lease. A new perspective. A new way of looking at things, at people, at life. We are renewed when we think about those things that are noble, right, good, kind, just, true, and so on.
But this means a huge, huge possibility. This is humontrous. This is garmongous. Gigantus. This is big. You know… Really, really big. This is bigger than election day. When we seek God’s will and God’s ways, we are enable and empowered to make right choices.
• Right choices
When God is in control and we determine that we are going honor God with our minds and our thoughts, then God is able to help us make right choices. Good choices. And this is something so many of us desperately need.
God has divine wisdom for us. But, a word of warning here, the rest of the world will probably think we are nuts. They will accuse you of being out of your mind. Paul was accused of it. He didn’t care because he knew what was true. Jesus was accused of it. But when you honor God with your thoughts and you think about what is true and beautiful and praiseworthy, you know. You know? You know the truth of God’s paradox. Things like when you surrender to God to serve him, then you are set free. It doesn’t make sense. But it is true. And you know it.
We realize how much we need God and we need each other. We realize how much we need to pour into our minds and hearts the things of God. And the irony here is that choosing this is the first and best right choice that we will ever make. It is also a choice that we will need to continue to make again and again.
Your family may tell you, “You’re out of your mind.” Your boss may say, “You’re out of your mind.” Your neighbor may say, “You’re out of your mind.” But when you have made this choice and given God control of your mind, you know. You just know. You know that you have never been more in your right mind. You know. You know?
Of course, this means that you must exercise your mind. You need to learn and grow. And this just doesn’t mean only read your bible. There is so much knowledge out there that God has provided that really is noble, good, and true. Read. Exercise your mind.
What are you thinking about? What consumes the majority of your thoughts? Are these things as Paul says noble, true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and admirable? Are these things praiseworthy? Can you honestly say that God is control of your mind? When we are in God’s mind (that is God’s thoughts and ways) then we truly are in our right mind. But being in our right mind for God may mean that you are out of your mind according to the rest of world. Serving and loving others and sacrificing for others especially the least of these, just isn’t right. Whose mind are you in? God’s or someone else’s.
