Sermon Central
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The Stewardship Of Our Minds
Contributed by Richard Perez on Sep 24, 2008 (message contributor)
Summary: -there is no computer; There is nothing on this earth that can compare with what God has done in the mind of humankind.
23 Keep your heart with all diligence,
For out of it spring the issues of life.
24 Put away from you a deceitful mouth,
And put perverse lips far from you.
25 Let your eyes look straight ahead,
And your eyelids look right before you.
1.Someone has said that a “proverb” is a saying, a short sentence based on a great experience- and that’s true if one is speaking of an earthly proverb,- but that isn’t what these Proverbs are…
These Proverbs, the words that we’ve just finished reading is God’s Word given to man so that man can know God’s will for his life!
2. In verse 23 we read a very singular phrase….Solomon says, “Keep your heart with all diligence,
For out of it spring the issues of life.”
Let me share some insight on this word that Solomon uses- the word I want to focus on is the word “heart”.
3. In the Old Testament, the word “heart” is used 800 times- and of these 800 instances that the word is used, the word “heart” practically never refers to the ORGAN, it refers to the MIND- the mind of every MAN and the MIND of every WOMAN.
And what Solomon is saying here is that the HEART is the MIND of a man. In other words, we are what we think.
4. So when we talk of the heart, we are really talking about our thoughts.
And Solomon tells his son, “My son, guard your mind with diligence, because from your mind springs, from your mind flows all the things of life!”
“Son, guard your mind, son protect your mind because from your mind flow all the issues of life.”
5. Today I want to share what we have titled, “The Stewardship of Our Minds”. And we’ll be seeing this subject under three very simple principles:
1. The MAJESTY of the MIND
2. THE MASTERY of the MIND – and finally,
3. THE MINISTRY of the MIND
1. The MAJESTY of the MIND
1. This word “majesty” occurred to me. But why the word “majesty”?
Very simply because there is no machine,
-there is no computer;
-there is nothing on this earth that can compare with what God has done in the mind of humankind. The mind truly is “majestic”.
And why is it majestic? The mind is majestic because the mind controls absolutely everything!
2. The mind of a man, the mind of a women reins supreme.
Solomon tells his son, “Guard your mind, because from it flows all the issues of life!”
What this man is saying, the wisest man to ever live is: “Son, you have to understand that your thoughts will control your life.”
“And if you never learn to control your thoughts, you will never be able to control your life.”
“For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he. (Proverbs Chapter 23, verse 7)
3. Our thoughts are going to control the attitudes we display in our lives and our attitudes take us to certain actions in our life…
- we act in love when our thoughts give us love.
- We act in hate when our thoughts give us hate.
- We act in kindness when our thoughts give us kindness.
And all these things come from one place- the mind, the heart of every man and the heart of every woman.
4. We could say that our thoughts are the father of our actions- whether good or bad.
5. Someone very wisely has said,
- Plant a thought, reap an action.
- Plant an action, reap a habit.
- Plant a habit, reap a character,
- Plant a character, reap a destiny.
All these things are related to one thing- our thoughts. What we do with our minds.
And God’s Word clearly says, “From the heart comes forth the attitudes of life!”
Make no mistake; the mind is very, very powerful.
6. Do you know where God starts making changes in our lives? In our minds.
And that is exactly what the Apostle Paul says in
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
7. Listen, when God changes us, He transforms us, and the first thing He changes, the first thing He transforms is our MIND!!
The Lord gives us NEW thoughts. Why? Because we are the total sum of the things we have in our minds!
- When we change our thoughts, we change our attitudes.
- And when we change our attitudes, we change our actions.
- And when we change our actions, we change the goals in our lives.
This is exactly why Solomon tells his son, “Keep your heart, protect your heart with all diligence!” “Because from that heart, from that mind spring all the issues of your life!”
