What Does the Bible Say about Our Minds?
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What does the Bible say about the mind? This is a significant question that I could write volumes about, but I don’t have enough space in one article. Years ago, there was a commercial with the slogan “A mind is a terrible thing to waste.” As you think about that statement, as Christians, you need to understand how important your mind is and how it sits at the center of everything you do.
The Bible puts great emphasis on the mind and how it affects your life. If you have any desire to be the man or woman God desires you to be, then you must understand how important a role your mind is going to play in that.
What Does the Bible Say about the Mind?
1. The Mind Sets the Course for Your Actions
Let’s dig deeper into this question. You should note when the Bible talks about the mind, it can also refer to your thoughts, your intellect, your disposition, or your understanding. Regardless of which word you use to describe the mind, one thing is true of each of them. Your mind sets the course for the actions you are going to take. These can be actions that are right or actions that are wrong. Here is an example from Romans.
“Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires” (Romans 8:5).
This verse clues us in to how the mind shapes your actions. When you think about and focus on what your flesh desires, then you will eventually indulge in actions that please your flesh. When you set your mind on what the Spirit desires, it will lead you to partake in actions that are pleasing to the Spirit.
Because your mind sets the course for your actions, that’s why what you feed your mind is so important. It is the reason Paul wrote verses like these.
“Finally, brothers and sisters, 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” (Philippians 4:8).
“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Colossians 3:2).
Where your mind goes, your actions will soon follow, so you must use great care in what you think about and allow into your mind.
This past summer we went on vacation and I left my computer home. I didn’t want to think about work or ministry for a few days, and the only way to really accomplish that was to not have access to my computer (I brought my phone, so I guess I wasn’t totally off the grid).
During this time, I brought a book with me, which I finished during this trip. It was not a spiritual book, but what I would call brainless reading that didn’t require me to think too much. After reading this book by a very famous author, I decided to get the series, so I went searching for them. I went the cheaper route and looked for them in thrift stores, where I could get them for $2 per book. As I started reading the next book, the themes of the book came alive to me. Somehow I missed them when I was on vacation. I asked myself, why am I feeding this stuff into my mind? The words of Philippians ran through my mind and I put those books down and haven’t picked them up since.
This is not just good behavior for me, but you also must recognize how important your mind is. What you put into it will greatly affect what comes out of it.
2. The Mind Is Where You Make Your Decisions
Another thing we must consider is that your mind is the center of your choices. Every time you choose, there is a point where you must make up your mind about what that decision will be. That’s why renewing your mind is critical to making better choices.
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:2).
Transformation in your life is about change. For God to change your behavior and help you make better decisions, he must change the way you think about things. This is the renewing of the mind that leads to transformation.
When God saves you, he renews your heart and positions you in right relationship with him. However, the process to change choices, actions, and behaviors comes when God changes your mind about how you view these things. This is called repentance, where you change your mind or change your course.
When you repent, you change your mind about how you look at your sin, and that change of mind leads to a change in the choices and decisions you make. Unfortunately, this also is true when Christians fall into sin. They change their mind about the sin they are considering and find a rationalization for indulging in it. Just as the mind sets the course for your actions, those actions are determined by decisions you make in your mind.
3. The Mind Is at the Center of Everything You Do
“For as he thinks in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7, NKJV).
This verse speaks further to the position your mind takes in your life. I can’t emphasize this enough. What you spend your time thinking about, you will eventually do. It is only a matter of time. When you strip away the elements of who you are, you discover the way you think affects the person you are and will eventually become.
Does God Talk to Us in Our Mind?
So often when we talk about spiritual things, we can forget that God communicates with us through our mind. Even though God may speak to your spirit, you must process what he said through your mind because that is where you decide how you will act on it.
For example, when the Holy Spirit first made you aware of your need for salvation, there was a spiritual awakening. But you still had to process that decision to give your life to Christ in your mind. It’s why people who don’t know Jesus are blinded in their minds.
“The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4).
When the veil is lifted from our minds, we can hear what God is saying, which allows us to choose how we will respond.
Can We Sin in Our Minds?
“But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:28).
Jesus makes it clear we can sin in our mind. What is fascinating is we often sin in our minds before we sin with our actions. James confirms this in his letter.
“But each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death” (James 1:14-15).
Once a desire is conceived, you must then decide in your mind what you are going to do with it. So often, by the time we get to the sin we have already committed it repeatedly in our minds.
How Can We Set Our Minds on the Things of God?
You cannot set your mind on the things of God if you are constantly filling them with the things of the world. This means you just have to miss some things. I recall one day I binged a cable television show. After watching the entire season, I felt grimy. The themes presented in the show did nothing but appeal to the things of this world. I soon realized that I need to let that go.
If you are going to go after God with all your heart and mind, then you must release certain things from your life. I can’t tell you what those things are, because they may be different for you than they are for me. But the Holy Spirit can (and I have a suspicion he already has) put his finger on certain things in your life.
The choice now lies with you, whether you will hold on or let them go. It might seem difficult at first, but once you do, you will recognize you’re not really missing anything at all. At least that is what I discovered in my life.
What does the Bible say about the mind? Even with the verses shared in this article, we are just scratching the surface. I encourage you to give your mind the respect it deserves and don’t neglect its role in the outcomes in your life. Whether you realize it or not, your entire life and who you will be depends on it.
Photo credit: Unsplash/Ben Sweet
