Setting our Minds on the Mission of Heaven - SET your MINDS!
How do we bring Heavenly Direction to our Earthly duties? Let’s take a page out of Jesus’ playbook as we look to what we find in Matthew 16.
”21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”
23 But Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”
This moment is quite powerful and it draws my mind immediately back to Colossians 3:2, “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”
This is one of the most direct and potent ways we can bring Heavenly Direction to our Earthly lives and duties. Setting our MINDS on the things that are Above, in Heaven! We are to have our minds Concentrated on, Fixated on, Focused on and Occupied with the things of God, not the things of man! In fact, this passage of Jesus rebuking Peter reminds me of another verse where we are told to do exactly what Jesus did. 2 Corinthians 10:5 says this, “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” Did you hear that verbiage? In case you missed it, those are fighting words right there. This is speaking of warfare, of battle! We are to demolish, destroy, take out, tear down, and overthrow any kind of argument or opinion that sets itself against the knowledge of God or His purpose at work. This is what Jesus did immediately with one of his closest friends. Peter was not having his mind set on the things of God, but only on Earthly matters. Think for a moment how difficult it would have already been for Jesus to have to share with His friends what was going to happen to Him, and what He would have to go through. As He was fixing His mind on this task, Peter comes and tells him, “No! This will not happen to you!” This might have been a good sounding argument to Jesus at that particular moment. An argument that would have spared Jesus agony, yet Jesus saw it for what it was, an argument setting itself against the knowledge and will of God. So what did He do? He destroyed it immediately! He Rebuked Peter and what was coming out of Peter. He addressed the instigator of this argument, the father of lies himself, and he demolished the lie! Notice that the second part of 2 Cor. 10:5 tells us that we are to take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ! Again, Jesus was on top of this Immediately! Whatever thoughts were trying to enter into Him through the words of Peter, Jesus was ready to take captive, to shut them down, and make His thoughts become obedient to God! He recognized what thoughts of this Earth would be to Him, a hindrance, a stumbling block, a dangerous trap that would keep Him from doing what God had ordained for Him to do, and He called them out as such! He didn’t stop there, however, but took it even further. Not only did He take those thoughts captive, but He made them become obedient to God by ending this moment with speaking the truth of God to His disciples. He told them that not only would He in fact suffer and die as part of God’s redeeming plan, but that they would be called to the same. He told them, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” That is taking a thought captive AND making it obedient to the things of God!
This is how we are called to be...warriors and protectors of our minds, prepared and alert. On guard and ready to take down any thoughts that creep into our minds, whether from ourselves, through someone else, or by the enemy himself. We are to demolish any arguments or opinions that are against God and His will! We are to be actively ready to take thoughts Captive, and to make them obedient! We need to be people who pay attention to the thoughts trying to get into our heads, as if we were protecting the boarders of our homes against enemies trying to sneak in. We need to stop each thought, see it for what it is and refuse it any entrance!
Thought of depression, you may not enter, in fact I will hold this thought prisoner until it is made to obey Christ and fill me with Joy in the Lord! Thought of envy, you may not enter, in fact I will hold you prisoner until I am full of thankfulness, and can celebrate with others. Thought of selfishness, you may come no farther! In fact, I will hold you prisoner until I am thinking of others More than I think about myself, and am ready to serve. Thought of pride, you must stop where you are! I will hold you prisoner until you are demolished and the humility of Christ fills me! Thought of anger and resentment, you will bow to the Love of Christ that overflows from me. Thought of lust, unforgiveness, doubt, let me stop you right there, You are Not permitted entrance. The only thoughts that are entering me today are “whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--I WILL think about such things!”