Is There A Mind/Heart Connection?

Recently I have experienced a heavy spirit. As I looked around, I became convinced that it wasn’t the people I was hanging with or the books I was reading.  The Lord seemed to help me realize, however, how much time I was listening to, watching and talking about politics, the condition of the world, etc.  I was focusing more and more time and energy on the things of the world and not the things of the Lord.  Is it any wonder that I was experiencing some depression!

The Lord spoke so wisely through Paul in his letter to the Philippians when he wrote, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.”

When Paul tells us that we are to bring our minds into captivity, he is not merely suggesting a good thing to do.  Rather he is giving advice for being a successful Christian.  God has given us all of the tools to live the abundant life, but we need to put the tools to work.  I believe that a great step towards doing this is saturating our minds with the things of God.  Here are some suggestions:

1. Monitor what you watch on television.  You’re fooling yourself if you don’t think that it is influencing you. By the way, what habits are your kids learning from watching what you watch?
2. Cut back on watching political television and listening to political radio. These media will turn you into an angry, hopeless person who will begin to believe that our salvation is in our government. Guess what. It’s not!
3. Listen to music that ministers to your heart and mind. Is it calming, uplifting, and edifying?  I find that even with Christian music that some of it helps me to focus more on the Lord than other music. I especially like gospel tunes because of the strong focus on Jesus and the cross.

I’m sure that you could add a couple of things to this list that would help your life draw closer to Jesus.  In all of this, let’s remember to be in the world but not of the world.  God bless.

Pastor Doug Dennee