The following has been summarized from An Enemy Lies Within (2020), a book written to expose the carnal mind as the number one enemy of every Christian and to help them overcome its presence and deception. This renewal of the mind is available to all who will pursue God’s way for thinking.

In our opening article on this subject, we presented the case for every Christian thinking more about the way they think:

1. God commands us to love Him with all our mind;
2. Jesus commands us to repent (i.e., change the way we think); and,
3. We desperately need to rediscover God’s way for thinking to avoid drifting further into secular humanism.

In Part 2, we briefly explored the secular humanist’s understanding of the mind and contrasted that with God’s way for thinking, as presented by Harry Blamire in his work, The Christian Mind (1963). In this final word on the matter, we explore how God’s way for faith enables His children to overcome their carnal mind and think as a Christian should.

God’s Way for Faith and the Way We Think

The process of faith consists of three major phases: the hearing of faith, obedience to the faith, and the work of faith. Each of these, and the following seven specific steps, are explained in detail in An Enemy Lies Within. As you read through this summary, consider the role faith plays in our thinking.

1. The word of God –
   So then, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 11:17). God’s word accomplishes what He intends (Isaiah 55:11). Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4). The Living Word is food for the spiritual health of God’s children (John 6:51). It is only reasonable that we should hunger and thirst after it (Matthew 5:6).

   As Blamires (1963) contends, the Christian mind is marked first by a supernatural orientation. Turning to God is an exercising of the heart and mind.
   

2. Ears to Hear – He who has ears to hear, let him hear (Matthew 11:15)! Hearing, even for those blessed with ears to hear, is not a passive exercise. As with any conversation, the hearer must give attention to the one speaking (Mark 4:24). Perhaps we do not hear more from God because we fail in this area. Who would continue speaking to someone who is obviously disinterested or unaffected by what is being said?

   Hearing the voice of God requires a conscious choice; we must set our mind on things above.
   

3. Faith Finds a Home – For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (Romans 10:10). Faith that comes by hearing must find fertile soil in the heart of a believer. Otherwise, it will be eaten, burned up, or choked out (Matthew 13:18-23).

   The process of faith requires us to put the mind in its proper place. We must avoid analyzing the word of God as a prerequisite for faith.
   

4. Living Sacrifices – I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service… that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God (Romans 12:1-2). The logic here is straight-forward: What has found its place in our heart must find its way out through our feet, hands and mouth.

   The mind stands between our heart and our body and is therefore the passageway and governor of our obedience. Our mind must be right for the work of faith to accomplish God’s ultimate intention: His glory (not ours) and the advancement of His kingdom (again, not ours).
   

5. Reckoning the Truth – Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to [the] sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:11). This is the step in which our mind is most actively involved in the process of faith. The word “reckon” is translated from the Greek word logizomai. Logizomai is an accounting term, meaning to record something in a journal, to balance the books. Spiritual reckoning is the process of accounting as true what God says is true. The carnal mind prefers that we balance our mental “books” with the world’s version of truth.

   This is the point at which our new man must exert himself, through faith, over his carnal mind, becoming not just an auditor but an overcomer, in Christ Jesus. In doing so, we lay hold of the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16) for thinking God’s way.
   

6. Renewing the Mind – And 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 (Romans 12:2). Most of us have spent most of our lives being conformed to this world. From our earliest formative years, we have been conformed by a secular and humanistic education system, workplace policies and procedures, and the carnal influences of the entertainment and advertising industries. Jesus has prayed that we would be delivered from these influences (John 17:15-17 KJV). The carnal mind will resist; renewal requires forceful reckoning.

   The renewal of our mind, even in the smallest area, is a great victory for the kingdom of God. Indeed, it is a major turning point in the process of faith and the overcoming of our carnal mind’s influence in our life. The resulting transformation prepares us to walk in God’s good work (2Corinthians 3:18).
   

7. His Good Works – Our great God and Savior Jesus Christ gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works (Titus 2:14). Jesus Christ gave Himself for us. This we know and cherish, but there is more. He desires to make us into His own special people, identified by our zealous yearning for good works. To be zealous is to “burn with desire for” and to “vehemently contend for.” Such an attitude requires the abounding grace of God.

   Good work is God’s work. Experiencing the good work God created for us to walk in proves the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God… not only to those that see it, but to ourselves. Paradigms shift as we learn to embrace new ways for thinking, more aligned to God’s way.
   

Applying the Process

Christians have been faithfully applying the process of faith for millennia, most without the understanding and encouragement presented here. So, why should we apply ourselves to it now? Answering in the simplest way possible: we have gotten out of practice, unknowingly settling for an imperfect faith, and a humanistic and carnal way for thinking.

Vince Lombardi has been quoted as saying, “Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect.” To subvert the process of faith and the God-glorifying good works it produces, our carnal mind has deceived and distracted us from its perfect practice.

Very few processes come to us naturally. We must apply ourselves to the understanding AND practice. The more importance we place on a particular process, the more time and energy we will invest in its mastery.

I pray this series of articles has done something more than giving you something more to think about. Our carnal mind is truly our #1 enemy. You can discover more about that topic and the process of faith in An Enemy Lies Within (2020). In the meantime…

God bless you with the faith and courage to think critically about the way you think.

Have a strong day in the Lord,

Rob

#iamjustthepen

Blamires, H., 1963, The Christian Mind, Regent College Publishing, Vancouver, British Columbia

Streetman, R. 2020, An Enemy Lies Within, Archdeacon Books, Birmingham, Alabama