Last week, we suggested that the most important thing every disciple of Jesus Christ needs to know is the identity of their number one enemy. I lamented not knowing sooner in my life that my carnal mind has been an active and aggressive ally of Satan and the world since my childhood.

Not knowing for myself means I have been unable to share the same with the hundreds of people I have attempted to disciple over the years. Furthermore, every time I brought my carnal mind into the church, I was helping the enemy gain or strengthen their position in the camp I was at least partially responsible for protecting. The same is true for every sphere of influence God has entrusted to my responsibility.

Yes, it is a sobering thought.

It is counter-intuitive to think that well-intending Christians can be enemies of the church. Only as we recognize that an enemy lies within each one of us will we come to understand how this can be so. Failing to identify and deal with our carnal mind, we have not only injured ourselves; we have brought into our fellowships and ministries, the number one enemy of God’s kingdom. In doing so, we have helped open the door to Satan and the world.

Furthermore, concession to our carnal mind is a blatant form of double-mindedness. We have been given the mind of Christ; to trust in any other is idolatry. The carnal mind is at enmity with God, and can be nothing else (Romans 8:7).

These are hard words to write and read. Perhaps they are too harsh. Perhaps I am missing something. You be the judge of yourself and your ministry. As for me, I stand convinced and convicted. Something has to change. I must deal with my carnal mind.

If this has also cut you to the heart, then I dare say you and I are in good company… and the response remains the same.

Repent

From Thayer’s Greek Lexicon, we learn that “repent” means “change one’s mind”. Consider that for a moment. When John the Baptist, Jesus, and Peter called the multitudes to repent, they were saying, “Change your mind about the kingdom of God and how you enter into it!” Repentance is not an event reserved for the lost. It is the beginning of a process; a change of the mind that leads to a change in behavior.

With this in mind (no pun intended), the command of Romans 12:2 makes much more sense: “… be transformed by the renewing of your mind”. Transformation – in individuals, fellowships, and societies – begins with the renewing of our minds.

The way we think has much more to do with the decline of the Western church than we realize. We must seriously and soberly consider the way we think as Christians. We have gotten lazy with our thinking. We trust our thinking way too much. Those of us who preach and teach trust the thinking of others more than we should.

The results are obvious; and they are not good. It is time we tried something different. We must, by the Holy Spirit, identify and overcome our carnal minds.

God bless you with courage and grace, to call to the renewal of their minds, those whom God has entrusted to your care.

Humbly yours and forever His,

Rob