Minding Your Thoughts
A Biblical Overview of Obtaining and Maintaining a Biblical Thought Life
Ezekiel 23:18 …then my mind was alienated from her, like as my mind was alienated from her sister.
Thank the Lord it cannot be this way today! In Hebrews 13:5 God promised those who accept Him today, …I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. This promise was also made to Israel, but it was conditional, they did not have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to assist them as we do today. The sin of Samaria and Jerusalem was so detestable to Almighty God that He literally made His mind alienated from them. Yesterday we learned about the historical setting of this portion of Scripture; today let’s look at the meaning of having an “alienated mind.”
In yesterday’s verse we read that Jerusalem’s mind (Jerusalem is called Aholibah in this chapter) would become alienated from Babylon (the nation which would capture the city). In today’s verse we see that God’s mind would become alienated from Jerusalem. To alienate means to withdraw from, to estrange, to sever. In Scripture, each time the word “alienated” is used it is used in the context of someone proactively withdrawing, or severing their mind from someone, or something else.
God has this ability, and so do you. Being made in the “likeness and image” of God (Genesis 1:26) man has His attributes, in a measure. As God did, as Jerusalem did (the people of Jerusalem), so can you; you can alienate your mind from certain individuals and events. You can alienate, withdraw or sever, your mind from the person causing you trouble, or from the event that causes you distress, or from the memories of heartache. By willfully withdrawing your mind from dwelling on them this can be done. The idea of replacement might help. Consider a thought that a person may wish to alienate from their mind. How? One way is to replace that thought with a better one. Think about it like this. If a parent is unsatisfied with the amount of time their child spends on video games. To just say “Put the video game away” probably won’t work for long. Instead find something to replace the game. Go for a walk, play catch, play a board game, whatever… just make it enjoyable. From this, a child may learn to value the time with the parent more than the electronic games, social media, etc.
The same with the mind. Replace an unwanted thought with one that is treasured. Maybe memorize and quote a Bible verse or think about a similar Bible story wherein God is championed. Possibly plan an upcoming trip or mentally walk through the steps of creating a wonderful meal. Anything, just not the unwanted thoughts. Replace them.
If the Bible verses about alienating things from the mind teach us anything, they teach us that we can choose to alienate things, and even people, from our minds. This is a very, very, powerful attribute of the mind, be careful how you use it, for it can be used for good or bad.
May the Lord Bless and be pleased with your thought life today,
William T. Howe, Ph.D.
Note: I am not a credentialed counselor, nor do I have any training in Psychology. These devotions are not meant to diagnose or treat any mental condition. I am, however, a Bible teacher, preacher and pastor, ordained to the Gospel ministry. These devotions are offered from the perspective of a Biblical standpoint and that alone. They are simply an overview of all the mentions in God’s Word of the words mind, think, thought, and imagine and all their derivatives. I pray they help each person who reads them in the worthwhile daily practice of “Minding Your Thoughts.”
Comments