It’s All in Your Mind

l you ride in your car without thinking or having thoughts of God and Christ? Can you sit in your easy chair and forget God? As believers, many times we put God out of our minds so we can think of something else. The true believer, however, can not ever get rid of God. No, I am not talking theologically or positionally; I am talking practically. The Holy Spirit who indwells believers is the Mind-bender, the Mind-prodder. I may be relaxing, but He is always alert to point to Christ. This is what Isaiah is talking about. We should be glad we cannot get rid af God. He wants to take over our minds. So, you have the promised gift of perfect peace. You have the condition for perfect peace, "IDh. JJ.JL mind u .dmµd tJn. lh.tt. " Then you have the assurance of this perfect peace. But rather than look at this as the assurance, I would like to call this the source of perfect peace. I have nothing to do with it; I only meet the condition and God does the rest- "<;;J/u,a tDill ktt,L him. ui ~ 11£lltt." It does not say you might have or occasionally have perfect peace. It does say, "Thou wilt..." Some of the best days I have known are totally upsetting days because my mind turns more to God. The more my mind tums to God, the more practical peace I receive, and the assurance or source is there. I do not keep myself in perfect peace; God does. John 14 begins with peace, ".i!d.. nbl fJ."lU- /uJul. h mJ.Uhkd [be at peace];,µ., /,Ji£,,u,. ui -(µ,d. l,Jwu, aui,.. ui Ill£ " Verse 27 also speaks of peace: ~rpttJ.tt. :.l. IR.mu tDiJl,, 'J""-, mJJ, /Ullll- :.l. gio.L ~ IJDIL-··" Let me ask you a very simple question. How peaceful was Christ? He says, "I give it to you." He further says that He does not give the peace that the world gives-that false, pretentious, hypocritical peace. Christian, if you have peace that is like the world, you are in trouble with the Word of God. You are also in trouble if you are trying to get practical peace the way the world thinks you should get it. Christians have fooled themselves with the world's thoughts of satisfaction, contentment, and peace. Christian men have equated getting a new car with peace and joy. Christian women have tried to get peace by obtaining material things. We try to get· practical peace the way the world says it is obtained. The world says success means peace. It never works. This is exactly what Christ is telling us. He does not give peace the way the world tries to obtain peace. Christ gives the peace which He practiced Himself. When He was jostled, He was peaceful. When He was criticized, He was peaceful. When He was reprimanded, He was peaceful. In a practical sense, the only time Christ became upset was when He went to the place of prayer and found commercialism. That should cause all of us to become upset. When Christ was baptized, the Dove of Peace, the Holy Spirit descended upon Him. As a believer, you have the Holy Spirit. His work is to highlight Christ, and this will turn your mind to stay on Hirn and practical peace will be the result In Mark 4, Christ was in a ship with His disciples. He said to them, "We are going to the other side." This was Christ's assurance. A storm arose. Christ was asleep. That is the 17