It’s All in Your Mind

The second characteristic of this man was that he had no restraints. He had often been bound, but none of these restraints would hold. The wrong-minded person cannot be restrained. This should shock us. Then there is no actual permanent mental health for the unbeliever. There is nothing that the wrong-minded person can do to help himself completely and permanently. He might find something that is temporary, but he will revert back to his own original thinking. You cannot tame a godless society. The third characteristic is directly connected with the second. This man with no restraints punished himself by actually cutting himself with stones. This man had no control over himself. An unbeliever has no basis for control. His mind is the tool of Satan. He can be moral and seemingly continue this way, but have no fear, he will eventually give in to his fleshly nature. A believer in Jesus Christ, indwelt by the Holy Spirit, has the privilege of self-control. One of the fruits of the spirit is temperance, or, possibly better translated, self-discipline or self-control. Wasn't it stupid for this man to run up and down the mountain cutting himself? But wrong-minded people always do stupid things. You would think that this wrong-minded person would have been an atheist. No, this maniac knew Christ, at least the demon within him knew Christ. In verse seven, he reminds Christ that he does not want to be tormented by Him. The fourth characteristic of the wrong-minded person is that he does not want to be bothered by that which is spiritual. The old saying goes, «Birds of a feather flock together." I can tell what kind of a mind you have by looking at the people with whom you associate. The sinner doesn't want Christ around and if you n" yourself on Christ, the sinner will not want you around. There is a fl'fth characteristic of this man. It is seen in Luke's account in chapter eight. This man never wore clothes. Certainly that is a picture of unrighteousness. It illustrates that he was not clothed with the righteousness of Christ, but it is also a picture of a human trait that a wrong mind is more concerned with fleshly lusts and desires nakedness more than anything else. Satan has sold flesh and nakedness and that alone proves it is wrong. Here then are five things that show in the conduct of a wrong mind: • where he lives • no restraints • no self-control • no interest in spiritual things • a tendency toward the sin of nakedness Christ touched the maniac's life. What happened? His life changed, of course. As 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, u_ • • old lltin(J.J, au p,tJ.,UH.[. llllJ.mJ,; b.Ju,ld, all thi.n.tµ Oll /,tt.tJ.ml!, ttt.m." First of all, notice in verse fifteen that he is sitting; not running anymore, not going up and down the mountains. The picture is that of contentment and the ability to be content. He was a relaxed person. When the Lord touched his life, his character of hyper activity changed to contentedness. 20