Written by Alex Chediak, a contemporary professor and author.
We are called to love God with the totality of our being…Sin begins in the mind with the belief that our greatest good lies outside the bounds of God’s commands. Sexual sin begins with lust. Murder flows from anger. Gossip arises from pride. We indulge in practice what we first nurture in our minds. Conversely, we mortify sin and grow in grace by dwelling on what is true and pushing out the lies that tempt us toward things that can’t satisfy…It is not enough to reject evil thoughts. We must cultivate godly thoughts….When intrusive thoughts of self-pity or anger wash over us due to some slight, it’s easier to push them out by recalling how good it is to be clothed in Christ’s righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21), to know that vengeance is the Lord’s (Rom. 12:19), and that all things must work together for our good (Rom. 8:28). It puts the affairs of our life into perspective. We must require that our thoughts submit to Christ’s lordship. To this end, Scripture intake and prayer are excellent protection for daily battle. Ask the Lord to continually renew your mind so that you’re bringing a distinctly God-centered orientation to your responsibilities and circumstances. You will thereby grow in resilience to deal with the setbacks of life, which can feel all-consuming in the moment…We need not grieve as those without hope, if we take every thought captive.
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind [Matthew 22:37]
