A Referee for the Mind

"Winning the battle for hearts and minds" is the greatest challenge for troops in Afghanistan. It's not enough to occupy territory and manage threat. The perceptions and thinking of the people have to be changed if the mission is to be accomplished. The strategy of those on the ground is to model the new way of thinking while connecting personally and relationally with the people.


In fact, changing hearts and minds is the biggest battle we face in every situation. In order to move the church forward into a new sense of mission, hearts and minds must change. To build bridges out of poverty, the battle for hearts and minds has to be won. For individual Christ followers to grow and experience transformation, hearts and minds must be impacted at the deepest level. Not only our thoughts, our viewpoints, values, priorities and responses, all of which are automatic and "instinctive," have to change. 


The good news is, we have been given an Advocate, a Counselor, a Teacher and Guide. Jesus promised, "But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you" (John 14:26). He repeated the promise when he said, "But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth" (John 16:13). God's Spirit who is with us and in us has been given as our personal Referee for the mind. We must have the help of our Teacher to show us how we are thinking, how that compares to God's thoughts, and how to change our thinking. We need divine assistance in becoming aware of our automatic perspectives and responses and in being empowered to be transformed to reflect God's perspective and responses. 


The battle for our own heart and mind, let alone that of others, cannot be won with our own strength and wisdom. We need God's help - and we have God's help - if we are open to it. It all begins with the Bible word "repentance," which paints a picture of us turning to God and receiving another mindset, a new attitude. But what if we refuse to repent? What if we are committed to the way we see things and people, to our thoughts and attitudes? While we give lip-service to a desire for the "renewing of our minds," in reality we may be more invested in defending our sinful ways of seeing and thinking.


In a recent article, John Ortberg referred to Scott Peck's definition of evil: "The central defect of evil is not the sin but the refusal to acknowledge it. This definition is reflective of Jesus' far greater severity in dealing with religious leaders than with prostitutes and tax collectors." How often have we heard, "That was just the way I was raised," as a justification for sinful attitudes, thinking and responses. The only way out is through the open door of repentance.


Perhaps we can begin by acknowledging the presence of God's Referee in our hearts and minds and submitting to God's authority, God's right to call us out when we see wrong and think wrong. Then we'll be in a position to experience the transformation that comes through the renewing of our minds. 

Grace to Trust

I'm writing this on the Saturday of Holy Week, the day between times, between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. I can't help but imagine what the atmosphere was like where the disciples were gathered. Even though Jesus had patiently taught them about his coming Passion, the disciples maintained a variety of expectations. It seemed as though they all agreed that Jesus was the promised Messiah, but to see him die on the cross and then buried in a borrowed tomb must have pushed them into despair. What did they do on that Sabbath between times? Were they in shock? Did they debate theology? Did they share stories, or were the too depressed to do much more than lay around?

Have you ever had a religious expectation (which you labeled "faith") go completely unmet? Have you ever been left confused by what you were sure was true or would happen but didn't happen? Maybe even disappointed in God? The fact is, our religious nature (an aspect of our sin nature) urges us to figure God out, to master the mysteries, so we can get God to do what we want God to do. We define God's nature in a way that bolsters our desire to be in control. Yet, there is finally only one truth: God is God and we are not!

My friend Ken Malmin has defined faith as "agreeing with God." Faith is our response to God's initiative. I would like to add a thought to that definition: Faith is the divine grace to trust God at all times, no matter what. We don't need to understand "why" or "how." We only need to trust. The implied answer to the question Abraham asked, "Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?" is "Yes." Even though the outcome may not conform to our definition of justice or right, whatever God does is, by definition, just and right and motivated by love.

In the end, only a handful of faithful women had the motivation to return to the tomb on that Sunday morning, only to discover that the tomb was empty, just as Jesus had predicted. In fact, it took quite a bit of convincing before the disciples were prepared to believe. They had faith in their faith (what the Bible terms "presumption") but they had little faith in God. Easter is a constant reminder that, no matter what else may be going on in our lives, God wins! God does all things well!

So, while we celebrate the wonders of the resurrection, let's remember those who are in a place of confusion or doubt or disappointment. May we all pray for a new/renewed grace to trust.