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Consider
the egg. A study of divine design in both variety and symmetry, it anticipates
growth and change, and within the sturdy shell resides the very stuff
of life. Sturdy, but not indestructible, it must be guarded carefully
because the egg faces danger.
Now consider that your mind is like an egg—amazing, resilient,
but not indestructible. A young mind anticipates growth and change because
it is impressionable. Anyone who tells you that you don't need to guard
your mind is either a fool or wants to sell you something.
In the last 20 years science has studied and mapped the human brain, but God long ago mapped the mind. That map is in the Bible, which provides instructions on the proper care and feeding of your mind, the heart of your existence.
Here is what Proverbs 4:23-27 says: "Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. Put away from you a deceitful mouth, and put perverse lips far from you. Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right before you. Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established. Do not turn to the right or the left; remove your foot from evil."
Keeping your heart, guarding your mind—against what and how?
Imagine this. The egg has foes that seek to break it, fry, scramble, boil and rot it. Your mind has adversaries also. Envision mental battles raging in and around your head. Each of your mind's enemies tries to control, deceive, corrupt and pollute it. Forewarned is forearmed.
The popular, head-in-the-sand opinion today—even in some mainline Christian churches—claims that the devil is a myth. But this is not true. Think of this: Satan's greatest freedom to do evil occurs when no one believes he exists.
Satan and his demons were once holy angels. But they chose the way of evil, and now they want to get into your head. But your young and beautiful mind is yours and God's, not theirs.
The devil transmits dark and depraved moods, attitudes and impulses. As "the prince of the power of the air," he is the spirit being working mental, emotional and spiritual corruption in people's minds to lead them into wrong thoughts and active disobedience (Ephesians 2:2). Beware and delete thoughts of selfish lust, rebellion, brooding anger, violent hatred and any other mind-set that violates God's perfect law of love.
Satan worship and witchcraft are seriously growing movements today. Fortunately, some churches have started raising objections by not celebrating the ancient, pagan holiday of Halloween—a day closely related to demons.
Demonic religion appears harmless because horror films with wizards and witches and vampire-slaying TV shows desensitize our minds to the actual danger. Avoid such entertainment, books, magazines, organizations and Web sites. Satan uses them to promote wider acceptance of evil.
Resistance is vital (James 4:7). Yield your mind to God and good. Be watchful. As mother Eve misperceived in the Garden of Eden, the devil is a subtle adversary.
Do you think the motion picture and television industry is concerned about improving your mental and moral health? Do you think that constantly watching scenes of violence and sex has no negative effect on your mind? Think again.
The average American child has logged as many hours watching television by age 6 as he or she will spend in college classes to earn a bachelor's degree, and will spend about as much time in front of the screen as in class for the next 12 years.
TV and movies affect our minds. Numerous studies in America, Australia and elsewhere have established that media violence increases social violence (interact.uoregon.edu/MediaLit/mlr/readings/articles/kalin.html and interact.uoregon.edu/MediaLit/JCP/articles_mlr/degaetano/mediavilonce.html). Viewing illicit, electronic media sex and violent programming desensitizes our minds to the sanctity of life and the sanctity of monogamous, heterosexual marriage and family.
What we feed our minds becomes our thoughts just as surely as "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks" (Matthew 12:34). We must watch what we watch—meaning beware of negative, electronic peer pressure. Pick films and programs of redeeming value. Reject the glorification of sin, explicit sex and violence.
Never in the history of man has so much pornography been displayed before so many. The Internet as a tool of research can also be the digital line to destruction. To view Internet or printed porn is to commit adultery in the mind. Then the pornography controls the mind, jades the emotions and erodes the moral fiber.
Violent or sexually explicit video games are not healthy for young adult minds seeking the truth—or for any others either. The lure of such gaming is its mentally engaging interactivity and the emotional, adrenal rush caused by the graphic violence. Once again, intense emotional desensitizing takes place, weakening the moral mind.
Use the Internet wisely. Don't let it addict you. Stay away from pornography—anywhere! Play video games sparingly and choose only those that are not morally corrupting.
You mean to tell me that school is messing with my head, too? Unfortunately, yes, even down into the primary grades.
Universities have traditionally been the think tanks of society. This could be a good thing—if the professors were guided by values drawn from the Ten Commandments and a belief in God. Regrettably, this has rarely been the case even when your parents went to college.
Today in most state and private universities, the Bible and those who even claim to believe it are singled out for intellectual and social ridicule. The predominant philosophy of evolutionary, secular humanism is, in essence, modern education's religion. The professors of that mind-set are the wise men, and unquestioning students are the followers.
Your mission is to walk those halls of academia for about four years, assimilate specific, useful knowledge and exit with your faith, that is, your mind, intact. Be thoughtful—"keep your heart with all diligence." The in-your-face bumper sticker says, "Question Authority." So question theirs.
There is strength in numbers. Find others of like mind to yours and encourage each other in clear thinking. Find good, sound-minded mentors to provide you with truth and reality checks.
In a paraphrase of the Scottish poet Robert Burns: "O would some Power the gift to give us, / to see ourselves as others see us! / It would from many a blunder free us, / and foolish notion..." ("To a Louse," www.robertburns.org/works/97.html).
The human mind with human nature proves self-focused and deceptive. "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9).
Imagine that—your own mind plays selfish tricks on you! So the hardest person to be honest with is yourself. The popular philosophy of today's schools is to teach students to develop self-esteem, to learn to love themselves. God's got news for us: We already love ourselves! The challenge is to learn to love God with all our heart, soul and mind, and to love our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:36-40).
Let's give the devil his due. The unseen ruler of this world manipulates our innate selfishness, twisting our own minds around to think, say and do evil. This is what your mind is up against. How can you stop him and win those mental battles?
The prescription is the basis of a true Christian life. Pray daily. Read the Bible regularly. Do what is right. Think about God, others and the truly good things of life.
"Finally," as Philippians 4:8tells us, "whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things." VT
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Keywords: mind, guarding your Satan, influence of media, influence of internet, influence of college Christianity
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