The Battle of the Mind- Loving God with All of It
Matthew 22:37 “Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’”
Loving God with all our mind seems like a ‘no-brainer’, right? We know we should do that. We talk about it. We encourage others to do it. It’s likely we taught our sons and daughters this very scripture. But when it comes down to it, how do we really do that… and are we intentional about it? Do we really understand what it means to love God with all our mind?
The word ‘mind’ in Matthew 22:37 is the Greek word, dianoia. It means “deep thought, the ability of the mind or its disposition, by implication, its exercise: imagination, mind, understanding.” (1) That encompasses quite a bit, doesn’t it? If our thoughts are captive on God (2 Corinthians 10:5), we are spiritually setting our minds on things above (Colossians 3) and protecting ourselves from spiritual attack and oppression. We are intentionally exercising our minds in ways that will spiritually strengthen and protect us.
But there’s more. Let’s break the word “dianoia” down a bit more. It’s important to dig in so we really understand. The prefix of the word dianoia is ‘dia’, which means “through, over, across, the channel of an action”(2). The second part of dianoia is the Greek word “nous” which means, “mind or understanding” (3) and comes from the root word “ginosko” meaning to “allow, be aware of, feel, have knowledge, perceive, be resolved, be sure, understand.” (4)
Think about it. The Greek word for mind is vastly more detailed than what we might recognize by only reading the English. Dianoia involves the channel or direction of one's thoughts, the depth of their understanding and what one chooses to allow to be present and active in their mind; what they are pondering and meditating on. It’s the direction, the action and the permission of our thought life.
Dianoia isn’t a word we use on the daily. It’s likely we may be more familiar with the word ‘paranoia’. The prefix of the word, “para” means “beside, next to, near, against or contrary to”(5). When we focus on what is near or around us (para), it can stir fear. If we allow what is contrary to God to consume our thoughts, we are dwelling on things that do not support Godly thinking. What we choose to marinate in begins to saturate us. It colors our thinking. It flavors our choices. It overtakes us so that we think of Godly things less and less and we become more and more filled with the world around us. We need the ‘dia’ not the ‘para’.
The little things matter, friends. What we choose to watch and listen to. What we read and discuss. Who we fellowship with and how and where all impact our thinking. And our thinking impacts everything. Are we taking intentional time to think on God’s word and meditate on His precepts? Are we marinating in the honey of the Word or the acid of the world? We need to pray for our sons and daughters and, really, for all believers that as this world grows darker, we strive intentionally to love God with all our mind.
Are we marinating in the honey of the Word or the acid of the world?
“Love the Lord your God with all your mind.” It’s a straightforward command that we need to embrace with all that we are. We need to be intentional. God will not falter or cool in His love for us, be we can certainly grow cold in our love for Him.
“Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold,” Matthew 24:12
Today, let’s pray for our sons and daughters, for our friends and loved ones, that they would understand and pursue loving God with all their mind. Pray for purity in thought. Pray that they would choose ‘dia’ over ‘para’. If we look around, we’ll be overcome by the darkness and decay of the world, but if we choose to look toward God, we’ll be blessed and protected. We’ll know hope- elpis - the eager expectation of good and the confident joyful expectation of eternal salvation (6).
“Father, you call us to demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and to take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5). You know that Satan attacks our minds and it is there that the spiritual battle and downfall begin. Lord, help (name) to love You with all of their mind. Don’t allow them to give away little corners and pieces of their mind. Protect them from ‘marinating’ in ideas and activities that would have them dwell on ungodly things. Lord, let the helmet of salvation protect their mind from any attacks because we know our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12). Help (name) to set their mind on things above (dia), not on earthly things (para) and strengthen them to walk faithfully with You. Lord, time is short. Our world is dark. Satan will do anything he can to destroy believers and keep unbelievers from turning to Jesus. I pray Your mighty protection over each of my family and friends and over Your Church today and in the days to come. Lord, work mightily and may all the glory be Yours now and forever, in Jesus’ name, amen.”
G1271 - dianoia - Strong's Greek Lexicon (niv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g1271/niv/mgnt/0-1/
G1223 - dia - Strong's Greek Lexicon (niv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g1223/niv/mgnt/0-1/
G1223 - dia - Strong's Greek Lexicon (niv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g1223/niv/mgnt/0-1/
G1097 - ginōskō - Strong's Greek Lexicon (niv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g1097/niv/mgnt/0-1/
Para-word meaning. Wiktionary. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/para-#:~:text=From%20Ancient%20Greek%20%CF%80%CE%B1%CF%81%CE%AC%20(par%C3%A1,against%2C%20contrary%20to%E2%80%9D).
G1680 - elpis - Strong's Greek Lexicon (niv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g1680/niv/mgnt/0-1/
Pray without ceasing.
*Join the PAC Prayer will be taking a short break for the month of March. See you in April! Until then, pray faithfully. Pray often. Pray without ceasing.
Psalm 145:8-12
8 The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.
Oh, Lord. We are grateful for Your grace- it is so much more than we deserve. Your compassion is overwhelming to us, sinful as we are. You hear the cry of the afflicted, the cry of Your image-bearers and You answer with perfectly designed responses for each one. No cry goes unheard. No cry goes unanswered. Thank You that You hear us and that You care. When You reach down and pull us out of the pit, Your grace and compassion are at work. You set our feet on a rock, with our heads high above our enemies. Even when we were still in our sin, You loved us and ransomed us. Thank You for your plentiful, steadfast love. And thank You that Your anger is slow to kindle- I know we press in and test the boundaries far too often and we ought to receive Your wrath, but instead you show us your steadfast, plentiful love in the form of grace and compassion. You can’t contradict Yourself. Lord, help us to live worthy of You. We are blessed by You in so many ways. Today, help (name) to see your grace and compassion and realize that it is present and plentiful for them. No sin is too great for You to forgive. No distance is too for for You to find them and help them return to You. Lord, show (name) Your rich love today.
9 The Lord is good to all; He has compassion on all he has made.
Lord, when I look at this world and the ways people rail against You and defy You, I know we deserve nothing more than Your wrath. But You are good to all, even to those who spit at Your name. You are Good! You nourish the earth with rain and sun. You bring forth fruit and grain for us to enjoy. You provide fellowship and protection. And when it comes to Your children, You nurture and care for us so that we can serve You well. Your compassion is akin to tender mercies- that of a parent cherishing, protecting and loving a growing child. Even when we rebel, You love us. Lord, I pray that You would help (name) to know Your love today. May they reject the lies of this world and follow after You. May they pursue You with their whole heart, overwhelmed by Your goodness and grace, convicted to live a life worthy of the love and mercy You so freely give. Don’t let them go, Lord. Chase after them with your goodness and mercy until they turn and follow you willingly and with joy.
10 All you have made will praise you, O Lord; your saints will extol you.
Heavenly Father, one day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess, yet even in that moment, not every heart will be surrendered to You. I pray that (name) would be fully surrendered, living a life of obedience to You. I pray that (name) would praise You with their whole heart. Lord, help them sing with abandon, raising their hands to heaven in powerful praise of who You are and all that You do. Let their hearts be full and overflowing with joy. Lord, I pray that (name) would be counted among your saints, a child of the Most High God, counted worthy to escape everything coming in this world and worthy to stand in glory with You, blessing Your name for all eternity. Give them a head-start in that praise and blessing today and give (name) a glimpse of heaven so they are overwhelmed with the magnificence of what is to come- the promise of eternity with You. Never let Your name leave (name)’s heart and mind. May it always be on their lips, ready to share with those who need to know You.
11 They will tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might,
The glory of Your kingdom is more than we can explain with words, but I ask that You would give us words that would help bring understanding to those who need to know You; those who need to understand that Your Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom and they can be a part of it!. Compel us to speak of Your power and might. We want to stand in awe of You, Lord, and in so doing, leave others in awe of You as well. I pray, Lord, that (name) would represent You well. Let the legacy of our family bring glory to Your name. Let our place in Your kingdom be a blessing to You and a testimony to others. Lord, wreck us with Your glory and goodness so that we have no choice but to praise and extol Your Name to all that we meet. Help each of us to put ourselves aside for the sake of Your plan and purpose. May our lives radiate the glory of the Lord because we are continually seeking to follow after You with abandon. Lord, help (name) to understand the importance of being sold out for Christ.
12 so that all men may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
Burden us, Lord, for those who don’t know You. Help us to grieve for those who live in bondage and darkness. Change our plans, get our attention, and use us to bring the gospel to those who need to know Jesus. Give us words to share the wonder of Your mighty acts with those who don’t know. Remind us of your grace, compassion and Your rich love that offers forgiveness and redemption so we can share that hope with others. Give us insight to explain just how glorious Your kingdom is and that You desire that we all have a room in Your house, so that where You are, we can be there too. I pray that (name) would be homesick for You, Lord, and would take every chance to share the way Home with others who need Your hope and salvation. I pray this in Jesus’ name, amen.
Pray without ceasing
Psalm 15:3 Slanderous Words
Psalm 15:1-3
“Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent? Who may live on your holy mountain?”
“The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart;
and has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellowman,”
As we work through Psalm 15, praying each verse, we’re learning what God says about those He welcomes to live in His presence, and isn’t that what we desire for our sons and daughters? We know that God desires those whose walk is blameless, who do what is righteous and who speak truth (the opposite of slander) from their heart. They need to know God’s word and live by it. Psalm 15:3 continues by adding that those who are welcome to live in God’s presence should have no slander on their tongue- they set a guard on their mouth.
Slander is a wicked thing. We see it in the world around us, and most recently in a trial between celebrities. Untruths spread to damage another, to get ahead, to inflict hurt in return for hurt. That’s not how we’re called to live. Yet, that’s the example set by the world today. Our sons and daughters need to rise above it.
Have you heard of toothpaste words? Just like toothpaste squeezed out of the tube cannot be put back in…words spoken out cannot be retracted. Oh, you can try, but once said, those words are out there and will continue to make their way around, despite your best efforts to recall them.
Untruths willingly and eagerly shared to intentionally damage another's reputation are toothpaste words; they’re slander and it’s just wrong. When our kids were little, we monitored what words they used and corrected them when they said something unkind or rude. But, now that they’re adults, we just can’t control what they say. That’s true, but we can set an example and we can gently speak to them, adult to adult, about their words.
Friends, we live in an information-saturated world where everyone ‘speaks their truth’ and fights for the right to be heard. Yet, “when words are many, sin is not absent” Proverbs 10:19. We are called to a higher standard as believers.
What sets a believer apart? Their life, their actions and their words. Words carry weight and we need to be cautious how we use them. Yet, if we choose to slander, we’re sending conflicting messages to the world around us. On one hand, we speak the truth of Scripture and on the other, we share untruths that damage others. We need to love our neighbor, not use words as a weapon against them.
James 3:9-12 “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.”
We might think that only happens ‘in the world’ but friends, it’s in the church, it’s in the small group, it’s in the friend group. It’s in Christian media and comes from Christian leaders. We need to hold ourselves accountable and to God’s word. We need to not be a party to the conversation. We need to step back and encourage others to speak truth that encourages others.
Unfortunately, many believers fall into the habit of sharing ‘hearsay’, sometimes thinly disguised as a ‘prayer request’ or shared out of ‘concern’ for a brother or sister.. But there’s a fine line between prayer requests and toothpaste words. And when we fall into that habit,, we run the risk of being known as a gossip, as someone who betrays another with information that is damaging and we become someone who is untrustworthy.
Ultimately, someone who slanders another is not respecting that other as one made in the image of God. Would we dare slander the Lord? Heavens, no! Then why would we be comfortable sharing untruths about one of His image-bearers?
Let’s pray Ephesians 4:29 becomes a guidepost in our lives and in those of our sons and daughters. “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”
“Father, I ask that You would be glorified in my words today. Put a guard on my mouth and stop me from speaking things I should not. I pray for (name) today that they would set boundaries on what they choose to invest in when it comes to conversations and words. Lord, give them discretion in what they believe about others. Help them to cling to the Truth of Your Word and rise above the harsh words, deception and ill-intent of others. Lord, let them always treat others as fellow image-bearers, even if that other has words and actions that are ungodly. I pray that (name) would be a light and would live and speak with integrity so that they are trustworthy and honest, representing Jesus well in a world that needs Him so desperately. In Jesus name I pray, amen.”
Pray without ceasing.