What does it mean to think like Jesus? 1 Corinthians 2:16 tells us after we accept Jesus into our lives we have the mind of Jesus.
You may be thinking that sounds great , but if I have the mind of Christ Jesus why am I still battling negative, fearful, or sinful thoughts.
After all Jesus’s brain was calm, mines chaotic. Jesus was responsive, not reactive. He focused on others and we often focus on ourselves. Jesus was purposeful mine tends to be on the procrastination side.
We have to understand Jesus was always obedient.
“I don’t speak on my own authority. The Father who sent me had commanded me what to say and how to say it. And I know His commands lead to eternal life, so I say whatever the Father tells me to say” – John 12:49-50
Jesus was humble, so we try and be humble. Jesus was gentle so we try to be gentle. We make the mistake of trying to copy His behaviors. But if we really want to be like Jesus, we must first learn to think like Jesus.
It’s important to remember that everything begins in the mind. I’ve not only about trying to be like Jesus, but thinking like Him also.
Nowhere in the Bible does God say He will take over our out-of-control thoughts, but He did give us specific instructions on how we can.
We have been given the “mind of Christ,” but it is the Holy Spirit who saturates it with Godly wisdom. If Jesus didn’t do it alone, what makes us think we can? Jesus tells us in John 5:19,
“I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by Himself. He does only what He sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son does.”
Just like Jesus, we need a partner. Jesus assures us that He is sending us a partner-helper. Our guide is the Holy Spirit.
It is the Holy Spirit who will lead and guide out thoughts if we let Him. We must partner with Him in order to retrain our brains to think like Jesus.
Most people have years’ worth of gunk and junk polluting our minds. From vile images to negative thought patterns. Simply telling ourselves to stop thinking a certain way doesn’t work. If it did then all we would have to do is tell ourselves to stop eating sugar and the diet industry wouldn’t be a multi-billion dollar industry.
The truth is we cannot do anything on our own. We need our partner. The one who has the power to renew our minds. The Holy Spirit needs to be our partner on this journey called life to help us reach of destiny.
Our minds are ours to think however we wish. And we have the power and authority to set it in whatever direction we want.
The Bible tells us in Philippians 4:8, how to accomplish this.
“…Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”
We can get bombarded with thoughts with such ferocity that our minds feel invaded. It’s just one way Satan gets us to think that we have to pick up what is being put down.
We have the power to set our minds to think how we want. Society likes to tell us what and how to think. If we want to think like Jesus we need to think of the things above.
I love how Jesus told his parents after He was “lost” in Luke 2:43-51 He told His parents “Did you not know that I must be about my Father’s business?”
If you’re like most people when you wash a dirty bowl full of junk. You allow the water to first run through it until the junk runs over and out. That’s what God’s Word does for us. We’re filled with junk from this world, old experiences, toxic thoughts, anger, bitterness, and lust but God’s Word cleans us up.
Ephesians 5:26 reminds us that we are “washed in the word.” I don’t know about you but my old self needed to be cleansed. Not with a little dab of water, or a sprinkle with a hose, I need to be continually washed and fully immersed in His Word until every ounce of the old stuff runs over and out.
Jesus came to this earth to give of knowledge of God’s Word. He knew His walk on earth had to be to teach us to fill our minds with His Father’s Words. He knew we couldn’t do it on our own.
We can’t always trust the thoughts our minds think that’s why 2 Corinthians 10:5 tells us,
“Throwing down imaginations and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.”
You wouldn’t just open the door and allow whatever whoever to walk into your house and do whatever they want in your home. Why would you allow it in your mind? Instead, we need to be diligent with challenging thoughts as we are who let in our home. Find out what the intention of the thought is. Is it there to give you life or destroy you?
Was it sent by God or Satan?
It’s your mind, don’t let any thought be given free rein.
We must be able to test and approve what God’s will is -his good pleasing and perfect will. The Bible tells us,
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” -Romans 12:2
Never did we see Jesus tolerating, giving in, sugar-coating, or “fitting in.” His mind was set apart from this world. He lived in it but He was not of it. And neither should we. If we resist the ways of the world and fix our minds on how God calls us to live then we will be transformed into His image.
From Pity to Praise 