It is in the very cogitations of our minds that God intends to use our minds as a platform to push the very principles and directives of this Christian life we are all to live after coming into the knowledge and understanding of Christ. Through our minds are birthed specific instances to allow the Word of God to matriculate through the processes of our thoughts into the spiritual bloodstream of our deeds. In this book we will discuss and share messages, applications, and shared stories that will show evidence how through scripture; God is desirous to use our minds as an avenue to reach those who are in need of pulling them from their individual pits in a psychological and even more emotional way.

The Mind

The Pulpit of GODBy Pastor M.E. Lyons

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2012 Pastor M.E. Lyons
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4685-7662-7

Contents

Dedication.............................................viiPreface................................................ixAcknowledgements.......................................xiiiForeword...............................................xviiIntroduction...........................................xxi1. Temptation Is Still Here............................12. It's All In The Mind................................113. What's On Your Mind?................................254. I Know Who I Am.....................................375. Are You Out Of Your Mind?...........................496. Do The Right Thing..................................577. There's No Place Like Home..........................678. Other Book(s) Written/Published.....................77

Chapter One

Temptation Is Still Here

"I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me." Romans 7:21

I have thought about this concept for some time now and the verdict is, we all have, are, and will be guilty of facing temptation at some juncture in our lives. When we begin to decipher and deal with this dialogue that Paul teaches in the aforementioned scripture, Paul takes the initiative and shares with us that even though thousands of years have passed, the problem in the Bible days and the problems today, are similar as it relates to our mind.

There is a struggle that we all share, whether it be ommissive or commissive, hidden or exposed. every person that is to read this literary work will be the victim of one of the most overlooked and underestimated enemies of all times, TEMPTATION. Temptation is a very sneaky, sensitive, and for many, an acceptable sin itself. It really becomes a more dressed up word for sin. Think about it; you are walking around and decide to sit down and eat and delve into the delicious food and before you know it you are full; but because temptation is more acceptable than sin in our minds; we continue and fall victim to a sin without ever acknowledging it. Once we have acknowledged this behavior we label it and overlook the shortcomings by saying, that is a temptation of mine.

Perhaps that vehicle did not carry your temptation. Well, what about when you are in church or a social gathering and see an exceptionally beautiful woman or outwardly handsome gentleman and know that you are married and take one look and then instead of looking away and gathering your mind; you continue to set your eyes upon them in a lustful way. What happens is that because we feel as though it has been localized in the human mind; we lessen the incident by saying he or she is my flavor or that is a temptation of mine. Inevitably, we have already succumbed to the trick of the enemy and are on our way to swallowing the bait which now has a better hold of us allowing us to be reeled in.

Paul teaches us that in this verse that temptation is just as much a sin than actually committing the sin. One of the worst things a Christian can do is entertain the thought of sin. Entertaining the thought of sin creates the experience of sin, and when the experience has been created, all that is now needed, is an opportunity to or fall for the manifestation of the sin. Sin, through the vehicle of temptation is very crafty, sneaky, and alluring, and not to mention temptation avails itself at all times, in one form or another. This is why satan uses our mind to weigh down the very thought of self sufficiency through Christ.

When the evils of this life attempts to gain the reigns of our mind, it opens a realm of sin that is difficult to avoid. This is one of the many reasons Paul says ... "I find then a law ..." He is saying that he has found a law for the simple fact that this is not an easy thing to shake, it is no joke, it is not a simplistic outlet, nor is it quick to process, this is a law. There must be great strides and endeavors to ready one's mind when they turn aside and confront and look into the evil eyes of temptation and say, no thank you. There must be a conviction harbored in one's heart to confidently know that when temptation has lifted its seductive yet ill-gotten appearances above the surface of thoughts in our mind that what is, cannot be compared to what shall be.

Many times in my own life, there have been times that things appeared much more appealing than they really were, only to find out that the picture was only a mirage. Temptation works similar to that. No matter how engaging or inviting it may seem, the end result is always worse. That is why Paul speaks of an attitude, we should take it into consideration when he says, "when I would do good ..." Otherwise, my mind was made up, my thoughts were in order, and the direction was mapped out, but temptation has a way of messing up your mind, tainting your thoughts, and changing your direction.

Temp, is the term which indicates the climate in a room. So when we speak of this subject matter, it determines the climate in our lives. Will we fall victim to it, or will we stay the course? Will we be those that the temp determines our direction, or will we be those who will remain who we are destined to be, even in the midst of heated situations? We cannot expect Sunday morning favor while our mind is clouded with Saturday night fever. One of the most dangerous mechanisms of mistakes is that of the maneuvering of our misguided minds. If you absolutely want to know what powerfully pulls you from sanity to schizophrenia, it is the battle going on in the mind. There is but a thin line of division between having a clear mind and having a clouded mind. The deciding factor in whether or not we do the right thing or we do the wrong thing is based upon our minds. If you don't believe me, think about some instance in your life, where you had to make some very important decisions. Now in making the decisions, you had to talk it over with yourself before coming to a conclusion. Why is it that when we are making decisions we contemplate in our minds what to do, and then talk it over with ourselves. It is because, that which we know we should do is wrestling with that which know we should not to do. The fact of the matter is, our mind has us struggling on a daily basis with our own selves.

Paul says that there are two things tugging at my mind. The reality of this struggle is that we are all faced with temptations. We need to recognize that it is evident in all of our lives, and then we can handle it accordingly. We must allow Jesus to stand in the place that the battle is being fought. We should fill our minds with Christ, so that we may positively affect those who surround us.

Consider this metaphorically speaking; if our minds can serve as pulpits, our mouths become the speakers God desires to use. I have come to find out in my studies that our minds are really not our spiritual control panels, our ears are. Whoever controls that panel has direct access to our minds. What happens here is that whatever comes through our control panels, our ears; and filtered in our minds, will be magnified through our mouth. No one can control your mind unless you give them your control panel, unless you lend them your ear. By doing this it actually transforms your mind from being simply a pit to being a pulpit.

Chapter Two

It's All In The Mind

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be...