The silence of God can often be disturbing to those not living in intimacy with Him. When the Lord does not respond immediately to our prayers or does not act according to our limited, human reasoning, we can fall prey to Satan’s lies and deception.
In this time of waiting, we often give in to doubt, anxiety, impatience, and the selfish desire to resolve things on our own. God’s silence has a purpose. It teaches us to trust, to wait, and to renew our minds with his word, letting patience have its perfect work.
The renewal of the mind is about cultivating the right thoughts. To think like we have never thought before. This means filling our minds with God’s word and forcing ourselves to think on what is good, pure, and true.
Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, 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
Renewing the mind goes further than simply feeding on God’s word. It also means practicing the presence of God and maintaining an awareness of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling presence in our ordinary, everyday tasks. It is unlikely we will experience the peace of God daily if our mind is always distracted by worldly influence and unrenewed thinking.
Jesus is the model we must follow. His life lived is perfect theology. He was completely submitted to and aligned perfectly with the Father. He was not moved by fear, distracted by applause, overcome by the trials, nor shaken by the haters. The thing that prevents us from following His example is our lack of vigilance in guarding our minds.
To guard our minds is to guard our hearts. It is our soul that has the most influence over our heart. If our mind, will, and emotions are not sanctified, our spirit man will suffer the consequences. If our soul is in turmoil, the voice of the Holy Spirit becomes a faint whisper. Our spirit is where the rivers of God’s life flow from. When our soul is tormented and tainted by unclean thoughts, ungodly behaviors, or demonic strongholds, the rivers that flow from our heart are not pure and not fit to drink from.
Proverbs 4:23 Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.
The devil needs a point of entry into our lives. We must somehow grant him permission to enter. He will usually find this point of entry in an inattentive, unguarded mind or a mind that refuses to fully submit to God. If we are disciplined to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ and not allow our minds to wander aimlessly, we deny him access.
We must resist the temptation to fill our minds with empty content that promotes selfishness and spiritual laziness. Social media, fake news, television, YouTube, and the entire entertainment industry have become an extremely effective tool of the enemy to corrupt our souls and desensitize our spirits. Satan’s goal is to keep us living according to the flesh and not the Spirit.
Romans 8:13-14 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
Satan is not concerned with professing Christians, but he fears the sons of God.
With the multitude of voices and the constant noise aimed at us, we must be intentional and consistent to be led by the Spirit. When God seems to be silent is when we need to be especially diligent, for this is when Satan searches to find any cracks in our armor. Our mind is not a battlefield to be taken by the enemy, it is Holy ground where Christ must reign.
Guard your mind, guard your heart. They are holy ground.
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