Mindset

Everyone has a unique mindset - an outlook, way of thinking, or approach to life. This mindset is the lenses through which a person interprets the world around him or her. It is also the chief reference point a person uses to navigate life. The Apostle Paul said we have the “mind of Christ,” but probably most of us would have to admit that our mindset falls somewhere south of that unspoiled condition (1 Corinthians 2:16). I know I certainly must.

Now, if your mother was a woman, you were born in the image of Adam and subsequently with a flawed constitution (Genesis 5:3, Job 25:4 & Romans 5:12). To compound that problem, you and I were raised in a world permeated, contorted, and diseased by sin. These two factors conspired against us and adversely affected the quality and functionality of our mindset.

Unfortunately, coming into the church and receiving the Holy Ghost does not automatically fix my mindset. Sometimes, it can even make things worse. It is very possible to exchange a mindset bound by sin for a mindset bound by legalism. It is very possible to have a mindset so loyal to the past that one cannot embrace progress. It is possible to have the Holy Ghost and still have a mindset domineered by pessimism, immaturity, pride or another disabling condition. Having the Holy Ghost and being spiritually minded are not synonymous terms.

The problems arising from a poor mindset should be self evident. No one needs to wonder why people do what they do. The answer comes back to mindset. This is the basic issue behind the Apostle Paul’s writing in Romans chapter 12. Knowing God should eventually do something with how we think and how we see the world. Understanding God should equate, at some point in our life, to understanding the world better and making wiser choices.

I think it is in my best interest that I learn first and foremost how to pray that "the mind that was in Christ" can eventually push through my current mindset (Philippians 2:5). I think I will continue this process until I can see the world through the Cross and filter life through the Grace of God.