Mental Attitude
“The real battle in life takes place in the soul, for the soul.”
– C. S. Craig
Recognition, Affirmation, Approbation
Recognition and the need for approval are deep-seated in the soul of humanity. The need for affirmation is a necessary ingredient in all of us. Approbation, however, is one manifestation of the lust-patterns of the soul, and has been an overly-dominant force in our human nature since the fall.
In James 4:17 we read: “Therefore, to him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”
When we know the right thing to do, but don’t do it… why didn’t we do it? Why did we choose to sin when we knew to do right? Why do we do what we do and think what we think?
In Romans 7:15 through 8:11, even the great Apostle Paul struggled between his flesh and his spirit. His struggles were daily, in the soul—his soul-thinking. His struggles were spiritual warfare between good (the spirit) and evil (the flesh).
“ For that which I do I allow not: For what I would, that do I not but what I hate, that I do If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh dwelleth no good thing For to will is present with me semi but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me For I delight in the law of God after the inward man But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh but they that are after the Spirit in the things of the Spirit For to be carnally minded is death but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be”
Paul continues his conclusion in chapter 8:1-11. Please turn in your Bible to Romans 8 and read for yourself. Stay with it! Read it several times very slowly and think about Paul’s conclusions. Remember too, that the great apostle is second only to Christ as our teacher since most of the New Testament is written by Paul. He went from persecuting Christians to converting unbelievers. We too will struggle like the great Apostle, but we can have ultimate victory in Christ through Christ. How? Stay in the Word.
If you are a born again believer, you are indwelt by the Holy Spirit and you have the power source to overcome the flesh—the same power source as Paul and the same power source that provided for Christ during the Incarnation. Yes! The very same power source.
To live in the realm of God’s power source, we (believers only) simply name our perpetual sin(s) when necessary (1 John 1:9), and the Holy Spirit restores us to fellowship, then we turn from the specific sin-issue(s), leave them far behind, and get back to living the Christian way of life. During fellowship with the Lord we will learn to enjoy a deep, personal relationship. Why? We are under the control of the Holy Spirit when we are in fellowship.
As we study God’s Word we are able to think with/from divine viewpoint (Bible doctrine processed and memorized (stored) in our soul, so that it’s there when we need to apply it). This is our strength, our armor, our sword against the world, the sinful desires of the flesh (our sin-nature), and Satan. It is while we are in fellowship that our relationship with God is intimate. Our thinking and actions become like Christ. We learn first hand to appreciate the Savior on a grand scale and God is glorified.
Every moment we log in the filling of the Spirit, we are under the indwelling control of the Holy Spirit, and God is glorified. Our relationship is intimate. Our thinking reflects Christ. We are transformed by the renewing of our minds and we are able to understand His peace, which He gives abundantly. We are able to see things as God sees them, through divine viewpoint.
In addition, the Holy Spirit convicts us of right and wrong and strengthens us against our sin weaknesses.
Many people have a real problem admitting they are wrong about anything—it’s a pride thing. What a shame. They will never be close to God because they are hiding from the truth about self. The only problem is they need truth in their thinking and truth begins with God, then self.
We all have certain sins that cause us more problems than others. But, the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead also dwells in us (believers only). The Holy Spirit will give us strength, courage, and help in time of need. We can overcome the flesh by consistently studying Bible doctrine and searching the depths of God’s Word (2 Timothy 2:15).
We will know when we are out of fellowship by our thinking and actions. The Holy Spirit will convict us. We will not feel as close to the Lord. So, it is extremely important that you learn to recognize the conviction of sin and estrangement from God. When you don’t feel quite right with God, sin is in the way. Get rid of it. Walk away from whatever it is you need to walk away from, and never look back. There’s nothing good that awaits at the end of the sin-trail when one indulges sin.
SOUL-THINKING
In the privacy of your soul, hidden away from the view of others, are your thoughts. Since all action and all words require thinking first, the real reasons behind what we say or do become the battleground for spiritual warfare.
Mental attitude (or proper motivation) is what the Judgment Seat of Christ will be all about for the believer. Our motives, that is, our true thinking will be judged at the “Judgment Seat of Christ” (Psalm 7:8,9,14).
“Behold, he travails (labors) with wickedness, and he conceives (in the thinking) mischief and brings forth falsehood” (Reference Romans 14:10-12; 1 Corinthians 3:11-15). Mental attitude is the key to proper motivation. When we are in fellowship with the Lord, our mental attitude will be in line with divine viewpoint.
Here is a key point: the motivator in your soul is either doctrine (divine norms and standards) or the flesh (worldly thinking) as we learned in Romans chapters 7 and 8 above. So, if we are not properly motivated we will think like the world thinks. Therefore, we will know we are out of fellowship and at this point our decisions will probably be wrong.
If we are properly motivated, when a decision is necessary we can lose fellowship by making the wrong decision. This is why we need to take time to pray and meditate in God’s Word. We may even need to counsel with other believers, mature ones who can help get you back on track.
Making the right choices in life is imperative to living an effective Christian life for the believer. It is the difference between winning and losing in the spiritual battles we face and fight daily, and sometimes… even moment-by-moment. As we learn to make the right choices, God is glorified. Remember, our thinking is the battleground in the Christian life because we must think before we act. And, likewise, if we are not properly motivated, we will probably make the wrong decision most of the time.
MOTIVATION
- Motivation is what is in our soul, impelling or inciting overt activity.
- Motivation is a mental attitude or incentive.
- A motive is the thought or reason that determines our choice or course of action.
As stated above, proper motivation is based on norms and standards, knowledge and principles. Therefore, what goes into the soul comes out of the soul. What goes into the soul determines our mental attitude, our thinking—our mental attitude is the key to what motivates us.
Bible Doctrine is designed by God to:
- Search our soul
- Speak to and convict our soul
- Encourage and influence
- Strengthen and persuade
- Convict and convince our soul (1 Corinthians 2:10; Titus 1:9; 2:1).
So, the real battle is always for victory in our soul. Do you see that? The real battle in life takes place in our soul. What we think… is who we are. What we think determines our words and actions and deeds in life. What we think is what we do! Therefore, it does not take a quantum leap into the book of knowledge to see that our thinking is imperative to living in Christ (fellowship). Our thinking will either be “worldly viewpoint” or divine viewpoint. And the choice between the two is always yours.
God tells us that, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways” (Isaiah 55:8).
Listen, the key in this life is the soul-thinking of the believer. If you want to be great in this life and the next, you must humble yourself to do God’s will. How do we know God’s will? By having Bible doctrine stored in our soul.
If you truly want to be like Christ, you must think like He thinks. How? Read His mind by learning His Mind—Bible Doctrine, the Living Word from the mind of the Living God (1 Corinthians 2:6-16).
Prayer and meditation in God’s Word are absolute, unavoidable imperatives (Hebrews 4:12-16).
In Philippians 2:13 we read, “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.” And in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
To maintain a positive mental attitude, we must be consistently motivated. Therefore, we must study God’s Word daily. We must feed our human spirit, which is designed to feed on God’s Word. God ‘speaks’ to us, feeds us, and motivates us to proper action through His Word, by the Holy Spirit. God does this in two ways: the printed words in the Bible and stored words in our soul. If we do not study, learn, metabolize, and store Bible doctrine, we are not equipped to think with divine viewpoint, and therefore we become casualties in spiritual warfare. We lose the battle, giving glory to the enemy rather than glory to our God. That’s a powerful concept, one that should motivate you to constant self-evaluation.
We must learn to think like Christ. We must learn to be examples. We must be properly motivated like Christ each day as we go out into the world to work or wherever life takes us as His ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20; Ephesians 6:20). We have the wisdom of Christ in our possession—the Holy Scriptures.
Please turn to 1 Corinthians 2:6–3:23. Read it several times until what the Apostle Paul is saying penetrates deep into your soul. God’s Word stored in our memory banks is our guide to spiritual behavior, spiritual momentum, and spiritual motivation. We go into spiritual battle every day wherever our schedule of life takes us (1 Timothy 4:5-6; 2 Timothy 2:15; 3:14-17; Hebrews 2:17; 4:9-16). Every circumstance, every problem in life has its solution in Christ, who is the Word of God, and the Word existed before anything existed (John 1:1; Hebrews 4:3; 11:3; 12:1-11).
TRUTH vs. UNTRUTH
Hebrews 13:9 tells us not to be carried away by divers and strange doctrines but be established in grace. Just like a pastor cannot teach that which he does not know, you cannot know untruth if you do not know Truth. Again in 2 Peter 3:18 we are instructed to grow in grace and in knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 13:20-22 exhorts us to study. “Now the God of peace (if you want peace in your thinking—think doctrine), that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect (‘perfect’ here means consistently studying and maturing toward the high calling of Christ for our individual lives) and in every good work (opportunity and circumstance) to do His will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory forever and ever, Amen. And I beseech (implore) you brethren bear with the word of exhortation (motivation); for I have written a letter to you in few words.”
IMPULSE
Impulse is a motivation. More often than not it is a feeling or emotion. Definition: a sudden spontaneous inclination or incitement to unpremeditated action.
Notice that thinking is defined first, then the action, and both are spontaneous. Rational thinking is not usually impulsive. However, Bible doctrine can be instantly launched into action as life-circumstances arise, (if stored in our soul) but it must be learned and metabolized, ready for use.
For example, in conversation with others, especially regarding Christ and salvation, the believer should think before speaking so that the believer’s responses are in line with doctrine. Furthermore, the believer should know exactly where to go in Scripture to show in writing God’s plan of salvation. However, this should be the case when speaking to anyone on any subject, believer or unbeliever, and in virtually any situation in life. We do this not to sound radically religious, but rather to bring honor to the Lord in thoughts, words, and actions.
Don’t be quick to speak. Pause and refresh on doctrine.
We should try not to think or react impulsively. Why? Because we must take time to think doctrine. To think doctrine we must recall Scripture stored in our soul. The primary purpose of God’s Word is to provide divine guidance to us throughout life. Therefore, we must learn to consistently inhale God’s Word and apply it to life. We cannot react to life with improper emotion, based on worldly influences. Emotion is fine for expressing appreciation, empathy, and love, but emotions were never designed to have control over us. They are an appreciator of the details of life. By learning and applying the Word of God, we can become victorious spiritual warriors.
Read as often as you can the very words of Christ (usually in red) found in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out. For who hath known the mind of the Lord? Or who hath been His counselor?” (Romans 11:33-34). “For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things: to whom is glory forever.”
CHRIST – THE “ARMOR OF LIGHT”
We must learn to walk with a relaxed mental attitude (peace and joy inside, in our soul) and this takes practice—more for some, less for others, depending on our personality traits, our maturity in Christ, and the amount of time we log in the filling of the Spirit.
Notice in Romans 13:12-14, that when we are in Christ (fellowship) we put on the “armor of light”—this is the result of “the filling of the Holy Spirit.” When we are in fellowship we love God intimately and we walk in light as He is in light (Exodus 16:4; Leviticus 26:3; 1 Kings 2:4; Isaiah 2:5; Malachi 2:6; Romans 6:4; 2 Corinthians 5:7; Galatians 5:16; Ephesians 5:2,8; 1 John 1:7-9—see these verses for yourself).
There is an invisible light that is like a shield of armor surrounding us, and it lights our way, illuminating our path.
Christ is the “Armor of light.” Christ, by the Holy Spirit, protects us from satanic forces like a security blanket. When you truly understand your position in Christ, light, peace, and joy will fill your soul. When you nourish and feed your spirit with God’s Word, your faith continues to build confidence and you will, over time, have victory in Christ by the Holy Spirit (Romans 10:17; 15:13).
So, we have the “Armor of light” in Romans 13:12-14, the “Armor of God” in Ephesians 6:11-13, and the “Armor of righteousness” in 2 Corinthians 6:7. All three lights refer to the Word of God and the Trinity in particular: Armor of God speaks of the Father. Armor of light refers to Christ the Son. Armor of righteousness speaks of the Holy Spirit. When all three are in our hearts we cannot lose. We therefore can have victory in life because we have the Godhead working in us and going before us into our daily life of spiritual battle (Exodus 33:14).
We just need to learn to “Follow the colors,” if you will. Follow the Colors is a military term which means that in battle, the flag leads the way. The battle gets so loud that the troops cannot hear the Commander’s voice, therefore they are to follow the flag (colors) into battle. “I will be with you” (Genesis 26:3; 31:3; Deuteronomy 31:23; Joshua 1:5; 3:7; 1 Kings 11:38; Isaiah 43:2; Hebrews 13:5).
At salvation we become “sons of light” or “children of light” (John 12:36; Ephesians 5:8; 1 Thessalonians 5:8).
Keep in mind that Christ knew before hand every event that would take place during His lifetime, to include the horrible suffering of the cross. In spite of this knowledge, Jesus Christ lived a perfect life and died a perfect sacrifice for your sin and mine on Calvary. In His humanity, He was far superior to any human being who ever lived. But, God wants us to put on the same armor that Christ used during His earthly ministry—“Scripture, and the Holy Spirit.” Christ began learning Scripture at an early age (Luke 2:39-52. Reference also Proverbs 22:6). Train (teach) your children early and regularly and take them to church. As born again believers we are babes in Christ—we are but little children (Matthew 18:3-5; John 1:12).
The following verses are Ecclesiastes 3:1-9:
“There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven. 2) A time to give birth and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted. 3) A time to kill and a time to heal; A time to tear down and a time to build up. 4) A time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance. 5) A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones; A time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing. 6) A time to search and a time to give up what is lost; A time to keep and a time to throw away. 7) A time to tear apart and a time to sew together; A time to be silent and a time to speak. 8) A time to love and a time to hate; A time for war and a time for peace.”
May I recommend that you continue on in your own Bible with verse 9 and read through the end of chapter twelve. These chapters are so full of wisdom and understanding.
We end this study with Ecclesiastes 12:9-10: 9) “In addition to being a wise man the Teacher also taught the people knowledge; and he pondered, searched out and arranged many proverbs. 10) The Teacher sought to find delightful words and to write words of Truth correctly.”
Happy Studying!