(This is the last segment of the chapter on Your Mental Relationship: Jesus as Wisdom.”)
Human Wisdom Can Be Dangerous
Every gift has a caveat—especially the gift of intelligence. Humankind succumbs to a particular sin not evident in the animal kingdom—pride. Thus, our greatest asset can become our most offsetting weakness. Untempered by God’s Spirit, the mind can lead any one of us down perilous pathways. The problem is that the basic process of learning needs no an end goal. You can follow a path to nowhere if you choose. It is possible to keep walking if the unfolding scenery intrigues you, even though you have no clue where you’re headed, and even if it leads to a cul-de-sac or off a cliff. Always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 2 Timothy 3:7. Learning, therefore, must not be an end in itself. For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. 1 Corinthians 1:21.
Human wisdom is dangerous when it is godless. If the world tempts you to learn something that does not have the approval of God, or that is anti-God, it is hazardous to your soul. Reject it. Because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Romans 1:21-23.
Human wisdom is dangerous when it is false. Any teaching that is patently false is dangerous. Guard against receiving it in theory or in practice. Remember, the Father of Lies is a spirit. A lying spirit can attach itself to a teaching and invade the sanctity of your mind, soul and body. Therefore, God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. Romans 1:24-25.
Human wisdom is dangerous when it is evil. Do not mentally entertain anything that has been denounced by God as evil or as an abomination. To purport to learn evil under the guise of curiosity, respect or “open-mindedness” is foolish. Think of it as driving the getaway car for a bank robber. You are as guilty as the person who committed the actual crime. When you come into the land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations. Deuteronomy 18:9. A close relationship with Jesus Christ causes a believer reject at anything that offends the Spirit of God.
Human wisdom is dangerous when it exalts man. Self-exaltation often happens when a person’s native abilities, most notably intelligence, are superior to others. But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. Matthew 23:11-12. The spirit that likes to exalt itself has a connection to the spirit of Satan. For you have said in your heart: “I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.” Isaiah 14:13-14. True intelligence makes its boast in the Lord. I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the LORD; The humble shall hear of it and be glad. Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together. Psalm 34:1-3. Relationships change the way we think. This is why we must send brain power through the filter of our relationship with Jesus Christ. He continually corrects the course of our thoughts and steers us back to the right path.
The Mind Is the Battleground
All spiritual battles are fought, won and/or lost in the space between your ears. Your mouth cannot speak, eat or drink anything without specific instructions from your brain. Your hands or feet cannot decide to grasp something or walk somewhere by themselves. They only work as per the orders given to them by your brain. Much less obvious, your brain cannot devise, scheme, imagine or daydream without permission from … your brain! That means that you must surrender your mind to a power stronger and higher than yourself if you are going to win the battle against the flesh.
The Amplified Bible parses the verses in Romans 12:1-2 in an enlightening way. I APPEAL to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you]. Romans 12:1-2 (AMP). That is a tall order, and you cannot achieve it by yourself. You can only get this done inside the relationship with Jesus Christ! Therein lies the crux of the whole matter. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. Romans 8:7-9.
You would do well to UNDERSTAND THIS PRINCIPLE, because it lies at the heart of entire book you are now reading. (Sorry for shouting, but this is important!) Any attempt to renew your mind by means of your own will and volition is doomed to failure. Two reasons. First, you are asking the culprit (your mind) to control the object (your mind). It is like asking the proverbial fox to guard the henhouse. Your mind has neither lasting incentive nor enduring reward to hurt, hinder, censure or restrain itself. You may start the process, but you immediately run into a level of recalcitrance and rebellion that you never realized existed. You will expose a raw streak of Adam’s transgression that lies buried in your deepest consciousness. You will supply all the resistance necessary to impede any move forward.
Second, through exerting superior will power, you may succeed in reforming yourself. If you do it by yourself, however, guess who gets the credit? You! You will help yourself to any glory and praise for your accomplishments, and, in so doing, you fall into the trap of human pride. Moreover, the victories won by fleshly effort often do not last, or else a vice in one area gets eclipsed by a vice in some other area. For example, there are those who have won the battle over obesity, but have been overtaken by vanity or even promiscuity. Some have quit smoking, but have become addicted to prescription medication or have gained weight. Satan doesn’t mind if you change one set of handcuffs for another.
It is only when you are securely wrapped in a meaningful relationship with Jesus that you can renew your mind and stay focused on righteous and wholesome areas of life. Jesus said it all. “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing … If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.” John 15:4-8. This relationship with Christ is kept alive in the same way every other relationship works. It takes communication, investing time, understanding, selflessness and surrender. After a while, you will learn the process, but it never becomes automatic. Relationships demand attention if they are to survive.
Your Mental Abilities Must Be Anointed
We have learned that mental acumen can easily become a source of pride and self-adulation. If you are gifted in intelligence, you will most likely tend to rely on your astuteness to succeed in any endeavor in life. When you are admonished to give your all to God, your money, your possessions or your time may not be all that is at stake. You must also sacrifice your abilities to the will of God. We can learn much from two Bible characters in this regard: Solomon and Paul.
King Solomon asked for and received wisdom from the Lord. During his reign, he built an elaborate temple to honor Jehovah. The Queen of Sheba came to see it. It was amazing. And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, the food on his table, the seating of his servants, the service of his waiters and their apparel, his cupbearers, and his entryway by which he went up to the house of the LORD, there was no more spirit in her. Then she said to the king: “It was a true report which I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom. However I did not believe the words until I came and saw with my own eyes; and indeed the half was not told me. Your wisdom and prosperity exceed the fame of which I heard. Happy are your men and happy are these your servants, who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom! 1 Kings 10:4-8
But Solomon, although he received his wisdom from God, he did not keep it anointed. As a result, he made unbelievably foolish decisions and lost his spiritual relationship. But King Solomon loved many foreign women, as well as the daughter of Pharaoh: women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites—from the nations of whom the LORD had said to the children of Israel, “You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love. And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart. 1 Kings 11:1-3. Gifts that get disconnected from their anointing abandon the source of their success.
The Apostle Paul, on the other hand, was gifted with both intelligence and an unusual attitude of devotion. He realized, however, that none of this was the source of his strength. He expressed this in his letter to the Philippians. “Though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.” Philippians 3:4-10. Consequently, God was able to use Paul’s giftedness to bring great gain to the kingdom. He based this attitude on his revelation “That no flesh should glory in His presence.” 1 Corinthians 1:29.
Dedicate your mental abilities to God, whether they be superior or common. God will compensate for your lack if you will always give Him the glory.