Here is what Proverbs 4:23-27 says: “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. Put away from you a deceitful mouth, and put perverse lips far from you. Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right before you. Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established. Do not turn to the right or the left; remove your foot from evil.”
But how do we ‘keep our heart’ and guard our minds—against what and how?
Battle One: Your Mind vs. The Demonic Spirit World
Some Christians claim the devil is a myth. But this is not true. Satan is the spirit being working mental, emotional and spiritual corruption in people’s minds leading them into wrong thoughts and active disobedience (Ephesians 2:2). (See Is Satan Real? in this issue of Bible Insights Weekly.)
Satan worship and witchcraft are growing movements, which are often presented as harmless because horror films with wizards and witches and vampire-slaying TV shows desensitize our minds to what is actually being promoted and presented as innocuous entertainment.
Battle Two: Your Mind vs. Hollywood
Many think constantly watching scenes of violence and sex has no negative effect on your mind, but numerous studies in America, Australia and elsewhere have established that media violence increases social violence.
Viewing illicit, electronic media sex and violent programming desensitizes our minds to the sanctity of life and marriage and family. What we feed our minds becomes our thoughts just as surely as “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34).
Battle Three: Your Mind vs. The Internet
Never in the history of man has so much pornography been displayed before so many. Violent or sexually explicit video games should obviously be avoided, and care should be taken to use the Internet wisely. Don’t let it addict you. Stay away from sexually explicit material, play video games sparingly and choose only those that are not morally corrupting.
Battle Four: Your Mind vs. University
Today in most state and private universities, the teachings of the Bible are not respected. The predominant philosophy of evolutionary, secular humanism is modern education’s religion. The professors of that mind-set are the wise men, and unquestioning students are their followers.
Christians can find it challenging to walk the halls of academia, assimilate specific, useful knowledge and exit with your faith, that is, your mind, intact. Two keys to ameliorate the situation is to make friends of like-minded students and encourage each other in clear thinking, and to also attach yourself to sound-minded mentors who will strengthen your determination and provide you with reality checks.
Battle Five: Your Mind vs. Yourself
The human mind with human nature is self-focused and deceptive. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). So the hardest person to be honest with is yourself.
The popular philosophy of today’s schools is to teach students to develop self-esteem, to learn to love themselves, but the challenge is to learn to love God with all our heart, soul and mind, and to love our neighbour as ourselves (Matthew 22:36-40).
Pray daily. Read the Bible regularly. Think about God and make the effort to do what is right.
“Finally,” as Philippians 4:8 tells us, “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.”
