What or Who controls your mind?

Romans 8:5-6

Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. If your sinful nature controls your mind, there is death. But if the Holy Spirit controls your mind, there is life and peace.

If you had your choice between death or life and peace, which would you choose?  Obvious answer, isn’t it?  Why would anyone choose death?  Yet what per cent of the human race are dominated by sin in their lives?  A 2010 study by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life reports that there are 2.18 billion Christians in the world, nearly one-third of the estimated 6.9 billion people in Earth. So if a little over 2/3 of the world’s population are not Christian, thus whose lives are not controlled by the Holy Spirit, then 2/3 majority of the world’s population, an estimated 4.7 billion people choose death if you base the results of these choices on what is written in Romans 8:5-6.

Obviously the 2/3 majority of the world’s population don’t know what Romans 8:5-6 claims and likely woudn’t believe it anyway even if they all realized what it claims.  If your sinful nature controls your mind, there is death.  Death is “thanatos” that has several meanings---“a region enveloped in the darkness of ignorance and sin, the misery of the soul arising from sin, the miserable stated of the wicked dead in hell”.  Not pleasant thoughts and words, are they?  Yet, the Bible says that “thanatos” is the ending place for people whose minds are controlled by their sinful nature that shuts out the presence and control of the Holy Spirit. 

What is a life that is “dominated by the sinful nature”?  It is a life that thinks about sinful things and whatever the mind thinks about, that’s what people do (Proverbs 23:7, What are sinful things?  Sinful things are sins of the flesh.  Sins of the flesh are described in Galatians 5:19-21: “Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”  The Message Bible describes Galatians 5:19-21 this way: “It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on.  This isn't the first time I have warned you, you know. If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God's kingdom.”

Yet, you always have free will, you always have the choice about what or who controls your mind.  If you know that your mind is being controlled by your sin nature, but desire to change and be controlled by the Holy Spirit, read and meditate on Romans 12:1-2.  You can be transformed by a renewal of your mind.  II Cor 4:16 says that such renewal occurs every day so you cannot expect to change overnight.  Renewing your mind and being controlled by the Holy Spirit is a gradual process.  The ultimate goal is to “have the mind of Christ” (I Cor 2:16).  Think seriously what is means to have the mind of Christ.  Whatever Jesus thinks, you will think too if you have the mind of Christ. To have the mind of Christ produces an abundant life (John 10:10) and a life filled with peace.  Is there any greater blessing that life can offer than a life of peace?     

A mind dominated by sin will lead to sin actions and many sin actions lead to horrible things such as murder, addictions, and other abuses. You become what you think so if there is any sin that you think about, dwell upon, that sin will keep growing until you cannot control it.  May you choose to think about and dwell upon what the Holy Spirit thinks about.  Reflect on what Paul writes about in Phil 4:8--- ”Fnally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.”