In and Within 15 Food for the Mind, Think About It

[HKHaugan]

On to the second part of Jesus’ teaching on prayer where we grow by becoming Father-dependent (Mt.6:11-14). There are three parts to this section, nutrition, forgiveness and temptation.---‘give us this day our daily bread,’ ‘forgive us our debts’ and ‘lead us not into temptation.’ These are the three basic needs for spiritual living in a material world that make us totally dependent on God for every next moment. Having these needs met allows us to move confidently in Him as we open to Him our mind, heart and spirit. This is when we really start to mature in His way so that His purposes are accomplished through us in this world. So let’s start with the mind.

First, nutrition for our mind.

“Give us this day our daily bread…”

Our minds need to be fed,
So where should we be led?
Yes, to the source that is our Head,
Jesus, Savior and Lord, He is life’s Bread. (HKH)

Spiritual nutrition is more necessary than material food for daily living, “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval (Jn.6:27).”

Only God, in whose image we are created, can know our individual intricacies, the ways each of our minds operates, the reasoning needs that lie uniquely within us. We must keep vigilance because of our personal tendencies to lean into and feed on self-centered thinking known as self-justification, excusing self, shifting blame, self-denial and inventing theories outside of God to explain existence, circumstance and behavior. It is in the mind that we build these kinds of strongholds that quench the work of the Holy Spirit and lead us into spiritual anorexia.

It is precisely because of our sin-slanted thinking that Our Father has willed His Word to be our mind-guide, the spiritual vitamin enriched manual, to feed our reasoning intellect. Scripture contains the digestive system that brings mental stability and balance to strengthen belief, trust and faith. Jesus, God the Son, is the living embodiment of thought out Scripture. Therefore He is the bread from Heaven (Jn.6:41). He is the relational heart, the providing Lord, portioning Himself through the Word to feed us in His Holy Spirit.

In Jesus we see the mind as the entry point for all experience and only God’s Word can filter what comes in from without and what goes out from within. Our mind, the way we think, the basis for our reasoning, is what influences our heart and spirit thus our choices, decisions and behavior. This is why Paul calls us to be transformed by the renewal of our mind (Rom.12:2).

God’s Word is ‘Holy-ness’ manual because He is Holy. It is through His Word we become a holy people, that is a people set apart for His work (1Pet.2:9). “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart (Hebrews 4:12).” It is the Word operating in the mind that readies us for our next deepest daily need, forgiveness, which we will deal with next.