purple brain network

Battling Spiritual Drift

In Daily Devotional by Bayne Leong

Theme of the Week: Your Mind

Bible Verse: “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” 2 Timothy 3:14-15, ESV

Scripture Reading: 2 Timothy 3:10-17

The mind is quite fascinating. It can do fact-based recall like remembering who won the Stanley Cup last year. It can get creative by pondering what to paint on the canvas. It can trigger emotions by anticipating an upcoming event.

The mind can do these things and so much more, things that another body part like a kneecap simply can’t perform.

In Romans 8, the Bible also describes the mind as being moral and spiritual, either inclined towards the sinful nature or towards the Holy Spirit. There is no middle ground. This teaching warns us that though our minds are capable of doing so much, it’s constantly in danger of tilting toward sinful thoughts.

The apostle Paul, who wrote the book of Romans, would also warn his spiritual son, Timothy, about the dangers of sinful living and deception in the world around them. As an antidote, Paul asked Timothy to not only follow his godly example but also to continue in the sound doctrine he has learned from the Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:14-15).

Timothy didn’t have the whole Bible the way we do today. But the principle remains the same for us modern-day believers – we need to ensure that our minds turn to the Scriptures for renewal and nourishment.

As we men make our way in the culture today, there is a spiritual battle for our minds. We are bombarded with such messages as, “It’s nonsense to believe in God” or “Do whatever feels good as long as you’re not hurting anyone” and other unbiblical viewpoints. It’s easy for us to drift ever so casually into adopting the secular worldview.

But our Lord provides us the Bible as the primary means to continually renew our minds. To neglect God’s word leaves our minds spiritually vulnerable. Turning to it, however, avails our minds to be Spirit-led.


Copyright © 2020 Impactus | Promise Keepers Canada. All rights reserved.

About
Bayne Leong
Bayne grew up in a non-Christian home and was saved as an adult by Jesus at 2:00 AM one early morning. He is married to Vivian, and they are blessed with two sons and a daughter. Bayne works at Impactus | Promise Keepers Canada as the Director of Finance & Administration.
Image
Bayne Leong
Bayne grew up in a non-Christian home and was saved as an adult by Jesus at 2:00 AM one early morning. He is married to Vivian, and they are blessed with two sons and a daughter. Bayne works at Impactus | Promise Keepers Canada as the Director of Finance & Administration.