mind

Voluntary Lobotomy

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“Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons [and daughters] of God.”

1 John 3:1

We are sons and daughters of God right now—we can choose to sit in heavenly places right now. Light is shining upon you and me so we do not need to walk in darkness.

We are told in Counsels on Health, 38, “So closely is health related to our happiness that we cannot have the latter without the former.” The devil knows this and he does not want you to be happy. There are dangers that we cannot imagine. God warns us of the dangers and traps the devil has set for us so he can destroy our health. A trap is a pitfall, a snare—a life threatening condition.

Don’t be fooled! Satan is our enemy and he will do all in his power to destroy us. He knows that if he can get through the five senses of the body to the physical, there is a good chance that he can then destroy the mental and the spiritual. Those five senses are sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch.

“We are God’s workmanship, and his word declares that we are ‘fearfully and wonderfully made.’ He has prepared this wonderful habitation for the mind; it is ‘curiously wrought’ [Psalm 139:14, 15], a temple which the Lord himself has fitted up for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.” Healthful Living, 9.

Our bodies were “curiously wrought.”

  • Our body is a living habitation for the mind
  • God Himself has “fitted up” or designed this body, this temple
  • Why? For the indwelling of His Holy Spirit

What does the Holy Spirit do for us? The Holy Spirit imparts to us the life of Christ. It imbues us with the attributes of the life of Christ or permeates our very being with these attributes. We are God’s temples to reside in through His Holy Spirit. That is why the Devil hates us so much. He does not want us to have the attributes of Christ but to reflect his own sinful character.

This is why it is such a battle to keep our minds stayed on heavenly things, to stay alert each moment and not to sleepwalk. A sleepwalker is not aware of what he is doing. In Ephesians 5:14 it tells us to: “Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.” Some characteristics of people who are sleeping are:

  • A sleeper is inclined to do nothing. He hears the warnings but thinks those warnings are for somebody else.
  • They are indifferent—neutral, thinking that a little bit of this or that is okay—that a little won’t hurt.
  • They are not interested in or concerned about what they are doing.
  • They are just walking with the group.

If you do nothing and are indifferent you have bypassed the narrow gate and have walked through the wide gate and are walking around with everybody else that is within that wide gate. In other words, you are eating the same as the group, dressing the same as the group and your health will be the same as that group.

In Ephesians 5:15–17 we are told that we need to walk circumspectly and not as fools, or unwise, and that we must redeem the time—that time which was a gift from God but wasted while walking with the group. Why? Because the days are evil and we need to understand what the will of the Lord is.

God tells us that we are His temples in I Corinthians 3:16, 17: “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.”

Remember, God has prepared this living habitation for the mind. The devil knows this verse very well and is trying to get us to destroy these temples.

Remember the story of Phineas Gage. He was a family man, well loved by all around him because of his Christlike character; he was very personable.

On the 13th of September, 1848, 25-year-old Gage and his crew were working on the Rutland and Burlington Railroad near Cavendish in Vermont. Gage was preparing for an explosion by compacting a bore with explosive powder using a tamping iron. While he was doing this, a spark from the tamping iron ignited the powder, causing the iron to be propelled at high speed straight through Gage’s skull. It entered under the left cheek bone and exited through the top of the head, and was later recovered some 30 yards from the site of the accident. The tamping iron was 3 feet 8 inches in length and 1.25 inches in diameter at one end.

Whether or not Gage lost consciousness is not known, but, remarkably, he was conscious and able to walk within minutes of the accident. He was then seated in an oxcart, on which he was transported three-quarters of a mile to the boarding house where he was staying. At the boarding house, a doctor removed small fragments of bone, and replaced some of the larger skull fragments that remained attached but had been displaced by the tamping iron. He then closed the larger wound at the top of Gauge’s head with adhesive straps.

Shortly after the accident, Gage’s wife, and other people close to him, began to notice dramatic changes in his personality. Gage’s contractors, who regarded him before the accident as the most efficient and capable foreman in their employ previous to his injury, now considered the change in his mind so marked that they could not give him his place again. Gage became fitful, irreverent, indulging at times in the grossest profanity, which was not previously his custom. He manifested little deference or courteousness for his fellows and was impatient of restraint of advice when it conflicted with his desires. His mind, his character, was radically changed, so decidedly that his friends and acquaintances said he was “no longer Gage.” Thus, the damage to Gage’s frontal cortex had resulted in a complete loss of social inhibitions, which often led to inappropriate behavior. In effect, the tamping iron had performed a frontal lobotomy on Gage.

We are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14)! The frontal lobe is viewed as the emotional and personality control center of a person’s mind and body that is responsible for how a person acts and reacts to information, reacts to other people and situations in life.

Some of the characteristics the frontal lobe controls are drive, mood, memory, attention, initiation, judgment, spontaneity, impulse control, problem solving, social behavior, feeling of empathy and sympathy, mental planning and execution, understanding humor, irony, sarcasm, and dishonesty.

Gage had lost his frontal lobe! What a change to his whole life and to the lives of the people around him! He had a total character transformation.

About 50 years later, after Phineas Gage had his accident, doctors began to perform frontal lobe surgeries—lobotomies. The idea of a lobotomy was tried when a man decided to slice the frontal lobes out of his dogs’ brains just to see what would happen. In a very short time someone decided to try the technique out on humans. The devil has no mercy—he wants to destroy us.

Lobotomy became the practice of surgically removing parts of the brain as a treatment for the thoughts housed within—specifically the frontal lobe. If somebody thought you acted funny, or thought differently, or were hyper like children, you were given a lobotomy.

From the 1930s through the 1950s, lobotomies were all the rage. Certain doctors revolutionized the procedure by making it quick and easy. You may have heard reference to someone performing a lobotomy with an ice pick and assumed it was a joke. Unfortunately, it was not.

In 1949, about 5,000 lobotomies were performed in the U.S. Some estimates place the total number of lobotomies performed in the U.S. from the 1930s through the 1950s as high as 50,000. From the 1940s through the end of the 1950s, at least 10,000 more lobotomies were performed in England and tens of thousands more were performed worldwide. In Sweden, 4,500 people were lobotomized against their will, including children, between 1944 and 1963.

Many resulted in a severe mental impairment that left people paralyzed. People were involuntarily institutionalized and subjected to barbarous treatment; many ended up as vegetables. The devil is very cruel. He will do anything to destroy these temples.

During the 1960s, new anti-psychotic drugs began to emerge on the scene. They too often had only spotty success rates, but you could actually stop an anti-psychotic drug regimen. A lobotomy, on the other hand, was an irreversible procedure—damage to neural tissues almost never heals.

With the tide of public opinion turning sharply against the practice, the number of lobotomies performed in the U.S. dropped dramatically through the 1960s and fell almost completely out of favor by the 1970s.

Today, the procedure has been almost completely discredited and abandoned in the Western world. Only a handful of lobotomies are performed in the U.S. each year, most of which involve laser microsurgery rather than ice picks. Most U.S. states have today totally banned involuntary lobotomies.

Now begins a new era of voluntary lobotomies being performed, and very few realize it! Do you and I realize it? Why are we voluntarily doing this? Because we are sleepwalking! Remember Ephesians 5:14: “Awake, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”

Now is not the time to be indifferent or neutral. This is not the time to walk with the group right into voluntary lobotomy. The devil has set a life threatening condition in front of us and has made a way for us to voluntarily yield our frontal lobes up to destruction. A voluntary lobotomy!

Are you ready for the battle? In I Timothy 6:12 it says, “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, wherewith thou art also called, and has professed a good profession before many witnesses.”

Are you ready to “fight the good fight of faith”? Do you understand what faith is and what the battle is? We need to understand this!

  • Faith is a conviction; in other words, you are convinced that something is true.
  • You are convinced that Jesus died for you and that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you.
  • And because you believe that, the devil is going to test your belief—your faith.
  • Is your faith a conviction or just a preference? If a conviction, you will want to keep your body and mind pure through God’s grace.

Every soul is required to “fight the fight of faith.”

Satan comes to prove your faith like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour (I Peter 5:8)!! He is looking right at you and me—and he has found a way to destroy our connection with God.

Voluntary means you choose to yield up your head for a frontal lobe operation—a lobotomy! You choose to become fitful, irreverent, indulging at times in the grossest profanity, to manifest but little deference or courteousness to friends and family, impatient of restraint of advice when it conflicts with your desires; in other words, you choose to reflect the character of the devil.

The devil could no longer by law destroy the judgment center so in the 1950s he brought forth the television.

“The brain nerves which communicate to the entire system are the only medium through which Heaven can communicate to man, and affect his inmost life.” Healthful Living, 54.

How protective then should we be of those brain nerves? Now comes the television, which is also called media—medium. Television is the devil’s medium. This is the devil’s means of communication, many calling it devil-vision, because it destroys the brain nerves through which God can only communicate. The devil’s medium destroys God’s medium!

Television is similar to mesmerism and one of the greatest dangers to our spirituality. Mesmerism is when one person can produce in another an abnormal condition resembling sleep, during which the mind remains passively under control, subject to the will of the operator.

“Each faculty of the mind and each muscle has its distinctive office, and all require to be exercised in order to be properly developed and retain healthful vigor. … Every wheel in machinery must be a living, active, working wheel. Nature’s fine and wonderful works need to be kept in active motion in order to accomplish the object for which they were designed.” Healthful Living, 69.

Today, the greatest educator in our nation is no longer school, church or home; it is the television. Hollywood does not like Christian values. Why? Christian values would not allow something to destroy the only medium through which heaven can communicate to us. Television teaches masses of people and it sells ideas, values, concepts and morals—behavior modification on a large scale.

“Impure thoughts lead to impure actions. … Some … are in danger of paralysis of the brain. Already the moral and intellectual powers are weakened and benumbed.” Healthful Living, 203.

Television destroys the frontal lobe and can be compared to the lobotomies in the 1900s. Every time you sit down to be voluntarily lobotomized, “Jesus is standing at the door knocking: If any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and sup with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20). Jesus says, I will not destroy the temple I have made for you because I want to dwell with you. The devil destroys!

“Every warning, reproof, and entreaty in the word of God, or through His delegated messengers, is a knock at the door of the heart; it is the voice of Jesus, asking for entrance. With every knock unheeded, your determination to open becomes weaker and weaker.” Our High Calling, 352.

“Conscience and right principles of life should be sustained.” Healthful Living, 203. What is conscience? It is a sense of right or wrong in one’s conduct or motives. What does a “lobotomy” do? It takes away your sense of right and wrong.

There are many studies showing that television damages our brains. Here are a few:

The World Federation of Neurology expresses great concern over the way visual electronic media is affecting children by “halting the process of frontal lobe development and affecting their ability to control potentially antisocial elements of their behavior … the implications are very serious … children should also be encouraged to play outside with other children, interact and communicate with others as much as possible. The more work done to thicken the fibers connecting the neurons in this part of the brain, the better the child’s ability will be to control their behavior.”

“Like hypnosis, watching television is also thought to subdue the involvement of the most sophisticated part of our brain—the frontal lobe. This is the brain’s executive control system, responsible for planning, organizing and sequencing behavior for self-control, moral judgment and attention. Both hypnosis and television reduce our ability to analyze critically what we are being told or what we see.” Remotely Controlled, 95.

“It is reported that children watch an average of 43 hours of TV per week; that is longer than the average adult work week. While watching, they rapidly become almost hypnotized. It has been shown scientifically that within minutes of beginning to watch TV, the brain changes from the alert brain waves (beta waves) to the hypnotic waves (alpha waves) where the judgment center of the brain is bypassed. So the violence and moral degeneration that the child sees, bypasses the judgment center in the brain and is implanted in the child’s brain without any ability on the child’s part to decide whether what they are seeing is right or wrong. The violence and moral degeneration are accepted by the brain without any moral judgment being applied to it. It then becomes part of the child’s permanent subconscious. What goes into a child’s mind is just as important as what goes into his or her mouth!” Attention Deficit Disorder, by Lorraine Day, M.D.

“I have seen some common themes between the effects of watching television and the processes thought to lie behind frontal lobe psychosurgery … given the concern that current levels of television viewing may literally idle frontal lobe activity and then stun its development in younger viewers thereby changing their thinking and behavior, there are some unfortunate similarities [to lobotomies]. Opponents of psychosurgery saw it as the use of a medical procedure to achieve social goals. Television too is used to achieve social goals.” Remotely Controlled, 98.

“Reading vs. Television. Reading leads you to actively manage knowledge, to follow a line of thought, which means classifying, making inferences, reasoning, weighing up ideas, connection one to another, and more. It increases brain activity. Television bypasses all of this.” Ibid., 100. This results in voluntary lobotomies of God’s temples. The devil’s medium destroys God’s medium!

Media analyst Marshall McLuhan considered television as reducing the separation of thought and action, making human behavior more conformist. … Watching television reduces frontal lobe activity.

In Psalm 101:2, 3, it says: “I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes.”

Television influences our thoughts, our understanding, our likes and dislikes, our manner of speech, and even our dress. Television influences our ideas of right and wrong. Like Phineas Gage—total character transformation!!

“One of the most critical arguments against watching television is that it affects the three characteristics that distinguish us as human beings. In the first three years of life, a child learns to walk, to talk and to think. Television keeps us sitting, leaves little room for meaningful conversations and seriously impairs our ability to think. And when children do walk, talk and think, television can have a decisive influence on how they do it.” Remotely Controlled, 49.

As Christians we are to live a pure lifestyle, even in private. Does TV affect us? The answer is yes! Did you ever laugh at a sinful scene which you would not take part of in real life? To laugh at sin is to condone it. The media is not controlled by Christians. “If we can start changing attitudes in this country, we can start changing behavior.”—Grant Tinker, Former Chairman NBC TV.

Deuteronomy 7:26 tells us, “Neither shalt thou bring an abomination into thine house, lest thou be a cursed thing like it: but thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a cursed thing.” This verse deals with idols and images which Israel was to reject. Is there a parallel? Yes. The church is spiritual Israel and the same mindset about idols and images is present today. Many idolize movie stars and money. Satan is cunning and many of us have fallen for his TV snares.

Television programs are designed with the purpose of reprogramming your mind by breaking down your defenses so you will accept a lie as truth.

  • Does it mock Christianity?
  • Does it glamorize rebellion against any type of authority, such as parents, police, teachers, government, etc.?
  • Does it glorify controlled substances?
  • Are sinful lifestyles promoted like homosexuality, lesbianism, or living together without benefit of marriage?
  • Is violence glorified?

Look around! It seems to be okay because everybody is doing it. Before television came into popularity, each country had their peculiar characteristics/cultures of dressing, talking, living. Now the world walks and talks the TV walk and talk—it is Group Think!

There is now growing concern that watching television distorts the wiring in the developing brain, which is undergoing rapid growth during the first few years of a child’s life. The advice is that children should not start watching television before the age of three. The American Medical Association is now notifying pediatricians to assess viewing habits when treating all hyperactive children.

Professor Herbert Krugman found that within 30 seconds of turning on the television, the brain becomes neurologically less able to make judgments about what we see and hear on the screen. Our brain treats incoming information uncritically. Television is a communication medium that effortlessly transmits huge quantities of information not thought about at the time of exposure—in other words, it is brainwashing! (Journal of Advertising Research, 1971.)

We are no longer free thinkers! Do you see how the devil destroys our frontal lobes? What type of characteristics do we see being exhibited?

  • people become fitful, irreverent, indulging at times in the grossest profanity
  • manifesting but little deference or courteousness
  • impatient of restraint of advice when it conflicts with personal desires.

“Therefore let us not Sleep [or be inactive or careless], as do others; but let us watch [be alert] and be sober [possess properly controlled faculties].” I Thessalonians 5:6. [Emphasis supplied.]

Do not voluntarily allow the devil to destroy your faculties!

Judy Hallingstad is part of the LandMarks team. She can be contacted by e-mail at: judyhallingstad@stepstolife.org.

Bible Study Guides – The Garden of the Heart

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March 27, 2011 – April 2, 2011

The Character of the Wise

Lessons from the Writing of Solomon

Key Text

“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” Proverbs 4:23.

Study Help: This Day With God, 73; In Heavenly Places, 162.

Introduction

“The soil of the heart, like that of a garden, will produce weeds and brambles unless the seeds of precious flowers are planted there and receive care and cultivation.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 202, 203.

1 BUILDING STRENGTH OF SOUL

  • What foundation understood by Solomon should we ever bear in mind? I Chronicles 28:9.

Note: “God is represented as weighing all men, their words, their deeds, their motives, that which determines character. … There is not a thought or motive in the heart that God is not acquainted with. He sees all as clearly as if it stood out registered in living characters, and He weighs individual motives and actions.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 438.

  • What should we consider in seeking to build upon this basic truth? Proverbs 23:7, first part, 12.

Note: “Many thoughts make up the unwritten history of a single day; and these thoughts have much to do with the formation of character. Our thoughts are to be strictly guarded; for one impure thought makes a deep impression on the soul. An evil thought leaves an evil impress on the mind. If the thoughts are pure and holy, the man is better for having cherished them. By them the spiritual pulse is quickened, and the power for doing good is increased. And as one drop of rain prepares the way for another in moistening the earth, so one good thought prepares the way for another.” Messages to Young People, 144.

2 A GARDEN TO WEED

  • What lessons from nature reveal how our spiritual life can flourish? Proverbs 27:18; 16:24.

Note: “The garden of the heart must be cultivated. The soil must be broken up by repentance. The evil growths that choke the good grain must be uprooted. As soil once overgrown with thorns can be reclaimed only by diligent labor, so the evil tendencies of the heart can be overcome only by earnest effort in the name and strength of Christ.” Education, 111.

“Silence the evil word, put away the unholy thought; for the True Witness weighs every word, sets a value on every action, and declares, ‘I know thy works.’ Then let love, truth, kindness, and forbearance be the precious plants that you shall cultivate in the garden of the heart.” The Signs of the Times, November 14, 1892.

  • What must we understand about the human heart? Proverbs 16:2; Jeremiah 17:9; II Corinthians 13:5, 6.

Note: “It is for the eternal interest of everyone to search his own heart and to improve every God-given faculty. …

“Let all remember that there is not a motive in the heart of any man that the Lord does not clearly see. The motives of each one are weighed as carefully as if the destiny of the human agent depended upon this one result. We need a connection with divine power, that we may have an increase of clear light and an understanding of how to reason from cause to effect. We need to have the powers of the understanding cultivated, by our being partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. Let each one consider carefully the solemn truth: God in heaven is true, and there is not a design however intricate, not a motive however carefully hidden, that He does not clearly understand. He reads the secret devising of every heart. Men may plan out crooked actions for the future, thinking that God does not understand, but in that great day when the books are opened, and every man is judged by the things written in the books, those actions will appear as they are.” The Upward Look, 53.

3 NURTURING THE GARDEN

  • How can we fortify our life in Christ? Proverbs 10:8, 9.

Note: “The very first step in the path of life is to keep the mind stayed on God, to have His fear continually before the eyes. A single departure from moral integrity blunts the conscience, and opens the door to the next temptation. [Proverbs 10:9 quoted.] We are commanded to love God supremely, and our neighbor as ourselves; but the daily experience of life shows that this law is disregarded. Uprightness in deal and moral integrity will secure the favor of God, and make a man a blessing to himself and to society; but amid the varied temptations that assail one whichever way he may turn, it is impossible to keep a clear conscience and the approval of heaven without divine aid and a principle to love honesty for the sake of the right.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 3, 1158.

  • What type of attitude pleases God? Proverbs 23:15–17.

Note: “The heart must be renewed by divine grace, or it will be in vain to seek for purity of life. He who attempts to build up a noble, virtuous character independent of the grace of Christ is building his house upon the shifting sand. In the fierce storms of temptation it will surely be overthrown. David’s prayer should be the petition of every soul: ‘Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.’ Psalm 51:10. And having become partakers of the heavenly gift, we are to go on unto perfection, being ‘kept by the power of God through faith.’ I Peter 1:5.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 460.

  • What should be our constant focus? Proverbs 7:1–3.

Note: “Double your diligence to make your calling and election sure. Keep God’s commandments, and live, and His law as the apple of your eye. Tax every moment to the utmost in laboring for your own eternal interest and for the salvation of souls around you.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 353.

4 PARTAKING OF DIVINITY

  • With what description does the apostle Peter confirm the relationship we are to have with Christ? 11 Peter 1:4. How does he explain it further? I Peter 1:13–16.

Note: “Let everyone who desires to be a partaker of the divine nature appreciate the fact that he must escape the corruption that is in the world through lust. There must be a constant, earnest struggling of the soul against the evil imaginings of the mind. There must be a steadfast resistance of temptation to sin in thought or act. The soul must be kept from every stain, through faith in Him who is able to keep you from falling.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 3, 1145.

  • Why is our mind—as the governing center (or heart) of our soul—so important? Proverbs 4:23.

Note: “Diligent heart-keeping is essential to a healthy growth in grace. The heart in its natural state is a habitation for unholy thoughts and sinful passions. When brought into subjection to Christ, it must be cleansed by the Spirit from all defilement. This can not be done without the consent of the individual.

“When the soul has been cleansed, it is the duty of the Christian to keep it undefiled. Many seem to think that the religion of Christ does not call for the abandonment of daily sins, the breaking loose from habits which have held the soul in bondage. They renounce some things condemned by the conscience, but they fail to represent Christ in the daily life. They do not bring Christlikeness into the home. They do not show a thoughtful care in their choice of words. Too often, fretful, impatient words are spoken, words which stir the worst passions of the human heart. Such ones need the abiding presence of Christ in the soul. Only in His strength can they keep guard over the words and actions.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 3, 1157.

5 LABORING WITH THE MASTER GARDENER

  • What comes as we cultivate the beauty of a Christlike character? Proverbs 22:11; 16:7; II Corinthians 3:18; Matthew 5:8.

Note: “The affections should center upon God. Contemplate His greatness, His mercy and excellences. Let His goodness and love and perfection of character captivate your heart.” Sons and Daughters of God, 99.

“We are to make determined efforts to overcome as Christ overcame. From this warfare no one is excused. If for us the gates of the holy city swing ajar, if we behold the King in His beauty, we must now overcome as Christ overcame.” Ibid., 371.

“We have only a little while in which to prepare for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have not a moment to lose. We need to begin at once to gain a preparation to enter the courts above. God will help all who will help themselves. But if you sit down under Satan’s shadow, and let him tempt you to look on the objectionable side, and to weaken the hands of those who are trying to carry forward the work of the Lord, how can you hope to gain the victory over temptation? You can not be a joint heir with Christ unless you have his spirit, and are determined to gain heaven at any cost. Those who regardless of all else, place themselves in God’s hands, to be and do all that he would have them, will see the King in his beauty. They will behold his matchless charms, and, touching their golden harps, they will fill all heaven with rich music and with songs to the Lamb.” The Review and Herald, June 15, 1905.

Review and Thought Questions

1 Why are our moment-by-moment thoughts so important?

2 What should we realize about the tendency of our mind?

3 How only can we maintain a connection with Christ?

4 What is the duty of everyone who professes Christ?

5 How is it possible to see the King in His beauty?

Copyright © 2002 Reformation Herald Publishing Association, 5240 Hollins Road, Roanoke, Virginia. Reprinted by permission.

Bible Study Guides – Cultivating the Mind

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February 12, 2012 – February 18, 2012

Key Text

“Gird up the loins of your mind.” I Peter 1:13.

Study Help: Education, 123–134.

Introduction

“Discipline and control the mental faculties.” Our High Calling, 219.

1 IMPARTING MENTAL VIGOR

  • In this day of professed intellectual enlightenment, what timeless admonition is sorely needed? I Timothy 6:20, 21.

Note: “Human science is not divine enlightenment. Divine science is the demonstration of the Spirit of God, inspiring implicit faith in Him. The men of the world suppose this faith to be beneath the notice of their great and intelligent minds, something too low to give attention to; but here they make a great mistake. It is altogether too high for their human intelligence to reach.

“The gospel message is far from being opposed to true knowledge and intellectual attainments. It is itself true science, true intellectual knowledge. True wisdom is infinitely above the comprehension of the worldly wise. The hidden wisdom, which is Christ formed within, the hope of glory, is a wisdom high as heaven.” Our High Calling, 364.

  • How does the Bible provide greater blessing than most realize? Isaiah 55:1–3.

Note: “As a means of intellectual training, the Bible is more effective than any other book, or all other books combined. The greatness of its themes, the dignified simplicity of its utterances, the beauty of its imagery, quicken and uplift the thoughts as nothing else can. No other study can impart such mental power as does the effort to grasp the stupendous truths of revelation. The mind thus brought in contact with the thoughts of the Infinite cannot but expand and strengthen.” Education, 124.

2 WHAT ARE WE READING?

  • What keen observation should make the scholar ponder? Ecclesiastes 12:12.

Note: “The Christian should possess more intelligence and keener discernment than the worldling. The study of God’s word is continually expanding the mind and strengthening the intellect. There is nothing that will so refine and elevate the character, and give vigor to every faculty, as the continual exercise of the mind to grasp and comprehend weighty and important truths.

“The human mind becomes dwarfed and enfeebled when dealing with commonplace matters only, never rising above the level of the things of time and sense to grasp the mysteries of the unseen. The understanding is gradually brought to the level of the subjects with which it is constantly familiar. The mind will contract its powers and lose its ability if it is not exercised to acquire additional knowledge and put to the stretch to comprehend the revelations of divine power in nature and in the Sacred Word.

“But an acquaintance with facts and theories, however important they may be in themselves, is of little real value unless put to a practical use. There is danger that those who have obtained their education principally from books will fail to realize that they are novices so far as experimental knowledge is concerned.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 545, 546.

  • Where is the adequate source of knowledge in contrast with the inadequate source? Jeremiah 2:13.

Note: “It is acquaintance that awakens sympathy, and sympathy is the spring of effective ministry. To awaken in the children and youth sympathy and the spirit of sacrifice for the suffering millions in the ‘regions beyond’ [11 Corinthians 10:16], let them become acquainted with these lands and their peoples. In this line much might be accomplished in our schools. Instead of dwelling on the exploits of the Alexanders and Napoleons of history, let the pupils study the lives of such men as the apostle Paul and Martin Luther, as Moffat and Livingstone and Carey, and the present daily-unfolding history of missionary effort. Instead of burdening their memories with an array of names and theories that have no bearing upon their lives, and to which, once outside the schoolroom, they rarely give a thought, let them study all lands in the light of missionary effort and become acquainted with the peoples and their needs.” Education, 269.

3 THE PURPOSE OF INTELLECT

  • What makes the true Christian distinct in this world? II Corinthians 4:18.

Note: “While the worldly wise is skimming along the surface, grasping the things of sight and sense, the one who fears and reveres God is reaching into eternity, penetrating the deepest recesses and gathering the knowledge and riches that are as enduring as eternity. …

“To walk the world a pure man of untarnished morals, bearing the sacred principles of truth in your heart, its influence seen in the acts of your life; to live uncorrupted by the baseness, falsity, and dishonesty of a world which must soon be purified of its moral corruption by the fires of God’s retributive justice, is to be a man whose record is immortalized in heaven, honored among the pure angels who weigh and appreciate moral worth. This is what it is to be a man of God.” Our High Calling, 80.

  • What plain command comes to every receiver of present truth? Ezekiel 33:7–9.

Note: “So far as his opportunities extend, everyone who has received the light of truth is under the same responsibility as was the prophet of Israel to whom came the word. [Ezekiel 33:7–9 quoted.]

“Are we to wait until the fulfillment of the prophecies of the end before we say anything concerning them? Of what value will our words be then? Shall we wait until God’s judgments fall upon the transgressor before we tell him how to avoid them? Where is our faith in the word of God? Must we see things foretold come to pass before we will believe what He has said? In clear, distinct rays light has come to us, showing us that the great day of the Lord is near at hand, ‘even at the doors’ [Matthew 24:33]. Let us read and understand before it is too late.” Testimonies, vol. 9, 19, 20.

“It is not only by preaching the truth, not only by distributing literature, that we are to witness for God. Let us remember that a Christlike life is the most powerful argument that can be advanced in favor of Christianity, and that a cheap Christian character works more harm in the world than the character of a worldling. Not all the books written can serve the purpose of a holy life. Men will believe, not what the minister preaches, but what the church lives.” Ibid., 21.

4 A MIND FOR A MISSION

  • Following his experience in Athens, why did the highly-educated apostle Paul change his evangelistic approach? Acts 17:15–17; 18:1; I Corinthians 2:2.

Note: “The apostle Paul had all the privileges of a Roman citizen. He was not behind in the Hebrew education; for he had learned at the feet of Gamaliel; but all this did not enable him to reach the highest standard. With all this scientific and literary education, he was, until Christ was revealed to him, in as complete darkness as are many at this time. Paul became fully conscious that to know Jesus Christ by an experimental knowledge was for his present and eternal good. He saw the necessity of reaching a high standard.

“It had been Paul’s custom to adopt an oratorical style in his preaching. He was a man fitted to speak before kings, before the great and learned men of Athens, and his intellectual acquirements were often of value to him in preparing the way for the gospel. He tried to do this in Athens, meeting eloquence with eloquence, philosophy with philosophy, and logic with logic; but he failed to meet with the success he had hoped for. His after-sight led him to understand that there was something needed above human wisdom. God taught him that something above the world’s wisdom must come to him. He must receive his power from a higher source. In order to convict and convert sinners, the Spirit of God must come into his work and sanctify every spiritual development. He must eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of God.” The Review and Herald, July 18, 1899.

  • Like Paul, what is the main assignment given to each of us? II Timothy 2:1, 2.

Note: “In a special sense Seventh-day Adventists have been set in the world as watchmen and light bearers. To them has been entrusted the last warning for a perishing world. On them is shining wonderful light from the word of God. They have been given a work of the most solemn import—the proclamation of the first, second, and third angels’ messages. There is no other work of so great importance. They are to allow nothing else to absorb their attention.

“The most solemn truths ever entrusted to mortals have been given us to proclaim to the world. The proclamation of these truths is to be our work.” Testimonies, vol. 9, 19.

5 DISCIPLINE OF THE MIND

  • What should be the goal of all mental growth? I Peter 1:13–16; Ephesians 4:13.

Note: “He [God] wants you to have great thoughts, noble aspirations, clear perceptions of truth, and lofty purposes of action. …

“Is our earthly, temporal work done with a thoroughness, a fidelity, that will bear scrutiny? Are there those whom we have wronged who will testify against us in the day of God? If so, the record has passed up to heaven, and we shall meet it again. We are to work for the great Taskmaster’s eye, whether our painstaking efforts are seen and appreciated by men or not. No man, woman, nor child can acceptably serve God with neglectful, haphazard, sham work, whether it be secular or religious service. The true Christian will have an eye single to the glory of God in all things, encouraging his purposes and strengthening his principles with this thought, ‘I do this for Christ.’ ” Our High Calling, 369.

  • What is the highest level that the human mind can achieve? II Corinthians 10:5; Philippians 2:5–8.

Note: “Self-control is a power that all may possess. It is gained by placing the will wholly on the side of God, taking the will of God for your will.

“Christ … can and will, if we submit to Him, fill the chambers of the mind and the recesses of the soul with His Spirit. Then our will will be in perfect harmony with the Divine will. Our spirit and will may be so identified with His Spirit and will that in thought and aim we shall be one with Him.” Our High Calling, 219.

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1 How does the human quest for progressive knowledge relate to the gospel?

2 Of what pitfalls do we need to beware in the “information age” of today?

3 What makes the true Christian peculiar in the sight of the world?

4 In what way is Paul’s growth in wisdom while in Corinth a lesson for us?

5 What is the highest education we can receive, and for what goal would it be?

© 2005 Reformation Herald Publishing Association, Roanoke, Virginia. Reprinted by permission.

Bible Study Guides – Intermediate Education

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June 10, 2012 – June 16, 2012

Key Text

“That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace.” Psalm 144:12.

Study Help: The Ministry of Healing, 395–406; Education, 214–222.

Introduction

“The children and youth, with their fresh talent, energy, and courage, their quick susceptibilities, are loved of God, and He desires to bring them into harmony with divine agencies. They are to obtain an education that will help them to stand by the side of Christ in unselfish service.” The Ministry of Healing, 395.

1 PRIORITIES IN PLANNING

  • What list of top priorities should be instilled in a young heart full of dreams about his or her future? I Timothy 6:5–12; II Corinthians 4:18.

Note: “The young should be taught that both their present and their future well-being depend to a great degree on the habits they form in childhood and youth. They should be early accustomed to submission, self-denial, and a regard for others’ happiness. They should be taught to subdue the hasty temper, to withhold the passionate word, to manifest unvarying kindness, courtesy, and self-control.” Fundamentals of Christian Education, 67.

“From a worldly point of view, money is power; but from the Christian standpoint, love is power.” The Adventist Home, 195.

“Be not controlled by the desire for wealth, the dictates of fashion, or the customs of society. Consider what will tend most to simplicity, purity, health, and real worth.” The Ministry of Healing, 363.

“If we do not live to bless others, we are unfaithful stewards, and we shall never receive the heavenly benediction, ‘Well done.’ But God will have a peculiar people, of whom it is written, that Christ is not ashamed to call them brethren.” The Review and Herald, June 27, 1893.

2 YOUTHFUL JESUS, OUR EXAMPLE

  • What was seen in the boy Jesus? Romans 12:1, 2; I Peter 1:18, 19.

Note: “He [Jesus] was not willing to be defective, even in the handling of tools. He was perfect as a workman, as He was perfect in character. By His own example He taught that it is our duty to be industrious, that our work should be performed with exactness and thoroughness, and that such labor is honorable.” The Desire of Ages, 72.

  • How can we follow more closely young Jesus’ example? Luke 2:52.

Note: “It was the simplicity of the life of Christ, and His freedom from pride and vanity, that gave Him favor with God and man. He did not seek to attract attention for distinction. His life was characterized with firmness, yet He was ever respectful and obedient. He submitted to the restraint imposed upon children. He took pleasure in discharging His obligations to His parents and to society, without yielding His principles or being contaminated with the impure influence surrounding Him in Nazareth.” The Youth’s Instructor, September 1, 1873.

“Parents must exercise increasing watchfulness, that their children be not lost to God. If it were considered as important that the young possess a beautiful character and amiable disposition as it is that they imitate the fashions of the world in dress and deportment, we would see hundreds where there is one today coming upon the stage of active life prepared to exert an ennobling influence upon society. …

“The efforts of the best teachers must often bear little fruit, if fathers and mothers fail to act their part with faithfulness.” Fundamentals of Christian Education, 69, 70.

“With what care parents should guard their children from careless, loose, demoralizing habits! Fathers and mothers, do you realize the importance of the responsibility resting on you? Do you allow your children to associate with other children without being present to know what kind of education they are receiving? Do not allow them to be alone with other children.” Child Guidance, 114.

3 A CHRIST-CENTERED CURRICULUM

  • What is a key to planning a Christian curriculum? Psalm 127:1.

Note: “It should be the great aim in every intermediate school to do most thorough work in the common branches.” Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 210.

“The value of song as a means of education should never be lost sight of. Let there be singing in the home, of songs that are sweet and pure, and there will be fewer words of censure and more of cheerfulness and hope and joy. Let there be singing in the school, and the pupils will be drawn closer to God, to their teachers, and to one another.” Education, 168.

  • How can a vital principle of true Christianity be taught even in such subjects as geography and history?

Note: “It is acquaintance that awakens sympathy, and sympathy is the spring of effective ministry. To awaken in the children and youth sympathy and the spirit of sacrifice for the suffering millions in the ‘regions beyond,’ let them become acquainted with these lands and their peoples. In this line much might be accomplished in our schools. Instead of dwelling on the exploits of the Alexanders and Napoleons of history, let the pupils study the lives of such men as the apostle Paul and Martin Luther, as Moffat and Livingstone and Carey, and the present daily-unfolding history of missionary effort. Instead of burdening their memories with an array of names and theories that have no bearing upon their lives, and to which, once outside the schoolroom, they rarely give a thought, let them study all lands in the light of missionary effort and become acquainted with the peoples and their needs.” Education, 269.

“When heavenly intelligences see that men are no longer permitted to present the truth, the Spirit of God will come upon the children, and they will do a work in the proclamation of the truth which the older workers cannot do, because their way will be hedged up.

“Our church schools are ordained by God to prepare the children for this great work.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 203.

4 SCIENCE THAT HONORS GOD

  • Why can intermediate subjects be of deep interest? Romans 11:33.

Note: “We would not discourage education, nor put a low estimate on mental culture and discipline. God would have us students as long as we remain in the world. Every opportunity for culture should be improved. The faculties need to be strengthened by exercise, the mind to be trained and expanded by taxing study; but all this may be done while the heart is becoming an easy prey to deception. Wisdom from above must be communicated to the soul. … The Bible is not to be tested by men’s ideas of science, but science is to be brought to the test of the unerring standard.

“Yet the study of the sciences is not to be neglected. Books must be used for this purpose: but they should be in harmony with the Bible, for that is the standard. Books of this character should take the place of many of those now in the hands of students.

“God is the author of science. Scientific research opens to the mind vast fields of thought and information, enabling us to see God in His created works. Ignorance may try to support skepticism by appeals to science; but instead of upholding skepticism, true science contributes fresh evidences of the wisdom and power of God. Rightly understood, science and the written word agree, and each sheds light on the other. Together they lead us to God by teaching us something of the wise and beneficent laws through which He works.

“When the student recognizes God as the source of all knowledge, and honors Him, submitting mind and character to be molded by His word, he may claim the promise, ‘Them that honor me I will honor.’ 1 Samuel 2:30. The more studiously the intellect is cultivated, the more effectively it can be used in the service of God if it is placed under the control of His Spirit.” Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 425, 426.

  • What can even children be instructed to do for the sick and the suffering? I Thessalonians 5:17; James 5:15.

Note: “Children are to be instructed in the special truths for this time and in practical missionary work. They are to enlist in the army of workers to help the sick and the suffering. Children can take part in the medical missionary work and by their jots and tittles can help to carry it forward.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 203.

5 PRACTICAL ABOVE ALL

  • What are some important aims we should have for our youth, and how and why can these be promoted? Psalm 144:12; Daniel 1:17.

Note: “Now, as in the days of Israel, every youth should be instructed in the duties of practical life. Each should acquire a knowledge of some branch of manual labor by which, if need be, he may obtain a livelihood.” Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 307.

“Young girls should have been instructed to manufacture wearing apparel, to cut, make, and mend garments, and thus become educated for the practical duties of life. For young men, there should be establishments where they could learn different trades, which would bring into exercise their muscles as well as their mental powers. If the youth can have but a one-sided education, which is of the greater consequence—a knowledge of the sciences, with all the disadvantages to health and life, or a knowledge of labor for practical life? We unhesitatingly answer, The latter. If one must be neglected, let it be the study of books.” Counsels on Health, 180.

“In the study of agriculture, let pupils be given not only theory, but practice. While they learn what science can teach in regard to the nature and preparation of the soil, the value of different crops, and the best methods of production, let them put their knowledge to use. … Such an ambition [to do the work in the best possible manner], together with the invigorating effect of exercise, sunshine, and pure air, will create a love for agricultural labor that with many youth will determine their choice of an occupation. Thus might be set on foot influences that would go far in turning the tide of migration which now sets so strongly toward the great cities.” Education, 219, 220.

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1 What change is needed in the heart of the materialistically-minded?

2 How did Jesus differ from most of our youth, and what does this show?

3 How can the spirit of service be entwined into our basic curricula?

4 In what ways can true science bring blessings to the world?

5 How can better agricultural studies greatly help today’s society?

© 2005 Reformation Herald Publishing Association, Roanoke, Virginia. Reprinted by permission.

Satan’s Strongholds

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“There is nothing that Satan fears so much as that the people of God shall clear the way by removing every hindrance, so that the Lord can pour out his Spirit upon a languishing church and an impenitent congregation. If Satan had his way, there would never be another awakening, great or small, to the end of time. But we are not ignorant of his devices. It is possible to resist his power. When the way is prepared for the Spirit of God, the blessing will come. Satan can no more hinder a shower of blessing from descending upon God’s people than he can close the windows of heaven that rain cannot come upon the earth. Wicked men and devils cannot hinder the work of God, or shut out his presence from the assemblies of his people, if they will, with subdued, contrite hearts, confess and put away their sins, and in faith claim his promises.” The Review and Herald, March 22, 1887.

What are those hindrances? It is impossible to clear them away if we do not know what they are and Satan will work overtime to make sure we don’t understand what it is that separates us from God, preventing us from receiving the Holy Spirit.

There is much talk about receiving the latter rain. Crucial to receiving it is first to have unity, but what hinders this?

“(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” II Corinthians 10:4, 5.

The hindrances are not worldly weapons; we cannot produce them ourselves, but they are strong in God and able to pull down strongholds.

The strongholds or hindrances that have to be removed are issues with the mind, thoughts, and reasonings, all of which must be brought into captivity to Christ. This is a battle of the mind.

The word imagination can also be translated as reasonings or arguments. So the imaginations of verse 5 are arguments or reasonings that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God, bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.

When Adam and Eve sinned, the robe of light in which God had surrounded them, their robe of righteousness, was lost. They knew they were naked; they had lost the power and presence of God, resulting in a different relationship to God and with each other, and they made fig leaf garments to cover themselves.

Proverbs 18:10 NKJV tells us that, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” That was the protection that Adam and Eve had in their innocence before they fell. In their nakedness, our first parents experienced a new emotion—fear. Sin had separated them from their protection; they felt the need to protect themselves, so they hid from God. In our sinful condition we invent weapons or fortifications of our own to protect ourselves. Today these are called defense mechanisms.

The definition of a defense mechanism is any of various, usually unconscious mental processes, including denial, projection, rationalization that protect the ego from shame, anxiety, conflict, loss of self-esteem, or other unacceptable feelings or thoughts. The purpose of these defense mechanisms is to protect ourselves from mainly negative things with which we have to deal as a result of sin. We protect our egos—our pride that is at the very root.

Ellen White puts it this way: we “have many things to learn, and much to unlearn.” The Signs of the Times, August 27, 1894. We usually apply that to doctrinal things, but we have many other things to unlearn, such as the way we think and the way we deal with situations. It comes so naturally to defend ourselves, but we have to learn to think and deal with situations the way God would have us deal with them.

The base defense mechanism is denial. All other mechanisms come under that umbrella. Denial is unwilling to acknowledge an external reality that is apparent to others. For example, an alcoholic who has been in and out of jail for DUIs (driving under the influence) but refuses to acknowledge that he/she has a problem.

Repression and Suppression

There are two specific types of denial. One is repression, and the other is suppression. Repression is an unconscious action. It could be caused by a traumatic situation that the mind just puts into the subconscious without making a conscious decision. Suppression consciously makes a decision to put it aside. Sometimes we may procrastinate and think, “I can’t deal with this right now; I’ll just put it back in the corner of my mind.” That suppression builds up walls.

It is the devil’s plan to build up walled fortifications around people’s hearts and minds, and he starts very early in life.

If you are young and have God-fearing parents to confide in, you should be very thankful, because this world is a dark and wicked place. If you have the light of the knowledge of God and you understand that God loves you, you are very blessed, because many people in this world do not know that.

Growing up, I did not have that knowledge, and I went through very traumatic experiences where I had to deal with things on my own with no earthly person in whom to confide. My conception of God was not somebody to whom I could turn. So I dealt with things by repression or suppression. As an adult I have had to pray about this many times, because an individual cannot deal with something they cannot even recall. In dealing with things that have been repressed, Divine help is required, for they are subconscious.

Proverbs 30:12 deals with the issue of denial, which is basically just a self-deception. “There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness.” They are in denial; they are deceived.

Jesus, speaking to the Pharisees, illustrates this deception: “If ye continue in My word, then are ye My disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. They answered Him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?” John 8:31–33. Now this was blatant denial. At the time of their denial, the children of Israel were in bondage to the Romans, yet they declared that they had “never been in bondage to any man.”

Compensation

Another area of denial is compensation. This is unbalanced thinking, when a person focuses on their strengths to compensate for their weaknesses. Within religion this usually focuses on externals.

Matthew 23:23, 24 reads, “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.”

Like the Pharisees, we also find it easier to deal with external things, to make sure we dress the right way, say the right thing and do all the things we are supposed to do to the exclusion of dealing with the weightier matters of the law that deal with the heart. God had given the Jews health laws that they were not to eat anything unclean, so they would strain the water to make sure that not even a gnat would fall into the water—dealing with the outward forms, yet they swallowed a camel—the heart issues. They were self-deceived.

Instruction is given to man how to consider himself: “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” Romans 12:3.

Projection

Projection is to project our own character traits, our own negative aspects or feelings or whatever it may be onto someone else.

Genesis 50:14, 15 give some examples of this, speaking about Joseph and his brothers: “And Joseph returned into Egypt, he, and his brethren, and all that went up with him to bury his father, after he had buried his father. And when Joseph’s brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him.” Joseph had not given them any indication or any reason to think that way by his actions, but they projected their own fears onto Joseph.

This reaction is very common today. Often a jealous, accusing spouse turns out to be the unfaithful one. As we think, we judge other people. If we are unfaithful in our minds, then it is easy to project that onto other people, which is exactly what Joseph’s brothers did to him.

Jesus said, “Why do ye not understand My speech? even because ye cannot hear My word. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” John 8:43, 44.

Jesus knew the thoughts of the Pharisees and what they were planning to do—plotting to kill Him. So, being convicted, they defended themselves by projecting their own evil thoughts back on to Christ. “Then answered the Jews, and said unto Him, Say we not well that Thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil?” Verse 48.

Rationalization

Rationalization is explaining away or making excuses for sin. An example of this is recorded in I Samuel 15:1–3: “Samuel also said unto Saul, The Lord sent me to anoint thee to be king over His people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt. Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.”

God told Saul to go and destroy the Amalekites, not only the people but everything, animals included; he was not to spare anything. Saul did not follow the commands of the Lord. “And the Lord sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed. Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the Lord, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the Lord? And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and have gone the way which the Lord sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in Gilgal.” Verses 18–21.

When Saul was found out, he made an excuse, justifying his action. “Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.” Verse 22.

When we are tempted to do something or not to do something bad, and begin to rationalize in our mind, we are parlaying with the devil who has a thousand excuses and a thousand reasons that he can put into our minds to justify our wrong action. The Bible says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Jeremiah 17:9. Our only safety is to stand on the word of God and not to rationalize wrongdoing.

Abraham was afraid that Abimelech, the king of Gerar, would think his wife, who was beautiful, would kill him to take her for his own wife. In his fear he rationalized what to do; after all, “she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.” Geneses 20:12. Abraham lied to protect himself, but to do that he had to rationalize; she was his sister, but she was also his wife. He would just not mention the part about her being his wife and only tell that she was his sister. A half-truth is still a lie.

Displacement

Displacement means to transfer our affections from one thing to another after being hurt. An example of this could happen to a wife who is in an abusive marriage, so she takes her affections from her husband, placing them on the children, or some work, or something else. It is just another way of denying something that you don’t really want to deal with and putting it somewhere else. It deflects the pain or deflects the responsibility.

Samson reacted this way when, after being away for a time, returned to get his wife and found out that her father had given his wife to his companion. “But it came to pass within a while after, in the time of wheat harvest, that Samson visited his wife with a kid; and he said, I will go in to my wife into the chamber. But her father would not suffer him to go in. … And Samson said concerning them, Now shall I be more blameless than the Philistines, though I do them a displeasure. And Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took firebrands, and turned tail to tail, and put a firebrand in the midst between two tails. And when he had set the brands on fire, he let them go into the standing corn of the Philistines, and burnt up both the shocks, and also the standing corn, with the vineyards and olives.” Judges 15:1, 3–5.

Samson, in order to deal with pain, took his aggression and focused it on something that was not even really related. The Philistines now suffer because of the pain that was caused by somebody else. How often do we do the same: take things out on somebody else or focus the pain, or whatever it is, on something else. This reaction could be in either a positive or a negative way, but the result is the same—displacing the emotion.

Sublimation

Sublimation is finding a new outlet to escape from reality such as a hobby or entertainment. It’s just a way of escape. Today, the devil has made sure we have plenty of ways to divert our minds and our attention. Jonah did this when God told him to go to Ninevah. He did not want to do it, so he went in the other direction. He found an escape from what God wanted him to do. (See Jonah 1:3.)

Fantasy

Fantasy is creating a new reality in your mind. When we do not want to deal with the negative things that are going on, we create a new scenario and live in a fantasy world. The devil again has many things to help us to do that with television, fiction, and all kinds of different things that feed our fantasies. He has made it so easy to live in an altered state of reality, in a different world. Fantasy is very powerful, as it engages the use of our imagination.

We should all be familiar with Philippians 4:8: “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”

The only way we can do that is by fortifying our minds with the truth of God’s word. God has given us an imagination to grasp hold of His word and to dwell upon those things, meditating on them. But if we are not doing that, we do not have anything upon which to draw.

“It is the special work of Satan in these last days to take possession of the minds of youth, to corrupt the thoughts and inflame the passions; for he knows that by so doing he can lead to impure actions, and thus all the noble faculties of the mind will become debased, and he can control them to suit his own purposes.” Child Guidance, 440.

“All are free moral agents. And as such they must bring their thoughts to run in the right channel. … The first work for those who would reform, is to purify the imagination.” An Appeal to Mothers, 29.

“Our meditations should be such as will elevate the mind.” Christian Temperance and Bible Hygiene, 136.

Blame

Instead of admitting wrong, blame is switched to another. This reaction is one of the oldest and began in the Garden of Eden.

“And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard Thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself. And He said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?” They knew they were guilty, and God just asked them a question. He had not accused them of anything, but the man felt the need to defend himself. “And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.” Genesis 3:9–12. Blame is immediately switched onto Eve and indirectly onto God, because He was the one Who made the woman. It is so easy to switch the blame and divert it to somebody else so that you don’t have to take responsibility for your own actions.

When the Lord asked the woman what she had done, in self-defense, she laid the blame on the serpent.

Advantageous Comparisons

Advantageous comparison is basically comparing ourselves with others to excuse our own wrongs; for example, saying, “They do it also!” rather than taking responsibility for what we do. The apostle Paul knew it is not wise to compare ourselves among ourselves. “For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.” II Corinthians 10:12.

By beholding we become changed, so whatever we behold is what we become. If we behold somebody else, comparing ourselves to them to build ourselves up, we are not looking at the positive aspects of their character, and we will be changed into the same thing.

“By beholding Christ, we would be changed into His likeness. But we shall never grow in grace by beholding the faults and mistakes and defects of someone else. Instead, we will become spiritually dwarfed and enfeebled. Let us keep looking to Christ, thinking of what He has done for us and of what He has promised to do. Thus we shall be changed into His likeness. This is true religion.” The Paulson Collection of Ellen G. White Letters, 318.

Our sinful nature desperately wants to look to others to find a way to rid itself of its nagging, guilty heart. The devil encourages many ways to accomplish that, as long as we don’t go to Christ.

Diffusion of Responsibility

Basically, diffusion of responsibility is the thought that everybody does it so it must be OK. History has proven over and over that the majority is not always right.

Jesus told the parable about a man who sowed seed in his field. He said, “Let both [the wheat and the tares] grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest, I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into My barn.” Matthew 13:30. But notice, it is the tares that are bound in bundles together. The devil is very successful at using that group-think or group-mentality to bind people together.

We need to make sure that we examine our own selves to see if we are using any of these defense mechanisms. As we consider these strongholds, it is easy to see how this would create dissention and confusion in the church. Our weapons against the strongholds are not carnal but spiritual. If we continue to use carnal weapons in the church, it will only create dissension. Every obstacle has to be removed, because only when there is unity in the church will the Holy Spirit be poured out.

Breaking Down the Strongholds

It is very simple to break down the strongholds. “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him, If ye continue in My word, then are ye My disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:31, 32.

It is the truth revealed in God’s word that exposes the obstacles, these strongholds, the truth as it is in Jesus, His grace, and His power that He gives to us to overcome these things and set us free. Satan’s strongholds are built and guarded in deception. As long as we are deceived, he has us and tries to keep us in that condition. His deceptions are designed to separate and isolate us from our true stronghold, which is Christ. That is why we must study God’s word.

Our primary offensive weapon is the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. It works first through recognizing the obstacles by reading the Word and then claiming God’s promises, applying them by faith to see the strongholds crumble.

“ ‘All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works’ [II Timothy 3:16, 17]. God has provided abundant means for successful warfare against the evil that is in the world. The Bible is the armory where we may equip for the struggle. Our loins must be girt about with truth. Our breastplate must be righteousness. The shield of faith must be in our hand, the helmet of salvation on our brow; and with the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, we are to cut our way through the obstructions and entanglements of sin.” The Acts of the Apostles, 502.

The first thing needed is to identify the strongholds in ourselves so we can begin to deal with them according to God’s word, His grace and His power. The divine diagnosis to the church of Laodiceans for this condition is found in Revelation 3:15: “I know thy works that thou art neither cold nor hot. I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of My mouth. Because thou sayest , I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.”

Here is a church that is really in denial of its own condition, and now God is going to give them a prescription to heal it. He says, “I counsel thee to buy of Me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.” Verse 18.

The first thing needed is the eyesalve, the anointing to see and understand the heart issues with which we are dealing. “No man can of himself understand his errors. ‘The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?’ Jeremiah 17:9. … In one way only can a true knowledge of self be obtained. We must behold Christ. It is ignorance of Him that makes men so uplifted in their own righteousness. When we contemplate His purity and excellence, we shall see our own weakness and poverty and defects as they really are. We shall see ourselves lost and hopeless, clad in garments of self-righteousness, like every other sinner. We shall see that if we are ever saved, it will not be through our own goodness, but through God’s infinite grace.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 159.

Jesus said, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of Me.” John 5:39. As we study God’s word, with the Holy Spirit opening our minds, and we behold Christ in our imagination, we will see both others and ourselves in a different light.

Next needed is gold tried in the fire. Faith that works by love is needed to overcome the obstacles.

“It is the will of God that each professing Christian shall perfect a character after the divine similitude. By studying the character of Christ revealed in the Bible, by practicing His virtues, the believer will be changed into the same likeness of goodness and mercy. Christ’s work of self-denial and sacrifice brought into the daily life will develop the faith that works by love and purifies the soul. There are many who wish to evade the cross-bearing part, but the Lord speaks to all when He says, ‘If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.’ Matthew 16:24.” Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 249.

Again, we have to look to Christ, but we also have to take up our cross. As we follow Him and exercise His virtues, we will receive and develop that faith that works by love and purifies the soul, dealing with the issues that arise in a Biblical way, and not according to the flesh.

Then we have to put on the white raiment that the “shame of thy nakedness not appear (Revelation 3;18).” That is the righteousness of Christ which covers our sins. Once we break free from protecting ourselves, the Lord does not leave us vulnerable but steps in with His own protection. “The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and He knoweth them that trust in Him.” Nahum 1:7. By faith we can trust in Him through every circumstance. However uncomfortable the situation in which we find ourselves, we can run to Him for shelter.

The Lord is our stronghold. “We need to educate the soul to lay hold, and hold fast the rich promises of Christ. The Lord Jesus knows that it is not possible for us to resist the many temptations of Satan, only as we shall have divine power given us from God. He well knows that in our own human strength we should surely fail. Therefore every provision has been made, that in every emergency and trial we shall flee to the stronghold. … We have the word of promise from lips that will not lie. … We must individually cherish the faith that we receive of Him, the things He hath promised.” Our Father Cares, 99.

We all crave the latter rain, but are we ready to receive it? Is our church ready to receive it? Let us arm ourselves with the spiritual weapons to fight the devil and be ready for Jesus’ return. This is my prayer.

Jim Stoeckert is a Bible worker for Steps to Life. 

Keys to the Storehouse – I Yearn for the Day

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“Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.” Hebrews 1:9.

This most wonderful Scripture refers to Jesus, but I yearn for the day to see this character representation reflected in each of God’s professed people, including myself. One of my daily Scripture prayers is, “Let this mind be in me which is also in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 2:5 personalized.)

With the mind of Christ, we also will love righteousness and hate iniquity. That word, iniquity, is the same word as transgression found in I John 3:4, “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.” When we ask for the mind of Christ, we are asking that we may also love righteousness and hate the transgression of the law, hate sin. Jesus hated sin but He loved righteousness.

And, if you will notice one more thing in Hebrews 1:9, it was because Christ loved righteousness and hated iniquity (sin), God anointed Him with the oil of gladness. That oil of gladness was the Holy Spirit. This is a real incentive to receive Christ; we also will love righteousness and hate sin.

“ ‘As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name’ (John 1:12). His promise is that if we accept His invitation, we shall be anointed with the oil of gladness, which is emptied from the two anointed ones into the hearts prepared to receive it. Shall we claim the promise? Shall we not receive the anointing of the holy oil?” The Southern Watchman, June 11, 1903.

Do you want the mind of Christ? He is knocking at the entrance into your heart. Will you open the door and allow Jesus to enter and bar every means that Satan can use to break in? If those doors are not barred, you will never hear God say to you, “thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity,” and you will never be anointed with the oil of gladness. Oh, what a sad loss, all because of loving iniquity and hating righteousness! Oh, what a terrible thing the devil has done to those who allow him to turn them around backwards and away from their Saviour!

Father, Oh, how I want the mind of Christ so that I may love righteousness and hate sin! My desire is to be anointed with the oil of gladness and to walk always in heavenly places. I choose today to take control of all of my senses and close every door in my life that Satan may have cracked. I willingly open the door to my Saviour, to receive Him for my very own, and to accept His righteousness and hate sin in its many forms. Amen.