Kids

Armor Up: Loving God with Your Mind

Mary Wiley

Aug 30th

Author Sophie Hudson wants teens and young women to understand the wholeness and freedom that come from a life filled with Jesus. In her new book All in All, Sophie challenges readers to make Jesus our All in All— – over all, through all, and in all – that we do. Get a sneak peak in this special excerpt below.

It was probably way back in Vacation Bible School when I first learned Mark 12:30: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” If I had to guess I’d say we probably did some motions to help us memorize the verse, and then, more than likely, I ran off and played Ping-Pong or Four Square.

I believe the term you’re looking for is “impressive spiritual depth.”

As an adult I’ve continued to hear this verse, and inevitably, as I mentally break it apart, here’s where I land:

“with all my heart”—Jesus Christ is my heartbeat; I care and I love others because He first loved me.

“with all my soul”—My spirit longs to be free in Him; my whole being longs to glorify Him.

“with all my mind”—Ummm, this is a little trickier.

“with all my strength”—By the Lord’s grace, I will diligently and consistently use the life I’ve been given to make Him known.

Why is the mind such a struggle? I mean, what is that, y’all? Scripture says for us to “be renewed in the spirit of your minds” (Ephesians 4:23) and to “be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2), so clearly the mind is key in the life of a Christian. But when the mind is also the dwelling place for doubts, cynicism, unbelief, anxiety, fear, impure thoughts, shame, and resentments, just to name a few, it can be quite a battleground.

So that begs the question: how do we fight the good fight when it comes to loving God with our minds? I don’t have an exact formula or an exhaustive list, but we definitely can “armor up” in the following ways:

Consistent study of Scripture. It’s difficult to love someone we don’t know, and the Bible is where we get to know God. If we want to love Him with our minds, we have to figure out who He is and what He’s about.

Intentional time in prayer. We surrender our minds to the Lord when we pray. We adore Him. We praise Him. We also confess the stuff in our minds that separates us from Him.

Scripture memorization. When we hide God’s Word in our hearts (Psalm 119:11), we’re also hiding it in our minds. This enables us to think about the Lord from the correct perspective, and it also alters how we think so that it’s in a way that honors Him. His Word becomes the filter through which we make our decisions.

Wisdom about what we see, read, and hear. We give the enemy mental ground when we watch, read, and listen to things that feed our flesh and infiltrate our minds with lies and impure thoughts. Be wise. It is difficult to love the Lord with our minds when our minds are entangled in sin.

Actively remembering His character and His attributes. This doesn’t have to be anything formal. But you know how sometimes you think about someone you love, and you smile, and you start to think about all the reasons you love that person? W can do that for God too. Think about who He is and all He has done. Use your mind to glorify Him.

Love Him well today.

All in All is available in bookstores and online now. Learn more and order your copy today!