Prisoners of the Mind

    Have you ever seen a full-grown elephant weighing thousands of pounds chained to a small stake in the ground when you visited a circus? Did it ever enter your mind and make you wonder how such a small stake in the ground could hold such a huge animal from straying outside the boundaries of the length of its chain and stake? The answer to this question is ~ the elephant’s mind was conditioned.

    It is the custom of trainers when they are assigned to a young elephant for its training to fasten one of its legs with a strong chain that is then affixed to a deeply planted stake. The young elephant will instinctively and repeatedly try to break free, but all its efforts fail. As time passes, the young elephant accepts the fact that it is impossible for him to go beyond the limitation of its staked chain, so it gives up and it becomes a prisoner of its mind. At this point of its life, the elephant need no longer be chained to a deeply planted stake. Any stake and chain will now do. Even as it matures into a full-grown elephant it remains a prisoner of its conditioned mind.

    Is it possible for a human being to, likewise, become a prisoner of their mind?  Yes, it is!  To some degree we all become conditioned to what we have been taught and have accepted as truth. This is especially true in our religious beliefs. When we first become seriously associated with a church or religious organization, it is at that stage that we begin to become conditionally chained to that particular belief system. This is especially dangerous if the teachings are not based on the pure word of God, but rather on man-made interpretations. As time passes, the mind begins to accept these beliefs and we become deeply entrenched in their life.  This is sometimes described as being religiously shackled or being in spiritual bondage.

    How is this mind conditioning accomplished? There are many ways, we will name a few. When studies are geared to a man’s book and questions are discouraged by the leader with words such as, “just set that aside for now, and as we move along it will explain itself”; when the reading of other religious material is discouraged on the premise that such views might be erroneous and deceptive; when attending any other group’s religious services are looked upon as being unfaithful and one is made to feel guilty; when someone misses church meetings and they are questioned about where they were; when guilty feelings and fears are planted in the mind of its group by the leadership; when the leadership controls the activities of its members; when a leader states that his teachings are based not only on  Jesus,  but  additionally on something else that has been revealed to them by God  which  they  are  now  privileged  to  share  with  the household of faith; when rules of conduct and dress are insisted upon in order to be accepted; or works are stressed as a sign of one’s worthiness in God’s eyes ~ we should see a red flag go up!

    Anything or anyone who attempts to take away our freedom to choose should immediately be recognized as a danger signal.  Many will try to talk others into following their way. But, there is only one safe way. Jesus tells us this in John 14:6 (NIV), “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” In John 8:31-32, 36 (NIV) Jesus makes it very clear about the Way we must take to be truly free. “To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

    Note that Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are my disciples.”  If all Christians held only to Jesus’ teachings, we would not have the myriad religious denominations or sects. We would have but one unified and harmonious body all looking to their Head, Jesus Christ, for guidance at all times and in all things. Why is this deception so prevalent?  One of the reasons and main causes is that Satan is still deceiving many as he has done successfully for thousands of years. Perhaps God has allowed this as a test of loyalty to His Son during this time when the bride of Christ is being selected and developed as born-again new creatures.

    How do we allow the Lord to accomplish the work that He has begun in us?  Obedience to His will is the answer (Philippians. 2:12-13). It is essential to know what God’s will is for us. We have been given the Holy Spirit to shape and guide our thinking as we ponder the Word of God. For this to happen we must be continually searching the Scriptures prayerfully while allowing the Holy Spirit to enlighten our understanding. 1 John 2:27 (NIV) tells us, “As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.”  The easy way is to follow man’s teachings which is the herd instinct; but this is not God’s way. The Apostle Paul commends the brethren at Berea for not merely taking his word, but that they checked his teachings with Scripture (Acts 17:11).  Then again he admonishes everyone in 1 Thessalonians 5:21 (NAS), “Examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good.”  Finally we read in Galatians 5:1 (NAS), “It was for freedom that Christ set us free, therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.” Liberty, in Christ, is a precious gift!
E. Weeks ©CDMI