I’ve decided not to make this a regular practice for now, but I want to share with you the sermon I delivered yesterday because it is something so crucial to the way we live our lives that I want everyone to get a hold of it.

I speak to you about mind control.  I imagine that phrase invokes images of cult leaders or maybe as in my case any number of dystopian societies envisioned by authors wishing to make a statement of their own through the medium of fiction.  We speak of people being brainwashed.  We know that what we believe to be true affects how we think and act.

It is very important for us to understand that we are the ones who must be in control of our minds.  We can choose what and how to think.  Whatever we cultivate in our thinking is what we can expect to produce fruit in our lives, so what will we choose?  Will we choose truth or lies, good or evil, that which builds up, or that which tears down?  This is why Paul writes of being transformed by the renewing of our minds.  We’ll read from Romans 11:33-12:2.  We will focus our attention on 12:2, but a little context is necessary to show just how vital this concept is for us to understand.