Do You Have a Clothed Mind?

Ephesians 6:10-20

Have you heard the terms “open mind” and “closed mind”? “He has an open mind” or, “We can't discuss anything, he has such a closed mind.” A person with an open mind is one that is willing to listen before making a decision. A person with a closed mind says, “My mind is made up, don't confuse me with the facts.”
Do you have a clothed mind?

We wear clothes for modesty and fashion but more importantly for protection. Of course I'm not talking about actual clothing so you'll need to open your mind to determine if you have a clothed mind.

In Ephesians 6:11 we are told “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” Our armor, the girdle of truth, breastplate of righteousness, shoes of preparation, shield of faith and the helmet of salvation, is to protect us from sin.

What part of us needs protection more than anything else? What is the most vulnerable? Its our head, but more importantly whats in our head, our mind, our thoughts our intellect. Your mind must be clothed to protect it from the outside influences of the world. Can you imagine someone playing football without a helmet? Players aren't allowed in the game without a helmet. But all too often we walk around without a helmet, without protection for our minds.

Paul didn't use the words “armor of God” as a catchy phrase. He used armor because Christians like soldiers are in a war. Wars kill people and people without protection are more easily killed than those with protection. We are in a war. Our enemy has thousands of way to injure and finally kill us. You can't wage this war without armor. If your mind isn't protected, or clothed, you have no chance of survival. Not a slim chance, NO CHANCE!

How do we survive this war?
Get some protective clothing. When you buy an appliance, like a washer or dryer they always ask if you want the extended warranty, a protection plan. If you buy it and something happens to your washing machine do you throw it out? No, you use your warranty to get it fixed.

A protection plan gets things fixed. You need a protection plan for your mind. You need to put on your armor, clothe and protect your mind.
I Would Suggest Three articles of clothing for protection

[1] The first is something you already have. You don't have to buy it at the checkout counter. Its the Bible. I've heard a song that says, “if we get into the Word, the Word will get into us.” Are you putting on your protective clothing every day? Is the Word getting into you?

[2] When you get up in the morning you cleanse your body and put on your clothes. You should also cleanse your mind with prayer, the second article of clothing. But don't take your prayer helmet off when you leave the house in the morning. You can use it all day. It comes in very handy when dealing with other drivers on the Intersate.

[3] The third article of clothing is Planning
Story: Bus Driver Test
This story is about a school located at the base of a mountain. Most of the students lived on the mountain so they were bussed to the school building. The road to the school was extremely dangerous. It was very narrow with hairpin curves and had no shoulder and no guard rail. They needed a new bus driver and it came down to three applicants. The examiner and the applicants got in the bus and went to the mountain road. They were told, “We want to be sure you can handle driving on this mountain road. Let's see how close to the edge you can get.”

The first applicant drove a foot from edge of road without any problems. The second applicant drove right at the edge with the rear tires hanging over the edge of a thousand foot drop. He too made it without going over the side. The third applicant stayed as far from the edge as he could. He hugged the centerline of the road never coming close to the edge of the road.

Who got the job? Was it the first two drivers that endangered the lives of the other applicants and the examiner? No, it was the driver that chose to be cautious. His plan was to be safe.

Do you remember the story of Joseph in Genesis 39? He was tempted by Potiphar's wife but he knew how to handle the situation. He didn't toy with sin. He didn't see how close to the edge he could get without committing sin with Potiphar's wife. He fled. He got away from temptation.

Plan your day. Make plans for the temptations that will come your way, and they will come your way. You had temptations today and you will have them tomorrow. Plan ahead to flee from sin.

There is a difference between wearing a helmet and simply owning one. It doesn't do any good to have the armor unless you wear it. It would be fairly easy to spot football players that weren't wearing their helmets. They would be the ones with cuts and bruises or the ones lying unconscious on the field. It might not be as easy to spot Christians that aren't wearing their helmets but the symptoms will eventually show up – lack of growth in bible knowledge, decreased prayer life or no real plans for salvation.

Do you have a helmet? Do you take it with you everywhere you go? Do you wear your helmet? Are you protected from the temptations of sin? Do you have a clothed mind?

By David L. Davidson