"Concepts of the Mind"

What Just Happened??? That is the reaction of our minds; thoughts that figure stuff out, or what to. Unfortunately, the more we think about stuff, the more we can tend to place ourselves in the mix; making our self out to be more than we are meant to be, or giving more credit to our self than we should. Again, pride takes a role in this mind bending journey! I can recall a time, back about the first year that I was saved, maybe it was the second year; anyway, I was sharing the Lord with someone who was associated with the W.T.S., and forgot to pray for guidance by the Holy Spirit. I was somehow under the illusion at that moment that I had enough Light in me to penetrate any darkness, so my attitude was much like, I got this. Well, guess what; I was chewed up and spit out! The funny thing was, that he did not come up to me, but I approached him, as he stood on a corner holding out the new addition of the Awake; I drove by, parked, got out and confronted him with Jesus Christ, and the fact that Jesus is God. It did not go as well as I planned, and I most likely got what I deserved: a lesson in humility. After that ordeal, I focused on always praying before sharing Scriptures with the ones that are schooled in twisting the Word of God. I also did something else to help in these encounters, and studied all that I could about what they believe, and what they are all about. For at least six months I read all that I could get my hands on that had to deal with the W.T.S. and it's founder Mr. Russell. Can I let you in on a little uncommonly known fact: Don't fill your mind with false teachings!!! It really messed my head up by taking all that stuff in, day after day, for at least six months. So, what did I do? I went to my local Bible Book Store, and purchased Bible study material; lots of it; tapes, books, and even study workbooks published by J. Vernon McGee; the kind where you fill in the blanks after reading the Scripture references. My point to all of this has to do with putting only what is acceptable and truthful into our minds. But it goes beyond that, because what our mind tends to do with life experiences, also needs to be governed by only what is acceptable and truthful. If it is not, we can begin building idols in our mind; something else which will take the place of the Saviour which set us free from the bondage of sin; something not so dynamic in power...