How do you view the world around you? How does this worldview define who you are?
When contemplating the renewing of one’s mind - the changing of the way one thinks - one must have a clear and sturdy foundation from which to operate - a solid rock that cannot be shaken when it seems the entire world around you is falling to pieces. If we have a firm foundation from which to launch our thought life, we can walk in peace in the midst of a storm. We can walk in health while our body is wracked with pain. We can walk in joy in the very throes of sorrow. We can think clearly when the world has clearly lost its mind!
When faced with the dilemma of what to believe about one’s self, one must determine the foundation from which they currently operate. To simplify what I am speaking of, we must understand that every human thinks according to a certain worldview. From my own experience of walking out the journey of renewing one’s mind, I have come to the personal conclusion that there are three world views available to every man, woman, and child. A worldview is how we as humans view reality. Like the skeleton from which grow the flesh of our existence, how we view the world around us is our reference point for ideas and attitudes. This point of view shapes how we explain our very existence and define our purpose in life. Bottom line, our worldview is our comprehensive and over-arching system of beliefs.
One worldview that is as old as sin is the man-centric worldview. Some call it humanism. If man is the utmost and highest then every aspect of life must be viewed from that perspective. This kind of thinking leads to mankind thinking there is none higher than mankind. Man-Centric thinking can lead to mass-belief in wrong thinking. Ask Germany what they think of Hitler. Ask North Korea what they think of Kim Jong-un. I operated from this point of view for much of my youth, following whatever whim of human wisdom and new thinking brought into my life. This only lead to disappointment and starving for the next idea that I could pin my house to.
Another major problem with man-centric thinking is that every man, at some point, fails. Every man dies. Even the greatest thinkers have all died. Einstein. Edison. Where is the hope in that? What happens when humanism comes up with a new point of view to take the place of the last one? Where is the stability in that? To place one’s hope in a humanistic way of thinking is like building a house of straw and hoping it will protect you from fire. One spark is all it takes to cause that house to disintegrate. That is not a foundation from which I wanted my life built. I needed something more secure and stable.
Another worldview is the God-Centric or Christ-centered worldview. If I believe God made all that I see and made all that I am, my way of thinking about reality and about myself takes on a whole new dimension. From that point of view, I come to realize that I have believed many lies about myself and about the world around me. Of course, this begs the question, “Where do those lies come from?” If I operate from a God-Centric worldview, I take God’s Word - the Bible - as the Truth from which to operate and from which to build my identity. That Word tells me there is a deceiver - the Liar - Satan. He is vilely opposed to God and desires to destroy God’s greatest creation. Mankind. He does that through deception. This, of course, means the main battleground of my life is my mind. If we operate from the darkness of Satan’s lies, we walk apart from the God Who created us for fellowship with Himself. My victory over same sex attraction - over the lies of the enemy in general - has come from changing the way I think about the world around me. I now strive to see life from God’s point of view.
Yet one more worldview in even more sinister than the humanistic worldview. This worldview I call the Mixed Worldview. From my now experience, there have been times when I tried to operate from a mixture of the Man-Centric and God-Centric points of view. Like straddling a fence, this war of two opposing points of view leads to much pain and heartache. The tendency when mixing worldview is to blame God when things fall apart. One cannot serve two masters. A two-headed beast is called a monster for a reason! A monster demands to be fed. A monster operates from a self-centered point of view. A monster hurts rather than heals. A monster leads one to fear rather than to trust. A monster cannot every be satisfied. Why serve a monster? Why operate from such a shaky and shady foundation?
When deciding upon how to view the world, one must decide who the world came into existence in the first place. Either a big bang made it happen or God spoke it into existence. Those are our choices according to the two worldview we just talked about. I find it rather hypocritical for those who operate from a humanistic worldview to have no problem with the theory - the faith - that says we were planted here on Earth by some alien race yet have no faith to believe God could have spoken us into existence. Before you get to the place of renewing your mind and to the place of the hope for change, you must decide how you will view the world. Do you want something tangible and real or do you want a counterfeit? Thinking from God’s perspective leads to utter freedom and utter reality. Man-Centric thinking leads to - nothingness.
When I was a teenager, I loved listing to pop music. We were a hardworking farm family but we had very little extra cash for things as frivolous as the latest record. Many were the hours I spent listening to the radio and longing to have an LP of my own so I could play my favorites songs over and over again and again without the frustration I found in hoping the radio station would play those songs. Blessed was the day I heard a TV commercial touting a collection of the top songs of that year containing all the top songs of the day!
After several weeks of saving my hard-earned cash from chores I had done on the farm, I sent away for that album and then waited. Every day, I went to the mail box in the hope of finding that record. Finally, the day came when the postman came to the door of our farmhouse and handed me a large square cardboard packet that would not fit in the mailbox! My record! I rushed right up the stairs to the attic bedroom I shared with my three little brothers and placed it on the turntable. With ecstasy and exhilaration I gently placed the needle on the first song and went into a state of nirvana as the notes of the very familiar instrumental intro began to waft through the room. And then, the voice…
As I listened, something did not seem right. The singer sounded similar to the voice I had become so familiar with from the radio…but it was ‘off’. I thought this was supposed to be Mick Jagger! As I went to the next song expecting to hear Stevie Wonder, I was again disappointed and mystified at the voice that sounded mostly ‘like’ Stevie’s very familiar voice…but without the extra little vocal flourishes I had come to expect from him. Each song left me with the same thought/ They sounded similar but were obviously not the original singers of the songs I loved. Upon closer inspection of the album liner notes, I discovered the small print. “each song sung by a sound-alike artist”. These were fakes! I felt used and humiliated! I felt, frankly, stupid and gullible…and decided I would never buy a sound-alike recording again. Only the real thing for me! Deciding upon your worldview is much the same. You can settle for the fake - or counterfeit - or you can seek the real thing.
I find it veer interesting that when a government agent is being taught how to discern real US currency from counterfeit, he or she is never shown the counterfeit. They get to know the real money so well that when the counterfeit crosses their path, it is easily recognized as the fake it is. Deciding how you will view the world will be derived from that which you seek. If you seek to view the world from a humanistic point of view, you will one day find yourself let down by the weakness of such a perspective. May I challenge you to seek God through a relationship with Jesus Christ as the better - the real - perspective from which to operate?
What is your world view? What would you have to lose by considering viewing the world from the point of view of the Maker of that world?
Is it man-central or God/Christ-central?
Another way to put it: Is your hope in government or government programs? How is that working out for you?
Is your hope in another person? Anyone let you down lately? Just wait. They will.
Is your hope in financial success? What happens when you lose everything you hold dear because your focus was solely on finding your reality in financial success? What happens if you lose it all?
Is your hope in fame? Do you really think being famous will add one iota of hope to your existence? What happens when you’re not the cool kid anymore?
Is your hope in what others think of you? What happens when you fail? What happens when they turn on you? What happens when you face loneliness? Does the fear of what people think of you determine how you view yourself? Does it determine your choices in life? Is that a good way to live?
Is your hope in God? You need to decide before any true change is even possible.
Dennis Jernigan
“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” Jesus
Matthew 6:24 NASB
'I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. 'So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.
Revelations 3:15-16 NASB
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