The Desires of the Mind

Eph. 2:3 – “…among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind…” (ESV, emphasis added)

What would you say are the desires of the mind? We all pretty much understand the desires of the body, or “flesh” in the KJV. (Or at least we think we understand what that means.) But what are the desires the mind would have?

Good Thoughts, Bad Thoughts, Rude Thoughts, Glad Thoughts…

This Greek word Paul uses is the word “dianoia” and means thoughts or the “mind as a faculty of understanding”. The stuff that goes on in your brain. The things we are supposed to “take captive to the obedience of Jesus Christ.” (2 Cor. 10:5)

Our minds desire stimulation. They desire fascination or puzzles, you might say challenges. What do you find interesting? It’s certainly possible for the desires of the flesh and the mind to overlap, but I think there is a reason Paul decides to mention both. Because they are distinct.

We have a fallen nature and because of this it is possible, in fact very likely, that the desires of our mind would tend toward sinful or destructive things. Just because it is an “exercise of the mind” does not make it healthy for our soul, nor does it guarantee the Lord of Heaven, the “Father of Lights”, will be pleased with what travels through the paths of our imagination.

Can Star Wars change my life?

As an example, I am fascinated by Star Wars. I find it to be interesting. It feeds my imagination. And when good writing and acting are involved I also find it to be entertaining and fun. There is even a challenge to try and figure out what decisions the characters will make and how that will impact the story. A welcome relaxation in an otherwise weary and challenging world.

But if I were to allow this fascination to become an obsession, I would stray into dangerous territory. My mind desires to jump head first into that “rabbit hole”, but that could be damaging to my walk with Christ and to my other relationships.

I also find Preppers, Politics, and College Football to be interesting and worthy of attention. They are a desire of my mind, but are they beneficial? Have I taken anything too far?

Eternal Value – Proper Diet

This isn’t merely a matter of priorities. It’s a matter of content and eternal value. Do I feed my mind a proper diet of information, challenge, and Scriptural Truth? Or do I allow the sinful desires of my mind to feed upon “junk food” of the brain? Just like my body needs proper nutrition, my mind also needs healthy thoughts to “feast” upon. Not all mental exercises are created equal.

So in our quest to learn, in our righteous desire to challenge our mind, in our effort to stimulate our imagination let us remember that what goes in must come out. Garbage in, garbage out. Let the desires of our mind, and body, be sanctified through the Grace of Jesus Christ unto godly pursuits.