Nuggets for the Soul

The mind is self-awareness, the seat of reflective consciousness, the faculty of knowing and understanding. Is your mind the same as your brain? No!

• The brain is a tangible organ, and the mind is intangible, as in consciousness.
• The brain has blood vessels and nerve cells; the mind does not.
• The brain is lodged in the skull and has a definite shape; the mind does not.
• The brain is the center of the nervous system; it performs definite functions such as coordinating movement, feelings, and thoughts.

The mind initiates comprehension and perception and relates to an individual’s thought process.

The United Negro College Fund’s slogan is “A mind is a terrible thing to waste,” and that remains true today. This organization has helped many African Americans come out of poverty and become successful because they received an education opportunity. Some successful recipients include Dr. Martin Luther King, civil rights activist; Spike Lee, movie director; Samuel L. Jackson, actor; and my former bishop, Charles E. Blake, presiding bishop, Church of God in Christ.

If wrong information or no information comes into our thoughts, you can expect little to no good results. My grandmother would often tell us, when we had watched cartoons or comedy shows too long, that “an idle mind is the devil’s workshop.” She nicely told us to turn off the television and get out our schoolbook or the Bible to read something wholesome. Hanging around on the front porch doing nothing was considered a form of daydreaming that often led to mischief. So when we put the correct information in our thoughts, we shape our lives to do, choose, and respond in a good way.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is being aware and present at all times. Being present and mindful is an intentional act to recognize and notice our surroundings and thoughts.

Have you ever driven or walked somewhere and later realized that you did not notice a person or a particular landmark? We often have a daily routine and do not always pay attention to the details around us. Lacking awareness of the present, past, and future can impact the health of the soul. So we must awaken and know the Word, will, and ways of God for our lives.

Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and rise from the dead,
and Christ shall give thee light. (Ephesians 5:14)

Nugget 1: Embrace God. Live life.

As we embrace God, accepting the Word, will, values, desires, and ways of God for our lives, we become renewed, and our minds transformed.

If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. (John 15:7)

Our souls are awakened to finding out more about God’s will concerning our thoughts, decisions, emotions, and situations.

Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (Romans 12:2b)

When we intentionally decide to yield to the Lord, it will get easier, becoming a habit and enjoyable.

As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby; if so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. (1 Peter 2:1–2)

Change and Transformation

Over time, we condition our brains to doing certain things a certain way. To get different results, we must strategically change our way of doing things. You can change your life by changing your words. Changing our words, thoughts, and actions will begin to transform our lives. The scripture is clear: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: And they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof” (Proverbs 18:21). Words determine our destiny.

Transformation and change are related but different. Change is the first step to transformation, but change alone is not transformation. You can change an approach or direction because change begins as a new set of behaviors. For example, you may change your choice of drink because it is harmful to your health, but when you go to the grocery store or are in a certain setting, you crave that same drink and purchase it for later. Out of habit, you begin drinking the same drink again because it is behavior-based.

Transformation happens when you no longer want the drink even though you may crave it. For me as a new babe in Christ, it was hard to quit smoking. I used to love to smoke cigarettes, but the more I read and meditated on the Word of God concerning my body being the temple of the Holy Spirit and what pleases God, the more I lost the taste and desire to smoke, and eventually I found myself a new set of behaviors that I applied to my daily life. Transformation is when your mind, will, and emotions lead you to go another way and make a different choice. It is also when you no longer have the desire for old habits and behaviors; you have now been transformed! The change has been long enough, deep enough, and effective enough to change your values and desires.

In other words, your desire to live your new life replaces the desire to live your old life: “And have put on the new man, which is renewed in the knowledge after the image of Him that created him” (Colossians 3:10a).

Nugget for thought and application: Can you remember at least three scriptures that inspired you to embrace God and God’s Word, will, and ways for your life? List them.


Nugget 2: Let go. Discover your options.

Nelson Mandela stated, “as I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn’t leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I’d still be in prison.” For a fresh start, forgive yourself and others; move forward in a new direction by how you treat yourself. Think about what you have learned, not what happened or what someone did to you.