The Laws of the Mind 563
God, not allowing one to escape our observation or judgment.
Whatever the notion may be, it must be examined and controlled.
In gaining dominion over his mental life the Christian should not
allow any improper thought to remain in him. Every inappropriate
item must be driven out. Further, he must not permit his mind to lie
idle. Every matter should be weighed carefully so that he may be
both a sensible and a spiritual person. He should not allow his mind
to drift off at random lest he provide opportunity for the evil spirits to
work. It must not be lazy, doing nothing; rather should it always be
functioning actively. Even after the Christian has received revelation
in the spirit, he still needs to exercise his intellect to examine, to test,
and to ascertain whether this is of God or of himself. He also needs
to discover whether, by taking any action, he would be following the
spirit entirely and according to God’s timing, or whether there would
be any element of his own mixed in with it. Such mental activity
helps the spirit to clarify the revelation received in its intuition as
well as to uncover any discrepancy. Any thought which centers on
self hinders us from knowing God’s will; only whatever disallows
self is effective. God never wants us to follow blindly; He insists
upon our lucidly apprehending His mind. Anything lacking clarity is
unreliable.
When the mind is functioning, beware lest it do so alone, that is,
beware lest it operate independently of the spirit’s rule. A selfless
mind aids the Christian in understanding God’s will, but an
independent one merely exhibits the corruption of the flesh. For
instance, many search the Scriptures with their brain, depending
upon their own intellectual ability. Yet the truth they claim to know
is but there in their heads. Such independent mental action is quite
dangerous, for it accomplishes nothing in the Christian’s life other
than to furnish some additional information for his thoughts and
some additional ground for his boasting. We should sincerely reject
all truths which are solely mental, for such knowledge provides Satan