By Mark Rasche

But we have the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:16) 

The human mind is much like soil. Depending on its condition, certain seeds and weeds will penetrate; others won’t.  

The Holy Spirit has unlimited capacity to soften the minds of Christ followers – to turn rocky ground into fertile soil so that the seeds of God’s Truth can germinate and grow. And much like the ground, our minds must be continually cultivated in order to yield an optimal harvest. If we truly desire to think God’s thoughts, we should seek to be “transformed by the renewing of our minds” (Romans 12:2) as we “let the peace of God rule in our hearts” (Colossians 3:15). 

But what about these last days?

How do we “have the mind of Christ” and maintain an eternal perspective when we’re being bombarded with devastating news, deceptive propaganda, and diabolical conspiracies?  

God’s Word has rock-solid answers to these questions, but it requires daily heartfelt study to turn them into transformation and application. The Bible is not intended to be treated like the owner’s manual in your car’s glove compartment – an emergency resource that’s only opened when a warning light appears on the dashboard. The Scriptures are to our hearts as breakfast, lunch, and dinner are to our bodies – ongoing spiritual nourishment that provide much needed wisdom and perspective for every moment of every day.  

The battle for our minds is intensifying like never before in these last days. So, in the absence of putting on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:11) and intentionally incorporating spiritual disciplines into our daily routines, we will lose this battle. This is why the Scriptures instruct us to continually “put off the old self” and “put on the new self” (Colossians 3:9-10).  

Therefore, we must first recognize the relentless, 24/7 battle for our minds. Let us guard ourselves from “the lusts of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16) and understand that our eyes are a window to the soul. Our thoughts and behaviors will inevitably reflect any of the enemy’s enticements that are allowed  to enter our hearts. To borrow a popular phrase from computer science, “garbage in, garbage out”.  

But it shouldn’t stop there. We must also realize that today’s seemingly innocuous technological distractions are  dominating our schedules and routines at unprecedented levels.  

Let’s Face It  

We are exposed to an infinite supply of social media platforms, websites, blogs, news sources, online stores,  advertising, and video games. With an effortless click, apps and programs instantly deliver audiovisual  information through a plethora of computers, smartphones, watches, widgets, and other gadgets. And behind  the scenes, Big Tech and innumerable foreign and domestic entities are aggressively vying for our attention,  hearts, and minds.  

It’s important to understand that one of Big Tech’s many objectives is behavior modification through addiction  to instant access to news and information around the globe. Within seconds, we can access up-to-the-minute world, national, and regional news. We instantly “hear” about wars and rumors of wars, natural disasters, and famines, the WEF and central bank digital currency, school shootings and inner-city crimes, inflation and national debt, CRT and the WOKE agenda, food shortages and broken supply chains, and countless other ominous news topics and trends. Most people who have attempted to drink through just a small portion of this  massive firehose are eventually discouraged and overcome by information overload.  

This rapidly changing technological era, commonly dubbed as “The Fourth Industrial Revolution” (4IR) is being  leveraged to radically change our world and blur the lines between the physical, digital, and biological  spheres. Artificial intelligence, augmented reality, virtual reality, and robotics are engulfing industries at lightning  speed.  

Suffice it to say, there are no Biblical passages that speak specifically about the dangers of the current technological revolution. The Apostle Paul didn’t have Facebook and Instagram. Peter never had to block out time to catch up on texts and emails. And the missions of the early disciples were never delayed by computer crashes or software updates.  

With the enormous amount of information and technology at our fingertips, shouldn’t we stop and ask some  basic questions? Did God create us to shoulder this much negative news and consume this much information?  Did He design us to withdraw from relationships to spend more time slumping over phones and staring at  laptops? …. Rhetorical questions to be sure, but questions we should address, nevertheless.

If we don’t set up guardrails and establish clear boundaries, we will inevitably drown in the overwhelming flood of news, information, and “entertainment” flowing through the internet to the predominantly naïve masses.  

The world is becoming darker, and the prophetic signs of our times are increasingly pointing to an imminent rapture. This harsh reality should be an impetus for pursuing God and His Word like never before. “He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6), and when we become less and He becomes more, we can be freed from the shackles of technologically driven cultural corruption and “stand fast in the liberty by which Christ has made us free” (Galatians 5:1). 

We will have the mind of Christ as we abide in Him and faithfully return to our spiritual disciplines. When we “deny ourselves” (Luke 9:23), “walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25), “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) and take the time to eagerly study and meditate on God’s Word (Psalm 1:2, Acts 17:11, 2 Timothy 3:16), our minds will be progressively more aligned with Jesus.  

So, as we redeem the time in these last days (Ephesians 5:16), may we “let this mind be in us which was also in  Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5) as we boldly serve as Christ’s ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20). And as we do,  may we also pray along with the Apostle John, “even so, come Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20)! 

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God,  bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all  disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled. (2 Corinthians 10:4-6)

Mark Rasche is a husband, father, and grandfather. Mark has a diversified background consisting of numerous entrepreneurial endeavors and executive ministry roles over the past thirty years. His core passions are discipleship, teaching, and writing.

He has been the CEO of a Christian media company for the past decade. Mark and his wife have been married for forty years and they currently reside in Southern Idaho.