Dharius Daniels - The Rules of Engagement

I want to talk on this subject this afternoon: the rules of engagement. Over the course of the past few weeks, we’ve been engaged in a series of teachings that I’ve affectionately entitled «I’ve Changed My Mind.» This particular series is rooted in a revelation found in Romans chapter 12, verse two, where Paul tells believers in Rome these words: he says, «Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.» In other words, he suggests that they should not settle or be satisfied simply with justification; they should pursue transformation. In other words, they do not have to live a life that is merely morally modified; they can live a life that is entirely altered. And Paul says the key to that is the renewing of your mind. It is almost as if he is subliminally asserting that if you have a good heart, you can be a good person; but if you have a good mind, you can live a good life. Just because someone is a good person does not mean they’re living a good life. So Paul says the difference between righteous identity and righteous living is the renewing of the mind. He then says you’ll be able to prove what is that good, acceptable, and perfect will of God. Because it is one thing to hear or to see the revealed will; it is another thing for your life to actually prove it. It is one thing to say, «I’m more than a conqueror»; it is another thing to live in a way that proves it. It is one thing to say, «Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world»; it is another thing to prove it. And Paul says when your mind is renewed, then you are able to prove that good, perfect, and acceptable will of God. Somebody say, «I changed my mind.»

In the lessons, sermons, and teachings in this series, each week we’ve been attempting to extrapolate principles from the scriptures that aid and assist us in taking the necessary steps to renew our minds. In one lesson, we taught that if we’re going to renew our minds, we must stay awake. We based this on a parable that Jesus tells in the Gospel of Matthew, where He communicates that your heart or your mind is like a field, and the thoughts that are sown in the field of our minds are like seeds. Therefore, the outgrowth we see in our lives is simply a reflection of the seeds being sown in our minds. So if I don’t like what I’m seeing in my life, I’ve got to stop the seed being sown in my mind that is producing the fruit I’m witnessing in my life. Somebody say amen to that. Yes, I’ve got to be conscious and monitor what I allow to enter my mind. I cannot permit my mind to be constantly inundated with information that is negative, cynical, disarming, delusional, discouraging, or depressing. That doesn’t mean I should live an isolated, arrogant life, but it does mean I must be a spiritual steward of the soul of my mind. I’m not stuck up; I’m just trying to be a steward of this thing between my ears. Because if I let you get this, you’ve got me. Did you hear what I just said? Yeah, it means that we must monitor what we allow to be sown into the field of our minds. So we’ve got to stay awake. We’ve got to be cognizant. We’ve got to be conscious and careful so that the enemy doesn’t sow weeds that grow up and choke out the wheat that God wants to see in our lives. We must stay awake.

Last week, we learned the next principle. The first lesson taught us what not to allow into our minds and what not to think about, and the second one told us what to allow in our minds and what we should think about. So, we talked about training the brain, metacognition, and thinking about what you’re thinking about. The Bible uses the word «meditation» to describe it, right? Paul writes to the church at Philippi, and he describes this in chapter four. He’s talking about peace, but he’s trying to get them to see that you do not just get peace from what you pray about; you get peace from what you think about. He is trying to teach them that you can pray right but think wrong. So he tells them in verse eight, before he concludes chapter four, «Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.» Think about what you’re thinking about. Are you hearing what I’m saying? Think about what you’re thinking about.

If we are going to think about what we’re thinking about, in order to put this into practice, I believe you must embrace something: a branch of something called dominion theology. If you are going to think about what you’re thinking about, you have to believe you are able to choose what you think about. You must believe that you can choose what you’re thinking about; you need to embrace dominion theology. Genesis chapter 1, verse 28, talks about God making mankind in His own image and likeness and giving mankind dominion so that they would be His representatives on earth. God was the owner, but mankind was the steward.