Garbage In, Garbage Out
The human brain is a veritable super-computer. The crown of God’s creation was the creation of man and the crowning touch was to give man a mind and spirit that enable him to know God and enjoy God. When God tells us we are to love Him He includes this super-computer. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind.”
When we use our minds the way God intended we are enabled to live the way God intended. The Apostle Paul said, “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace” Romans 8:5-6. According to these verses all who walk in the Spirit and obey His promptings have set their minds on the things of the Spirit. There is an intentional focusing of the mind by the believer on those things which agree with the Spirit. In Christ we are able to build a mindset that the Spirit can use to free us from sin’s bondage and liberate us to live in such a way that pleases the Lord and brings Him glory.
According to Wikipedia the term “garbage in, garbage out” was coined as a teaching mantra by George Fuechse an IBM 305 RAMAC technician/instructor in New York. Early programmers were required to test virtually each program step and cautioned not to expect that the resulting program would "do the right thing" when given imperfect input. It is also commonly used to describe failures in human decision making due to faulty, incomplete, or imprecise data. It certainly applies to the spiritual life of a believer in Jesus Christ as well. If we put garbage into our minds then our decision making will not reflect the things of the Spirit. Garbage is those ways of thinking and believing that do not agree with the God who created our brains to work in tandem with His Spirit. Garbage in short-circuits the process. The Holy Spirit cannot process God’s will and power in our lives when we give Him garbage to work with.
Paul calls “truth in, truth out”, setting your mind on the things of the Spirit. No one can do this perfectly and God’s grace can cover the mistakes of the best of us when we have sincerely determined to put “good stuff” in our minds. The source of this good stuff is God’s word. Someone rightly described this holy possibility as, “Thinking God’s thoughts after Him.” The amazing promise of scripture is that as we fill our minds with God’s word and His truth the Spirit of God will then take that truth and process it with our human minds and produce the wisdom of God in us. This wisdom is the ability to see life from God’s perspective and by the grace and power of the Spirit enables us to make good decisions that honor God and bring glory to His name. In Romans eight Paul called this, “walking according to the Spirit.”
How much time do you invest in programming your “super-computer” with the good stuff of God? You cannot expect the Holy Spirit to transform your life without your cooperative effort of inputting truth. Crack open the Bible and read it. Meditate on it. Connect with a good church and get under the teaching and preaching of His word. Connect with a small group of believers and fellowship together around God’s word. Do this and do it consistently and persistently with a humble spirit before God and in faith filled prayer and see the Holy Spirit begin to do His work! It truly is a marvelous thing.
Pastor Dan
How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Psalm 119:9-11
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