Unbelievers mind blinded by the god of this world
All Christians once had an unbeliever’s mind blinded by the god of this world concerning the gospel of Jesus Christ.
2 Cor 4:4 The ruler of this world has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They cannot see the light of the good news – the message about the divine greatness of Christ. Christ is the one who is exactly like God.
Have you have ever considered what these Christians seem enthusiastic about? I would liken the experience of being born again to a eureka moment and can relate very much to the hymn Amazing Grace. John Newton wrote in it: ‘I once was blind, but now I see.’
It was like an experience I had in the early days of nursing when I nursed many elderly patients. They would be incontinent needing to wear pads and special appliances. I thought there was no cure for these folk; that they were just getting old, and that’s how things are.
Echoes of Redemption: A Continence Nurse’s Journey from Ignorance to Enlightenment
When working somewhere else, one of the senior nurses sent me on a continence course. My eyes were opened to the fact that many things can be done to improve or even solve continence problems. I was overjoyed with this information and later worked as a continence nurse. My job involved phoning patients with continence problems and making appointments to see them. Sometimes, they would ring me requesting to see me as their situation needed urgent attention. Often I had to find my diary to write their details in, so I asked them to hold on while I looked for a pen.
A Transformative Journey: From Uncertainty to Clarity in Faith”
At the time I became a Christian, I didn’t understand what or the exact moment I asked Jesus into my heart. I was moving from having an unbelieving mind blinded by the god of this world. One day, after reading through the New Testament, I remember going to church and praying, thinking, yes, I really believe. That was my defining moment when I became a Christian, as I was born again. I quickly gained knowledge of what it was to become a Christian. For example, Before becoming a Christian I took my mock O’level in Religious Education and got an ungradable mark. But after I became a Christian, I took my official O’level and got a ‘B’ for religious Education. I got Cs, Ds, and Es plus ungradeable in my other subjects. Therefore this was a sign that I could now see things about being a Christian I had never seen before.
Three points on Unbelievers’ mind blinded by God:
1/ What can Christians see that non-Christians can’t see? It’s a bit of a mystery:
1 Peter 4:4 They are surprised you do not join them in their reckless, wild living, and they heap abuse on you.
Have you ever wondered why that person in your office won’t laugh at that dirty joke, gossip, or the heavy drinking at the pub with the lads?
What leads you to start seeing Jesus? The testimony of others.
Mark 5:1-20 tells the story of how Jesus cast out demons from a man totally out of his mind. He was naked and lived in a cemetery. Once he was set free and in his right mind, Jesus, in verse 19, told him to go home to his own people and tell them how much he had done for him. So the man did this, and verse 20 says the people were amazed.
I would say that this would make a person want to seek after God. A person’s testimony is valuable. A Christian should always be open to sharing with people the things God has done for them. I became a Christian partly through hearing about other Christians’ experiences.
To prevent having an unbelieving mind blinded by the god of this world, we must seek him.
Matthew 7:7 Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened.
After reading The Cross and The Switchblade and the New Testament, and praying I became a Christian. This is what I suggest you do too. After doing this maybe you will no longer have an unbelieving mind blinded by the god of this world.
This process is called sanctification. You will initially be a newborn baby who cannot stomach meat. No young Christian could run a church or teach others.
2/Once you can see, you still need to see new things.
Once a Christian, but you still have a lot to learn. Some things of your old nature will blind you to some of the things of God. We begin our Christian lives here, and God gradually opens our eyes to the more profound things of him.
1 Corinthians 3:2: I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. Indeed, you are still not prepared for it.
Our aim would be to see God clearly by working out our salvation with fear and trembling as
Philippians 2:12-13 Therefore my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
We must learn what His thinking is over ours. For example, I may think a job offer will benefit me, but the company has ungodly values. Yeah, but the money is good, and I won’t be poor anymore. This won’t help. Lot was given a choice of where he wanted to live and chose the most excellent-looking place. If I pass this test by not accepting, God will have a better plan for my life.
Genesis 13:10
Lot looked around and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan toward Zoar was well watered like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt.
Isaiah 55:8: “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, Declares the Lord. We will find this out by hearing God clearly or making mistakes as we walk through our salvation. I love how God can treat us like a parent treats toddlers at times with a telling-off. A toddler may not realize it is wrong to cross a busy road because they don’t see the heavy traffic. We, sinners, don’t always see the dangers of our decisions; sometimes, the results of these decisions are like a telling-off as they are painful. All the time, though, God has his hand on us. As we follow him in various ways, he helps us see him more clearly daily. Our once unbelieving mind blinded by the god of this world will increasingly have our spiritual eyes opened more and more.
3/ What happens to those who don’t see?
- Deception – Ephesians 2:8 For it is by Grace you are saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is a gift of God.
Deception will make us think we are going to heaven by being decent, good people.
A depraved mind may develop.
Romans 1:28 Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind so that they do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant, and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.
If we become Christian and stop attending church, reading the bible, and praying, we could get that mentality.
We could end up in hell.
Matthew 25:31-46
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
If you feel you are an unbeliever blinded by the god of this world say this prayer
Lord, I realize I don’t see you as you want me; help me see you as you are.
Forgive my sin and come to my life so I may live in your ways.
In Jesus’ Name. Amen
If you liked reading this post, I think you’ll enjoy my other post “When I was delivered from evil spirits” just click HERE
