Transforming Your Core Philosophy with God’s Word
Every person views their life through a filter. For example, optimists see opportunity in every situation they face, while pessimists can only see defeat and failure. Both could be facing the same circumstances, but their filter determines how they respond. That filter could also be called their philosophy or for us Christian Philosophy.
The Power of Personal Philosophy: Shaping Your Reality
A philosophy is simply a way of thinking. And whether you know it or not, the direction that your life is going has been influenced and controlled by your personal philosophy, or your dominant way of thinking. Proverbs 23:7 says, “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.” If that is true—and it is—then it makes sense to be sure that you are viewing your life through the right filter.
Guarding Against Deceptive Philosophies: A Biblical Perspective
Colossians 2:8 says:
“Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”
In this scripture, Paul was giving the believers in Colosse a warning. The word beware is being used in the sense of a sentry on guard duty. It’s a military term talking about being on guard, being on the lookout. And the word spoil is not talking about food; it’s talking about the spoils of war that go to the victor—the gold and silver and land.
Paul was saying to be on guard lest the believers be overcome by an enemy that would strip them of their treasure, which was the truth that God had placed in their hearts. Today, that same enemy, the devil, wants to steal what God has given to you, using the world’s philosophies and the religious traditions of man.
Your life follows the direction of your thoughts. The key is to renew your mind with a Christian perspective—a Christian philosophy. Your outlook acts as a filter, helping you see the positive. A Christian philosophy or viewpoint allows you to focus on the positive and operate in faith rather than fear when others are afraid. So, it’s important that your philosophy is based on the truth of God’s Word.
The Subtle Deception of Human Philosophy
It’s through the subtle deception of human philosophy that Satan tries to deceive us. The first example of this can be found in Genesis 3:1–5:
Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
Now, think about this: it says that the serpent was more “subtil.” The word subtle basically means crafty, sly, and devious. Satan wasn’t using a frontal attack to overpower Adam and Eve; he was attempting to change their way of thinking, their philosophy.
Understanding Satan’s Approach to Changing Minds
Before the devil can get us into any type of deception, he has to move us away from the Word of God and get us to where we compromise our confidence and our faith in the Word of God.
Adam and Eve began with a pure philosophy. They were completely dependent upon God and never questioned His wisdom and goodness. Satan first caused them to question God’s Word, and then he caused them to question God’s goodness. He beguiled them, which is what Paul was writing about in 2 Corinthians 11:3: “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.”
From Eden to Today: Tracing the Threads of Philosophical Deception
Satan has never changed his tactics. He is at work through our society and culture trying to create a philosophy that is contrary to God’s Word. He is always trying to devalue the finished work of Jesus and His Word. Sad to say, it’s working. Even most Christians today do not have their belief systems firmly in place. They are influenced more by culture, social media, movies, their upbringing, or the opinions of others than by the Word of God.
Transforming Your Core Beliefs: Overcoming Negative Philosophies
Many of you reading this know what the Scripture says. You have read that God wants you to prosper and be in health even as your soul prospers. You have read that by His stripes, you were healed and that Jesus came to give you life and life more abundantly. Yet when you look in the mirror, you see a failure, a loser, or a sick and defeated person. Why is that?
It’s because of your core philosophy. Maybe your parents told you that you would never amount to anything, or a previous mate convinced you that you were worthless. Or perhaps a religious leader told you that you were cursed because of your behavior, and you believed him or her.
Whatever the root cause for your belief (philosophy), you are being spoiled, and your treasure is being stolen. If that is you, then begin changing the way you think.
Renewing Your Mind: Practical Steps to Embrace a Biblical Perspective
Study and meditate in the Word of God and change your basic core beliefs.
“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart”
In my own life, as I began to change the way I thought, it opened the door to the blessings that God had for me all along. I was actually limiting God by my small thinking, my philosophy. You may be doing the same thing. If you are, don’t waste any more time—change your mind.
Every believer needs to have a clear biblical philosophy, and it must be based solely on the Word of God. Without it, you will be tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine.
