A Clever Concept
The Master’s Mind – The Art of Reshaping Your Thoughts
By Lance Hahn
I was drawn to this book by the title – ‘The Master’s Mind,’ which refers to Christ’s thought process as He engaged in ministry throughout His life. From the scriptures, I know that He was confronted by different groups and enemies who sought to steer Him away from completing God’s work of salvation. I hadn’t paid much attention to the idea that most of the battles Jesus faced took place in the mind. This book gave me a greater awareness of those things and helped me to understand the same kind of mind games, inner conflicts, and cerebral skirmishes that exist in my own Christian life.
Hahn outlines his book as a process of developing skills to overcome the tyranny of random and sinful thoughts that we all experience. The success of our commitment to Christ depends on our focused approach to His life, work, and ministry. Just as Jesus was confronted with Satan, temptation, and lies, so we also face the same problems. How we overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil will only be accomplished by adhering our thoughts to those of Christ. Hahn points out that the outcome of resisting temptation so we may embrace God’s will, can become a positive process of thinking faithfully. As the author wrote,
‘The more we say yes to God, the easier it is to say yes to Him the next time. The more we lean into healthy patterns of obedience, the more our bodies adjust to that response. With each victory, we struggle to earn in our minds, the next decision is smoother. It’s all about habit patterns.’
As I worked my way through the book, I began to notice that I was practicing what Hahn describes. In recent weeks, I have had to deal with several things that have bothered me in the past. Hahn’s process of reshaping thoughts in Christ’s manner has enabled me to overcome those issues and be better prepared for events that have usually caused me some anxiety.
Towards the end of the book, the author gives several practical summaries of what this reshaping of thoughts can do for the reader’s confidence and faith. These are great go-to remedies and reminders that could be used by individuals in the midst of conflict situations or even small groups facing a dilemma which requires unified thinking to solve the issue.
Finally, I would commend the author on his use of scripture to convey this thought-shaping process. Hahn doesn’t twist or contrive the Bible passages that are quoted to fit his thoughts; instead, he plainly shows how the scriptures can be the building blocks of reshaping our thoughts in positive, dynamic and faithful ways. Overall, this is an excellent book that can be read by individuals for deepening their faith, as well as a very good choice for class study or book groups in churches and coffee houses.
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