Jedi Mind Training

Posted On October 2, 2022

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world,
but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—
his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Romans 12:2 NIV

Have you ever struggled to understand God’s will for your life? I have. And when I questioned God about it, Romans 12:2 was His answer: “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind….” I have been working on this ever since. And I have to admit, it’s not been easy.

Whenever I try to focus on controlling my thoughts, I can’t help but be reminded of Jedi training scenes in the Star Wars movies. Yeah, I know, I’m a nerd. But it’s a good analogy. Jedi have to learn to clear their minds and focus on the Force, a fictional supernatural energy field, in order to access its power. Their journey from apprentice to full Jedi knight depends on their ability to calm their anxious thoughts, control their emotions, and trust the Force.

As Christians, we have to do the same thing: We must clear our minds and focus on God, the source of our supernatural power, in order to be transformed into spiritually mature followers of Christ. The more we learn to do this, and the more we learn to trust in God, the stronger we become. And then God will be able to work through us to accomplish amazing things!

So this week, we’ll explore some Jedi training tips to help us progress in our faith journey. To get us started, here is one of my favorite scenes…

Obi-Wan Kenobi: “The Force can have a strong influence on the weak-minded.”

Star Wars: A New Hope

In Star Wars, the Force is just an energy field. It can be used for good or for evil. In the clip above, Obi-Wan Kenobi demonstrates the power the Force can have on the weak-minded. Those who have not trained themselves to be on guard against such attacks are easily manipulated. The same is true for us:

“Keep your mind clear, and be alert. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion as he looks for someone to devour.” 

1 Peter 5:8 NOG

Why does God ask us to control our thoughts? Because that’s exactly where the enemy attacks us. There is a spiritual battle raging around us, but it’s not always one we can see, because it takes place in our own minds. Our first priority should be to fortify our thoughts against attack. Otherwise, we leave ourselves open to influence from evil forces. When we are more focused on ourselves than on God, we give the enemy plenty of opportunities to lead us astray. He can manipulate our selfish thoughts and desires in order to control our actions.

But as Christians we have access to supernatural power, too — power from Christ Himself — and the enemy is helpless against it. The problem is, we often fail to access it. This is why God instructs us to set our minds on Him. He calls us to focus on His will, His desires, and His plans to bring about His kingdom. This is hard, but essential, because this is what develops us into strong, effective Christian warriors, capable of astonishing feats for God’s glory. The force of God’s power working in us, through His Holy Spirit, is what produces the transformation in us that God desires.

“Your life matters to God, and He sees a great deal worthy of developing in you.
Therefore, resist the Enemy, take heart, and don’t give up.”

Charles F. Stanley, God’s Purpose for Your Life

Yoda: “You must unlearn what you have learned.”

Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back

After seeing the Force at work in Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luke Skywalker is eager to learn how to access it himself. Who could blame him? After all, Jedi can do amazing things. They have incredible fighting skills, they can see the future, and they can levitate objects. They can even levitate themselves, soaring so high into the air that they appear to fly! Ready to be transformed, Luke goes to train with Yoda, a powerful Jedi master. But before Luke will be able to make any progress, Yoda tells him what he has to do first: “You must unlearn what you have learned.”

We must do this, too. Have you ever noticed how often your thoughts turn negative? How one minor incident has the power to ruin your whole day? How one negative comment in a sea of positive ones stands out and crushes your self-esteem? If so, it’s not just you. Apparently, we are all wired like this. It’s something called negativity bias. I am not an expert in psychology, but I did a little online research and discovered that this tendency to focus on the negative is hardwired into our brains as a survival instinct. It makes sense. If you see a hungry lion standing in a field of beautiful flowers, you would want your brain to pay more attention to the dangerous predator ready to devour you than to the pretty scenery!

However, even when we are not in mortal danger, our brain doesn’t automatically know to stop focusing on the negative. This is why we must train it to do so. God gave us this survival instinct, and He also gave us instructions on how to keep it in check:

“Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”

Philippians 4:8 NLT

Unless we have made a conscious effort to do otherwise, most of us have spent years of our lives learning to see the negative in any situation. We focus on our problems, our anxious thoughts, our fears, our unfulfilled longings, or our hurt feelings. But God tells us we must unlearn what we have learned. By training our minds to focus instead on Him, we allow Him to soothe our fears and heal our hurts. By choosing to deliberately focus on the positive aspects of life in Christ, we can break free from the cycle of negativity that brings us down, and we can learn to fly!

“If you want the peace that Jesus offers you, you have to allow Him to rule your thoughts. Through your worship of Him, you will find the healing, answers, and freedom that your heart is longing for.”

Charles F. Stanley, God’s Purpose for Your Life

Rey: “Be with me.”

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

Luke does indeed learn to become a powerful Jedi, and he passes on what he has learned to Rey, a new young apprentice. In the scene above, Rey is practicing her meditation, imploring the Force to be with her. She must do this by focusing on the unseen Force rather than the world around her. Unlike Rey, we as Christians do not need to worry about whether or not God is with us. Through His Spirit Christ is always with us (Romans 8:11), and He promises that He is always for us (Romans 8:31-39). But like Rey, we, too, are called to focus on the unseen:

“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

2 Corinthians 4:18 NIV

Notice, however, that although Rey is not focused on the world around her, she is still able to affect it. While focusing on the Force, she is levitating the rocks around her. By focusing on the unseen — that is, the eternal things of God and His kingdom — we can affect our world as well. When we block out any distractions and focus on the transforming power of Christ that dwells within us, we develop a new perspective on this world. And we gain the ability to change it for the better. If we want to have the power to lift up the things we can see, it starts by learning to focus on the things we can’t.

“You need a buffer zone of silence around you in order to focus on things that are unseen…. The tangible world still reflects My Glory to those who have eyes that see and ears that hear. Spending time alone with Me is the best way to develop seeing eyes and hearing ears. The goal is to be aware of unseen things even as you live out your life in the visible world.”

Sarah Young, Jesus Calling

This week’s Scripture passages remind us to keep our thoughts fixed on God. Rather than be conformed to the world we see around us, we are called to focus on the unseen things above. When we do, we learn to access the full force of the power that lives within us — power to defeat evil, power to transform our hearts and minds, and power to do God’s good, pleasing, and perfect will. May that force be with you!

“If our minds are ruled by our desires, we will die.
But if our minds are ruled by the Spirit, we will have life and peace.”

Romans 8:6 CEV

References:

• The Book of Boba Fett. Created by Jon Favreau, Lucasfilm and Golem Creations, 2021-present.
• Stanley, Charles F. God’s Purpose for Your Life: 365 Devotions. Thomas Nelson, 2020.
• Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. Dir. George Lucas. 20th Century Fox, 1999.
• Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. Dir. George Lucas. 20th Century Fox, 1977.
• Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back. Dir. Irvin Kershner. 20th Century Fox, 1980.
• Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker. Dir. J. J. Abrams. Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, 2019.
• “These are not the droids you’re looking for….” YouTube, uploaded by fredfc3, 22 February 2008, https://youtu.be/k1rlThKe1qo.
• Young, Sarah. Jesus Calling: 365 Devotions with Real-Life Stories. Thomas Nelson, 2019.

Images:

• Qui-Gon Jinn featured image taken from “Qui-Gon & Obi-Wan vs Darth Maul – Duel of the Fates | Star Wars The Phantom Menace (1999) Movie Clip.” YouTube, uploaded by FilmeyBox, 19 January 2022, https://youtu.be/3mJFjNu51IQ.
• Planet and Galaxy image by Luminas Art from Pixabay
• Yoda image taken from “Empire Strikes Back Yoda training Luke part 3 ‘Try not. Do. Or do not. There is no try.’ (HD).” YouTube, uploaded by Jon Mercano, 16 December 2017, https://youtu.be/E3-CpzZJl8w.
• Rey image taken from “Star Wars The Rise of Skywalker Reys Jedi Training Full Scene.” YouTube, uploaded by Star Wars Coffee, 16 March 2020, https://youtu.be/LMa0_cV5RJ4.
• Luke and Grogu image taken from “Luke Skywalker Training Baby Yoda – Cute Baby Yoda Scene.” YouTube, uploaded by Grogu – Star Wars, 28 March 2022, https://youtu.be/bfmKtxZiB6I.