As we set our
mind on heavenly issues, the peace of God, that excels beyond all human
comprehension, will rule and reign in and guard our heart (Philippians 4:7).
The mind of
Christ maintains order and stability in our soul regardless of the physical
issues we face. His perfect peace rules in our heart, and gives rest to our
weary soul (Isaiah 26:3).
We keep our
thoughts and feelings under subjection to God's Holy Spirit. We think only of
the Kingdom of God, the works of Christ in His life on earth, and what He may
want to accomplish through us during our lifetime.
Our spirit, body
and soul - our thoughts, choices and feelings - align with the mind of Christ
in our spirit. His will becomes our will, His desires are our desire and His
purpose is our goal in life (1 Peter 1:13).
He gives us the
faith of His Son, the power of His Spirit and the focus of His being within us.
We take human conjecture off the throne of our life and exalt Jesus in every
moment of our day (Proverbs 16:17).
The choices we
make affect our actions. We will either follow our flesh, the world, the devil
or God's Spirit in our thoughts, emotions, words and deeds (Galatians 5:15-25).
God gave us a
free will to choose to follow Him or Satan's lies. Our free will cannot create
or change the outcome of the choices of others, but we can allow God's Spirit
to use us to influence those around us for His greater good.
Prayer:
Father God, You
created us to depend on You and to allow Your predetermined will for our life
to influence our actions (Ephesians 2:10). We are capable, however, of grieving
Your Holy Spirit by following the dictates of our own choosing. Remind us of
the fact that someone else's decisions are not our responsibility, but our
response to them is; and in this, we find rest for our soul.
We share with
others what we believe is the mind of Christ, but then, their choices are just
that - their choice. They reap what they sow just like we do. We are all free
to choose to live humanistically and to depend on our self and other people,
instead of on You. This is ludicrous and self-defeating. Teach us that we are
all dependent on Your love during this lifetime.
Thought for the
Day:
God is ultimately
still on His throne and has all things under His control (Romans 8:28); He puts
His hook in our jaw, and draws us along to fulfill His will for our life (Ezekiel
38:4), but He never forces us to do anything that we choose not to do.
