The Mind of Christ

Our thoughts are as important in our walk with God as our words. God stresses their importance in many Bible verses. We need to guard our thoughts as well as our words (Proverbs 4:23).

Satan plants thoughts of temptation in our mind. Will we act on it and sin, or will we “draw near to God and resist the devil, so he will flee from us?”  (James 4:7)

We keep our mind in peace by dwelling only on issues, which are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous and worthy of praise (Philippians 4:8).

I often hear people say that God does not speak to them, or that God stopped speaking to them. Have we grieved God’s Holy Spirit by our thoughts, word or deeds? (Ephesians 4:30-31) Are we walking in the will of God? (2 Corinthians 6:16). Or is this a quiet time?

I believe that in the quiet times, God is telling us to wait, to trust, and to rest in His love as we enjoy His companionable silence (Psalm 27:14). We sit in silence and just enjoy His presence while we focus on His goodness in our life. Almighty God, Creator and Master deigns to fellowship with us each moment of the day.

God delights in sharing with us all the needed tidbits of information to enable us to serve Him during our day, or in the coming weeks. He gives us the wisdom we need or some counsel on an issue in our life.

God’s Spirit within us calms our fears when we worry about the future and we succumb to the anxiety surrounding the unseen issues, which disturb our peace. God remedies this by giving us the faith of Christ who dwells within us (Romans 2:20; Colossians 1:27).

Prayer:

Father God, we love belonging to Your family. Everything else on earth fades when compared to this privilege. You always know when we need Your spiritual strength for the next bend in the river. You are the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). As fear rises in our heart during some daunting experience, thank You for continually  abiding within us, and enabling us to do whatever You call us to do (Philippians 4:13).

Thought for the Day:

God gives us the mind of Christ. - 1 Corinthians 2:15-16

Our Almighty God

David was anointed King as a young man, and King Saul hated him. He tried every method of trick, sleuth and military tactic to kill David; yet did not succeed. David knew that God had plans for his life and he was not afraid of Saul. David wrote that He had assurance that God was laughing at King Saul's plans (Psalm 2:1-4).

By expressing these words in his psalm, David also spoke a prophetic word concerning the end times, when Satan gathers the armies of the world against the Lord. People in these last days have no respect for authority, and they believe it is their right and duty to reject the concept of God as our Higher Power. They refuse to believe in Jesus, because His Biblical Word is contrary to their humanistic philosophy.

They want to rip off the fetters and cords they believe that God has on them, and they devise vain attempts to distance themselves in every way from God and religion. They join groups of other atheists and agnostics and take a position against God's people who dare to stand for God. They also make vain plans to thwart God's purpose in the earth. In many countries they persecute and kill Believers.

Yet, the Lord, who sits in heaven on His jasper throne, chuckles and ridicules these vain attempts to discredit Him as Almighty God (Psalm 2:4). He brings all of His Saints home to be with Him (Psalm 116:15). He never despises or shows partiality to anyone (Job 36:5; Deuteronomy 10:17), but gave His Son to everyone in order to bridge the gap, which our sin brought between Him and each one of us (Isaiah 9:6).

Prayer:

Father God, You are the Mighty One, and we humble our self before Your powerful hand (Joshua 22:22; 1 Peter 5:6). We know that You will lift us up in Your own time and save us in the same way that You cared for Your chosen people who sojourned in Egypt (Zephaniah 3:17; Deuteronomy 5:15; Daniel 9:15). You control the earth from the rising to the setting of the sun (Psalm 50:1). You are awesome and awe-inspiring, and we thank You for keeping Your covenant of love with us (Nehemiah 9:32). Thank You also for preserving us and giving us Your assurance for our future with You (Job 24:22). We praise and worship You in all of Your splendor and might.

Thought for the Day:

God gives love to thousands of generations who love Him, but His righteous judgment is on those who choose to live in sin instead.

- Jeremiah 32:18

Our True Identity

In order to test our faith in Him, God often withholds the answers to our prayers until the last minute. We fret and pace and wring our hands, wondering if we missed God by making this particular decision. We have no recourse except to pray in faith, knowing that He led us and He will supply. He always comes through for us, even if it is at 11:59, the moment before the deadline!

When we actually come to understand the reality of the Kingdom of God, and the fact that God will bring His Kingdom to the earth in the near future, it puts everything else in our life into proper perspective. Earthly concerns no longer mean what they used to and we have a more heavenly-minded attitude about our life on this earth.

Comprehending our place in God's Kingdom will change the way we look at our self, as well as at our future. Believers belong to the upper echelons of the cream of the crop, and there is no one and nothing that can separate us from God's love and family (Romans 8:31-39). This realization will settle in our hearts, increase our faith and allow God His rightful place in our life.

We find our true identity in the Kingdom of God. We are co-heirs with Jesus of an inheritance, which will never perish, spoil or fade (1 Peter 1:4). We are also joint heirs with Jesus of a hope of eternal life (Titus 3:7). We are children of the Almighty God (Romans 8:17; Galatians 4:7). Angels come and serve us in our time of need (Hebrews 1:14). We will reign with Christ forever (2 Timothy 2:12).

Prayer:

Father, You are our great God, who is waiting to bless us abundantly in answer to our prayers. Thank You for making us heirs of Your Kingdom with Your blessed Son, Jesus. We revel in Your glory and in Your presence in our life. Remind us that You are on Your throne and all is well in our life. Come to us in an abiding and unbroken fellowship in a deeper union than we have ever experienced before.

Thought for the Day:
Remain quiet and trusting, as you wait on God's provision and direction.

Unified Prayer

 

Praying together for a common cause evokes spiritual power, which puts thousands to flight (Deuteronomy 32:30). We do not have to band together in one room at any certain time, but if we will all commit to pray without ceasing as the Spirit leads us, we will see God move in a mighty way (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). It pleases God to allow His Spirit to move within and through His Saints.

God teaches our soul to pray for the persecution, nominal faith and lack of spiritual power of the church worldwide. He burdens our soul for the situation in world governments. He grieves our soul with sorrow over the condition of the poor and needy (Mark 14:7). When we pray a unified prayer, directed by God's Holy Spirit, Jesus prays right along with us and God grants our requests (Matthew 18:20).

Knowing the mind of the Spirit and searching our heart, Jesus is sitting at the right hand of God interceding for us (Romans 8:27, 34). The steadfast love of our Almighty God never ceases (Lamentations 3:22). He waits upon us to make our requests known to Him in prayer (Philippians 4:6-7). He grants us anything we need by His glorious heavenly riches, as long as it is according to His will (Romans 8:28; Philippians 4:19).

Prayer:

Father God, Your mercies are new every single morning. Great is Your faithfulness (Lamentations 3:23). We know that You listen to the cries of the destitute and You will not ignore our needs (Psalm 102:17). Remind us to pray with a discerning mind and a grateful heart (Colossians 4:2). We know that there are certain spiritual strongholds of darkness that we will not be delivered from except through prayer and fasting (Mark 9:29). Teach us how to pray, unified by Your Spirit (Matthew 6:9-13).

Thought for the Day:

The early church constantly joined together in unified prayer.

- Acts 1:14

Commitment

Read: Isaiah 26:3

“Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.” Psalm 37:5

Commitment is a word few take seriously today. If it’s broken, we usually throw it away and get another one, including our relationships. There was a day, when we took things to the Fix It shop or to the counselor to be repaired. Nowadays, we just pitch it and go shopping…looking for a newer and bigger or more powerful model. God gave us the commission to live up to our obligations (Ecclesiastes 5:5), to protect what He gives us (1 Timothy 5:8) and to nurture our relationships (John 13: 34).

We get so caught up at work with meeting deadlines. Our time gets inundated with people we need to see. Then our spare time is taken up with chores at home. The busyness of everyday life consumes our thoughts and actions. We are so tired by the weekend that we resent spending any of it in the house of God. We just stay at home and sleep-in, so that we have enough energy to get back on the treadmill of our daily schedule once Monday rolls around again.

Therefore, before we can ever live such a committed life to others, we must first surrender our life to the Lord. If we continue to pursue our own agenda for our life, then our decisions will all be influenced by our selfish, human tendencies. God calls us to draw intimately closer to Him each day, to live in His presence.

Developing habits of quiet time every day will enable us to hear God's voice. We get our marching orders from Him; and when we do, we start to experience a whole new life as we keep His will in the forefront of our thoughts. Our job is less burdensome and our work flows more smoothly. We interact with people on a deeper level. We care more about the little things that mean so much in life.

Make a commitment to yourself today to surrender your life completely to the will of God. Make the changes He shows you that are necessary and be kinder to yourself and to all of those in your other relationships. Our frustrations with the present and our guilt from the past will rob us of the gift of tomorrow that God has in store for us. We cannot allow Satan to deprive our spirit of the life-giving flow of God’s Spirit within us. The Holy Spirit has the power, which makes our lives more productive for both the Kingdom of God and for us. By forgiving past hurts and walking in the Spirit in the present, we can look forward to a fulfilling future.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, we commit our daily schedule to You and we dedicate our lives wholly to You. You will cause our thoughts to line up with Yours, and You will established our plans and cause us to succeed (Proverbs 16: 3). You are ever able to keep what we commit to You. (2 Timothy 1:12)

Thought for the Day:

Society has rarely seen what God can do through a person who is fully committed to Him.