"Reshaped Thinking"

"For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? but we have the mind of Christ."  1 Corinthians 2:16

When Daniel and the other Hebrews were taken captive by Babylon, they were placed in the king's palace.  There they were to be trained in the Babylonian language, ways and customs.  Their minds were to be "reshaped" to forget their Hebrew roots and conform to the Babylonian way. 

The enemy is still trying to do the same thing with us today.  He is trying to "reshape" our minds.  He wants us to have a worldly mindset.  He wants us to conform to this world's way of thinking. 

I wonder if he isn't succeeding to a decree.  I have observed that there is very little Christ-like thinking in the church.  We are embracing the world's way of thinking.  We no longer call sin, sin.  We have become accepting of the things that the Lord rejects and condemns.  We have removed the "absolutes" of the gospel and watered them down to mere individual preference.  We are condoning immorality.  We call evil, good.  We use humanistic reasoning to decide what is right and what is wrong-- instead of God's Word.  We are compromising the gospel and replacing it with worldly philosophies.  We don't stand for truth, because we don't know the truth, because we are accepting the world's mindset.  We think more like the world than like Christ.    

This is why we are weak and powerless.  This is why our churches have been reduced to mere "clubs".  This is why we are lukewarm.  This is why we stay in a state of constant confusion.  This is why we can't discern right from wrong.  The only remedy is to first repent.  Then secondly, begin to renew our minds with the Word of God.  If you are a Christian, you are suppose to have Christ's mind in you.  That means you think like He thinks.  Do you?

Have a great day.  Has your mind been reshaped to think like the world? 
 

"Praying Or Pressing?"

"And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any, came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched.  And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?  And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me."  Luke 8:43-46

This woman did not pray for her healing.  She did not petition Jesus like many others had.  Instead she pressed through the crowd and came behind Him and touched Him.  There is a difference in praying and pressing.  We tend to confuse prayer for pressing.

When we pray, we make our petitions, our requests, our needs, desires and wants known to the Lord.  But pressing involves getting to a different level with the Lord.  Prayers are answered-- ask and ye shall receive.  But when we press, we receive more than an answer, we receive virtue from the Lord-- not just an answer but an "impartation".

Many people are content to only have an answer.  As long as they got what they wanted, as long as the Lord met the need, that was fine-- that was all they were after.

But we need to be people who will not only ask but press.  We need more than just answers, we need His virtue to flow into us.  This virtue that flows from the Lord is defined as power, strength, miraculous power, ability.  When His virtue flows into us, we are changed.  We are empowered physically, spiritually, emotionally, etc.  We receive miracles.  We gain added strength.  We are made whole.  We are enabled to do what we could not do, go where we could not go, be what we could not be otherwise, endure what we could not once endure, overcome what we could not previously overcome, be bolder than we ever have, be more productive, be more loving, gracious, kind, compassionate, tender-hearted, faithful, bear more fruit, resist temptations, and be strengthened in faith. 

When His virtue flows into us, it is His very nature, character, power and ability that flows into us.  We are no longer weak from our "infirmities".  We are no longer bound by those things that held us captive for years.  His virtue healed this woman, and of more than just a physical disease.  It still does the same today, and will if we will do more than just pray, but press.

Have a great day.  Are you praying or pressing? 

"Expectations"

"Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth."  Luke 8:22

Last night at Bible study we talked about expectations.  We looked at Luke chapter 8 and discussed in each account the expectations of Jesus toward the people and their expectations toward Him.  As I was pondering the account of the disciples in the storm and Jesus in the back of the boat asleep, I drew a conclusion as to Jesus' expectations of His disciples--- us present day disciples included.

First, He expects us to believe His Word.  He told them that they were going to the other side of the lake.  He didn't tell them they were going to drown.

Second, He expects us to take Him at His Word.  Again, He told them they were going to make it to the other side.

Thirdly, He expects us to act upon His Word.  When the storm came up, they tried to control the situation in the natural-- they bailed water.  They tried to handle the effects of the storm, instead of dealing directly with the storm like Jesus did.  They had authority to speak His Word to the storm and command it to stop just like Jesus did, because they had His Word on the situation-- we are going to the other side. 

Lastly, He expects us to have faith.  Faith in His Word.  Faith in what He says.  Without faith we can't please Him.  We live by faith.  Faith carries us to the other side.  Faith makes a way through the storm.  Faith speaks peace to situations.  Faith isn't moved by sight.  Faith hopes, trust and believes what He says-- we are going to the other side.

Are we meeting, or living up to, His expectations for us?  Probably not.  At least not all the time.  I know I don't.  But we should desire to.  We should strive to.  And if we are having trouble, we should do like Jarius did at the end of this same chapter-- pray.  "Lord, I believe, help Thou my unbelief."

Have a great day.  Are you living up to the Lord's expectations? 

"Destroyed Life - Part 2"

"Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us."  Romans 8:37

Yesterday we talked about how life doesn't always bring us good things, along with life comes the bad.  This morning I feel impressed to continue this subject because the Lord wants to bring a word of hope to someone who is feeling hopeless because of the "bad" in life.

There are bad things that happen to us.  We will have "tribulation".  This is not a negative statement.  I am repeating the words of Jesus.  Many things that happen to us are a result of bad choices and decisions we have made.  But most of what happens to us in life is beyond our control.  We didn't cause it.  We didn't do anything to warrant it.  It just happened. 

When bad things in life happen, we do, however, have a choice as to whether we will let them destroy us or not.  That is one thing we have control over.  The word of hope this morning is-- if you are a Christian, a born-again child of God, it does not have to destroy you. 

You can live in victory over it and in spite of it.  The Lord has equipped you with everything you need to be victorious.  He has given you His Word, His power, His authority, His Holy Spirit, His Presence, His mind, His strength, His grace, His righteousness, His fruit, His armor and His promises.  In all things you are more than a conqueror through Him.  Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.  No weapon formed against you shall prosper.  Your weapons are mighty and powerful to even pull down strongholds.  You have been given the keys of the Kingdom.  Use them!  Don't sit back, sit down or sit still while grief overcomes you, while fear captures you, while bitterness consumes you, while depression controls you.  Jesus has given you abundant life.  Draw from that life, take hold of it, cleave to it, believe it and act upon it.  Exercise your faith and walk in the power and victory that is part of this abundant life that He has given you. 

The "bad" of life does not have to destroy you.  The Lord has provided everything you need to destroy its hold on you.  Through Him you can run through a troop of troubles, problems, tribulations, and leap over a wall of anger, bitterness, resentment, self-pity, and hurt, because He has given you victory over it.

Have a great day.   The "bad" that comes your way in life does not have to destroy you.... so don't let it. 

"Destroyed Life"

"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."  John 16:33

Life doesn't always bring good things with it.  More often than not it brings the bad.  It brings sickness, disease, heartache, disappointment, trouble, problems, brokenness, death and tribulation.  We can't get away from bad things happening in our lives.  We can't have all "sunshine" and no "rain". But when life happens-- namely when it brings the bad and unwanted-- don't let life destroy you.

Often, we let life destroy us when it brings that which we don't want or when it brings the bad and the things we have already mentioned.  We let it destroy us by us giving into our emotions and feelings.  Our emotions will trigger wrong attitudes.  These attitudes will destroy us when we give into them.  These attitudes are bitterness, anger, resentment, depression, hate, unforgiveness, anxiety, fear, condemnation, shame, guilt, a hard heart, etc. 

The attitude Jesus told us to have was one of "good cheer".  The word cheer means:  comfort, cheer, courage, bold.  In those times- when bad comes our way- we need to take courage and not give up and lose heart.  We need to stand boldly against the temptation to yield to our emotions.  We need to receive the comfort that the Lord has for us.  When we do, the circumstances may not change, things may remain bad, it may not get better, but in the midst of it you won't be destroyed.  You will have the peace of God that passes understanding that Jesus spoke of and promised to give us. 

You can't always choose what happens in life, but you can choose whether or not you will let it destroy you.  So which will you choose? 

Have a great day.  Don't let life destroy you.