Conforming our minds

 

If you need rescue run to the cross, run to the WORD of God which points us to Christ our beloved Saviour. Bask in its goodness and before long it will have achieved the desired result. I am convinced that no medication prescribed for the brain will ever come close to the power of the Word of God. One is of a carnal nature whilst the other is Spiritual. The one feeds our natural desires whilst the other the will of God. We are constantly at war within ourselves, but I think we have missed a trick, we often look for the generic instead of the real deal. Hoping that it may lighten our load, an instant solution to our problems that at best can only ever elevate the pressure of life for a season. Our problems remain because of our sinful natures, our natural minds have been cut from sinful material, we are fallen beings. Therefore, we need a miraculous intervention and that's where walking in the Spirit comes into its own. The battle is won or lost in our minds and this is where it all solidifies, it is the wheelhouse to our souls. The more I give it thought the more I realise I am onto something. Let’s unpack a few truths, but before we get there it would be amiss of me not to mention the importance of this point; “For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.” (1Corinthians 1:17) – Therefore, it’s important to steer away for the brilliance of academia accolades, or us trying to sound wiser than most by brilliant speech or the like, because that distract from the simplicity of the gospel. We want no praise for ourselves, period! It would be good for us to constantly bring this truth into focus whilst ministering. Jesus and His achievements alone must receive all the glory.

 

It’s the Apostle Paul who instructs, pay attention; “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:1-2) 

 

·        There is an appeal to the Christian – we are to present our bodies as a living sacrifice and the only way this is possible is to search out the mercies of God in our lives to achieve this objective. But the instruction is clear, we need to acknowledge the fact that we are no longer as important as we once believed, it’s no longer about our selfish wants, which almost always highlight sin in our lives. What is todays message, the world message? "When you start seeing you worth you will find it harder staying around people who don't." God's way is love you neighbour as yourself, its unconditional. It’s now all about the well-being of others and how we play our part in conforming them to the image of God and His holiness. This then is our spiritual worship.

 

·        How is this achieved? – In the mind, we are instructed not to be conformed to this world, which is open ended coaching. Almost everything the world teaches us to satisfy our carnal needs. We must learn to embrace the Lord Jesus’ example in every area of our lives and only then will we truly find the peace of God that surpasses all understanding. Think of the Martyrs that have gone before, Christianity cost them their lives and yet in the throes of death they were at peace. Stephen the very first Martyr had rocks crushing his skull and his lasts thoughts were about heaven with all its glory and forgiveness for the perpetrators. We know that the Lord Jesus in now seated at the right hand of God, nevertheless in this account in the book of acts we see him standing; “And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”” (Acts 7:56)  - “And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.” (Acts 7:59-60) 

 

·        The instruction is to have our minds renewed, reprogrammed if you like. And the only way this is achieved is by testing, which means by trial and error. Christianity is a marathon and not a sprint. The closer we walk with the Lord the harder the trial and yet the greater the peace. It’s through the trial of life that we learn to have our minds transformed into the image of Christ. Our minds must embrace the bigger picture, which is the will of God.

 

My conclusion then, regardless of the cross we will all have to carry and that obviously varies, nevertheless, we all have the potential to overcome, excuses only ever come from a place of our sinful cravings, which the Lord has already crushed. If we claim Christianity as our own then this will become our mantra; “For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” (Matthew 12:50) 

 

Its times to let go and let God, we must walk by faith, for without it is impossible to please God.

 

Signing out

 

Tyrone