Its true the Bible does say in Isaiah 55 that His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than ours … but have you ever realised that if that was all the Bible said about our thinking then we could never expect to be anything other than stupid, never knowing the thoughts of God !! Thank God today that the Bible doesn’t stop there, it has a lot more to say about the mind and the way we think .. In fact it tells us that we can experience and know God thoughts … so how do we get there ?
Firstly we have to make a conscious choice about the things that we allow into our minds and what we think about …
Collosians 3:2 (NIV)
Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
Secondly we are called to be made new in the attitude of our minds …
Eph 4:23 (NIV)
to be made new in the attitude of your minds;
Remember that the Holy Spirit is the agent of the renewal:
Titus 3:5 (NIV)
He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,
So as we set our minds on the things above, and as we allow the Holy Spirit to work in our lives He renews our attitudes and the thoughts of our mind …
Thirdly as we set our minds on things above, as we allow the Holy Spirit to renew and refresh us in the area of our attitudes, then the next thing we are required to do is to no longer conform to the pattern of this world ..
Romans 12:2 (NIV)
Do not conform any longer 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.
As we fix our minds on things above, as we allow the Holy Spirit to refresh and renew us in the area of our attitudes, we are now called to apply those truths and thoughts and attitude changes that the Holy Spirit brings into our minds, literally to put them to work or bring them into action in our daily lives … literally to reject the way the world thinks and behaves and now to think and behave in a way that pleases God ..
Remember that a mind that's not under the influence of God is in opposition to Him. It always goes contrary to His ways. And since God's ways are right, then a mind without the influence of the Holy Spirit will think wrong.
Romans 8:5 (NIV)
Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.
Now you might say .. “hang on there I have made Jesus Lord of my life” ... just because you've made Jesus Lord doesn't mean you'll automatically think God's thoughts. You only begin thinking God's thoughts when you think on those things above and begin to fill your mind and heart with the Word of God and make yourself subject to the leading of the Holy Spirit.
We have already seen that Romans 12:2 calls that process "the renewing of your mind." Remember it teaches that process will transform you. Why does it have such a dramatic effect? Because when you change your mind, you change your choices-and that changes everything.
Today you can have the mind of Christ and literally have God's thoughts on your minds so can I encourage you to learn to allow the Holy Spirit to influence the way you think as you read through the Bible, as you pray, as you think heavenly thoughts. Allow Him to change your mind!
1 Corinthians 2:16 (NIV)
“For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
For the King and His Kingdom
Pastor Martyn
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