DAY NINE: “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bond-servant, and coming in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:5-7).
LET this mind be in you…
“But the unspiritual man simply cannot accept the matters which the Spirit deals with—they just don’t make sense to him, for, after all, you must be spiritual to see spiritual things. The spiritual man, on the other hand, has an insight into the meaning of everything, though his insight may baffle the man of the world. This is because the former is sharing in God’s wisdom, and ‘Who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?’ Incredible as it may sound, we who are spiritual have the very thoughts of Christ!“ (1 Corinthians 2:14-16, Phillips Translation).
We have the Mind of Christ the Bible tells us. We have access to His very thoughts. We have the Word of God in the Bible and we have the precious Holy Spirit as our Teacher and our Guide. It is imperative that we be sensitive to His still, small voice.
YOU are responsible for your own spiritual growth (Romans 12:1-2, Ephesians 4:22-24, 1 Peter 2:2). You must train you spirit to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit's direction.
HOW? 4 simple steps:
1. Meditate on the Word of God
I did a quick video on Christian Meditation HERE (what the Bible calls meditation is NOT what the world or Eastern Mysticism calls meditation). Bible-based meditation follows along the lines of Joshua 1:8 which says, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”
If you only read a scripture a day or breeze through a proverb for a minute in the morning, you will not train your spirit to be sensitive to the voice of God and the Mind of Christ. You must become intimately aware of and familiar with His voice and thoughts in the Scripture. These ARE His words and thoughts, after all.
2. DO and Practice the Word
“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was” (James 1:22-24).
Become a doer of the Word, and not a hearer only. If you're only hearing the Word in church or on television or CDs, and not DOING what the Word says, you're deceiving yourself. You're not following what God wants you to do.
When you encounter a trying situation in your everyday life, instead of reacting from your emotions or limited logic, stop. Consider if there is a scriptural principle which covers it.
You “LET” this mind of Christ be in you. You can do a “WWJD: What Would Jesus Do?” Stop and consider the Mind-of-Christ choice instead of the Mind-of-Susie or the Mind-of-Bob.
Example: Calling on the Mercy Card
I'm often reminded that “Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy” (Matthew 5:7). I have called on my “mercy card” a number of times over the years–during times I've blown it and have reminded the Lord of the occasions I chose to be merciful instead of merciless when someone did something hurtful to me.
I have drawn on my “mercy account” when there was no excuse for me whatsoever. I should have been creamed, excoriated, vilified, and fried, but I called on His mercy – reminding Him that I was merciful in the past to an employee, worker, waiter, company, friend, when I had every *right* to keep a mad-on for a good long time…and punish them.
I have said out of my mouth, “Lord, You said that ‘he who is merciful shall obtain mercy.' I was merciful in that situation that hurt me and made me mad. I forgave that employee.” (I'm thinking of one bit of nastiness in particular from several years ago when an employee at a copy shop was very rude to me. There was NO excuse in the natural for him and what he did and said to me. I wanted to report him to his employer, but the Lord prompted me to allow that measure of grace, that margin of error, that mercy. It was not an easy thing to do, but He knew more about this young man than I did.)
About a year later I needed to have mercy extended to me for something stupid and hurtful I did. The Lord reminded me of the incident when I showed His mercy to that copy shop employee. I had stored up some mercy by being merciful to that man. And I drew on my *mercy card.* Whew.
By DOING the Word when it was not convenient, I was able to call on the blessing, grace and mercy of God's Word when I needed it.
3. Give the Word First Place in Your Life
Don't “Yeah, but” when following God's ways are not convenient. For example, if things are tight financially, you may not want to tithe to your church, even though you know in God's Word it is important you do so (Malachi 3:10-11)–and your obedience indeed “opens the windows of heaven” for you and God Himself promises to “rebuke the devourer for your sake.”
If you say, “I don't care what circumstances may say; I'm going to do what the Bible says,” you are giving God's Word first place in your life. You will be blessed and prosper.
You are thinking along the lines of God's thoughts–the Mind of Christ.
4. Obey Instantly
The more you saturate your mind and heart with the Word of God by meditating on it, speaking it aloud (which would also include speaking the Word in your PraiseMoves workout!) and doing what the Bible says to do, you will become more and more sensitive to the voice of the Lord in your spirit.
God is Spirit (John 4:24), so He communicates with us through the Holy Spirit within our recreated human spirit. He is not a mind, so He does not communicate with our head, nor does He communicate with the feelings of our flesh (even though we may get “Holy Ghost goose bumps” from time to time, or sense the Presence of the Lord – we cannot rely on these sensations apart from the Word and the Way the Lord communicates to us within our spirit, who we truly are).
In fact, if we rely on the physical and mental realms, we can be easily deceived. This is part of the problem with New Age and yoga teachings which rely on spiritual, mental and metaphysical teachings apart from the Bible. The enemy (satan, whom Paul calls “the prince of the power of the air” in Ephesians 2:2), operates in this psychic realm and has deceived many (as I was for 22 years in the New Age and yoga – ages 7 to 29).
One of the first ways we recognize the leading of our spirit is what some call a “check” in their spirit–like a stop sign warning us to not go a certain way or say a certain thing. Some may call it a “gut reaction” or “something inside told me not to go” — or — “it just didn't sit right with my conscience.”
We all have a conscience (even non-believers). But once you become a born-again child of God, He gives you a new spirit with the Holy Spirit on the inside of your recreated human spirit.
As you develop your spiritual nature by meditating on the Word, doing the Word and giving the Word first place in your life, you will become more and more sensitive to the fine, precious, still, small voice of the awesomely wonderful, loving, powerful and sensitive Holy Spirit of God.
Not sure if you're hearing from God?
Remember that during this time of fasting, you will be more sensitive to the Lord's leading and voice. However, I like to say “When in doubt, don't.” If you are experiencing doubt, unsurety or uncertainty about a direction to go, stop. Don't go until you have a peace on the inside of your spirit about it. Pray and ask the Lord. See if there is scripture to line up with the situation.
Once you have that peace (what my husband Paul calls “the warm velvet feeling”) on the inside of your spirit, proceed in faith, praising God that He is leading and guiding you. He will not let you fail.
You HAVE the Mind of Christ! Now, LET this Mind be in you!
Please share your comments below – And if this has been helpful to you, please share via Facebook and Twitter–it may help someone else!
Previous Entries:
Radio Interview with Pastor Jentezen Franklin (author of “The Fasting Edge”)
DAY ONE – Delight in the Lord (instead of food?)
DAY TWO – Loosed from Wickedness
DAY THREE – Undo Heavy Burdens NOW
DAY FOUR – DO and then Feel
DAY FIVE – Oppressed, Go Free!
DAY SIX – YOU Break Every Yoke
DAY SEVEN – What are You Feeding On?
DAY EIGHT – Overcoming Temptation
Thank you, Laurette, for these articles each day! They are so Spirit led, so well written! What a blessing! Praising God for you and the PraiseMoves ministry today!!!
Denise – your words mean more than you know. I am so grateful to God, and to know this helps you in some way blesses me very much. It is an honor to be used by the Lord, isn’t it? Isn’t He Wonderful!? – well, the Word says that’s one of His names! hah! Wonderful! Glory to God! Have a blessed, blessed day!!!