Keeping Our Mind(s) Focused On Christ

     In the last post, I introduced the concept that we actually have multiple minds. At first glance, that might not seem like such a good thing since the Bible clearly states that a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways (James 1:8). But what if I told you that we actually have three distinct minds because we are three-part beings? Furthermore, that this verse will make much more sense at the end of this post?

     We have to start with the truth that God designed us with three distinct parts: body, soul, and spirit. There are many verses in the Bible that establish this fact, but 1 Thessalonians 5:23 makes it irrefutable ... may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The body is obviously our flesh or physical structure; bones, marrow, and all our organs, including the most important one [from Jesus's standpoint], our heart. The soul is our mind, will and emotions; or put another way, our emotional and intellectual capacity coupled with our behavior. And of course, our spirit is made in the image of God, "according to His likeness" (Genesis 1:26); it is the actual breath of the Almighty in us and we have a spiritual personality with its own mind. In fact, our body has a mind, with which we are all quite familiar; and our soul has its own unique mind, too.   

     If all this is new and foreign-sounding to you, don't worry -- most Christians are unaware of this truth even though the Bible shows us that our soul, heart, and spirit have minds in addition to our physical mind. We are all aware that we have a conscious mind, which enables us to be aware of the world and our experiences in it. This conscious mind operates as an element of our soul (mind, will and emotions), working with our human brain (physical mind) to develop thoughts based on information we process. But can you see how that might cause us problems if these thoughts [from our soul] don't align with God's will for our lives? That's why Paul warns us not to operate out of our soul's mind in Romans 12:2, 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. When the worldly mind of our soul is renewed  -- focused anew on the mind and will of God -- then we can truly become transformed into His likeness, thinking from His mind's perspective.

     Now, let's consider the mind of our heart. Proverbs 4:23 tells us to guard our heart because "out of it flow the springs of life". The heart is of utmost importance to our Savior. He longs to occupy the throne of our heart, having complete dominion over it, sharing it with no one else. And He places the Holy Spirit in the "Holy of Holies" portion of our heart, where we cannot be defiled. BUT, if Jesus does not own our whole heart, it becomes a battleground. The Spirit of God feeds spiritual insight into the heart, and the soul feeds carnal information into the heart. Then the subconscious mind of our heart processes that information and determines our reality and our identity. Proverbs 23:7 says, "For as he thinks in his heart, so is he".  We are not even conscious of our heart's mind, but if we let those thoughts of our heart determine our behavior and assign who we are, that reality comes in direct conflict with Christ occupying all of your heart.
     Christ wants to dwell in our hearts by faith (Ephesians 3:17) so that we might comprehend the nature of God and His love. But if there is any part of our heart not surrendered to Him, then the subconscious mind of our heart can be influenced by deception, sin, and ideologies/theology that undermine the power and authority of God in our lives.
     Then there is the totally new concept that I am digesting and coming to understand ... the mind of the human spirit is independent and autonomous of the mind of our soul. Remember, when we are saved our spirit is seated together in Heaven with Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:6).  The ideal goal is to get our soul's mind to be continually aware of [and sensitive to] the mind of our spirit so that we can become more like Jesus. How does that work, you ask? Remember, that Jesus only acted out of His humanity while on earth. So when He was able to hear what the Father was telling Him, and see what the Father was doing, His soul's mind was in tune with His human spirit's mind. He was able to receive understanding of God's desires and Heaven's perspective. So can we!! That is what is called revelation. 
     Because our human spirit has a mind, it acts as a Super-conscious mind. It works from the Heavenly perspective, and it knows what our soul is thinking and what our heart is thinking. If we could find a way to be in touch with our spirit's mind, it would solve a lot of the problems that we struggle with, but have no reference point to understand. It would give us the answers to all the areas in which we are broken; all the different levels of how God designed us. 
    We only have to look to Scripture to see that we can be broken on so many levels: How long will you torment me and break me in pieces with words? (Job 19:2). The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit (Psalm 34:18). He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds [healing their pain and comforting their sorrow] (Psalm 147:3). Can you see the broken souls, hearts and spirits? And can you see the part that our conscious, subconscious, and super-conscious minds play in whether we are broken or whole? It is Christ who heals us and binds up our wounds and restores all the broken parts. But we must focus all of our minds on Him! If we can program our souls and hearts to be submissive to our spirit, we would be able to interface with Christ in Heaven and come into alignment with God's Kingdom and walk in wholeness, because in Him all things hold together. And isn't that what we all yearn for ... to be fully restored and complete in holiness and righteousness?

Thank you to the teachings of Daniel Duval of Bride Ministries, who pointed me to Scripture, which was illuminated by the Holy Spirit. I am grateful to God for expanding my knowledge and for the journey I am on to be and think and act more like Jesus. Give me more, Father!

1 Thessalonians 5:23     Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you through and through [that is, separate you from profane and vulgar things, make you pure and whole and undamaged—consecrated to Him—set apart for His purpose]; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept complete and [be found] blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Word of God: The Light Switch Just Came On!

     Have you ever read over a familiar group of verses, thinking you knew and understood their meaning and significance -- only to read them one more time and it was like the Holy Spirit suddenly flooded your mind with a bright light and you didn't just see the surface of the words, but now you could see the depth and width and height of the Word? And you suddenly understood how we, as the Church and the Body of Christ, have had trouble seeing and embracing the scope of what the Word is trying to reveal.
     That's what happened as I read 1 Corinthians, Chapter 12. If you've been in the Word for awhile, then you know that this has become a very difficult and contentious chapter for the family of God. It's the chapter [along with Chapter 14] that has caused quite a lot of division and questions among various Christian denominations in the current theological climate we find ourselves. The chapter concerns Spiritual Gifts, and Believers want to debate this subject from whatever doctrinal viewpoint has been established by church leadership.
     But since the Holy Spirit has shown me that I can trust the Word itself for understanding, I do not want to shortchange God by always adopting the "acceptable" interpretation. I will also admit that it has been difficult to turn off the indoctrination voice in my mind and try to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit as He teaches my spirit and reveals the depths of God's Word. That is why I return to this chapter over and over. And just yesterday, the Spirit turned on another light switch!

     It is actually a very simple message given in 1 Corinthians 12:4-6, which gives us a complete picture of how God, the Holy Spirit, and Jesus work with us to expand the kingdom of God on earth. But as usual, our conscious mind (our brain working with our soul) takes dominance over our subconscious mind (the mind of our spirit), and we get stuck on verse 4 about the distribution of the spiritual gifts and never see God's whole agenda. [NOTE: if the concept that your spirit has a mind and can work independently of your body/soul mind is new, I will discuss how that keeps us from operating in full cooperation with God in the next post].
     For now, let's just realize that getting preoccupied with which spiritual gift(s) we have. or how we are to operate out of them, can keep us from walking in the full revelation of how God manifests His kingdom in the earthly realm.
     So, let's take a look at the full context of 1 Corinthians 12:4-6. And we're going to exegete them from the Passion Translation because I believe it explains the interface and connection between the Holy Spirit, Jesus, and the Father in using His people to influence the earth. Here is what those verses say:

⁴ It is the same Holy Spirit who continues to distribute many different varieties of gifts.
⁵ The Lord Yahweh is one, and He is the one who apportions to believers different varieties of ministries.
⁶ The same God distributes different kinds of miracles that accomplish different results through each believer’s gift and ministry as He energizes and activates them.

     First, it is very important to recognize that these verses establish that the Holy Spirit, Jesus (referred to as Lord Yahweh), and God are One; they are three distinct "personalities", if you will, of the One True God. I think the Book of John, establishes this quite well .... In John 10:30, Jesus says quite clearly,  I and the Father are One.  Then, He goes on in Chapter 14 to elaborate: To know Me is to know My Father (verse 6), --- and I will ask the Father and He will give you another Savior, the Holy Spirit of Truth, who will be to you a friend just like me—and He will never leave you. The world won’t receive Him because they can’t see Him or know Him. But you will know Him intimately, because He will make His home in you and will live inside you.... So when that day comes, you will know that I am living in the Father and that you are one with me, for I will be living in you (verses 16-20).

     Now, let's go back and look at 1 Corinthians 12, and see how simply God lays out His plan to work through us to expand His Kingdom on earth. Verse 4 says that God, as the Holy Spirit, distributes the many different varieties of spiritual gifts (which are the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, the gifts of faith, healing, power to work miracles, prophecy, discernment, speaking different kinds of tongues, and interpretation of tongues). 
     Then verse 5 says that Jesus, as Lord Yahweh (God) allocates certain ministries to certain people [by His grace] and those ministries are apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. Then verse 6 says that this same God (the same as Holy Spirit and Jesus) distributes different kinds of miracles [or empowerment] that accomplish different results [the results He wants] through our gifts and ministries, as He energizes and activates them. And how does He do that? By the same Holy Spirit that Jesus says lives in us and is Him.
     Isn't that a most excellent picture of both a symbiotic and beautiful relationship? The Holy Spirit; Jesus, our Savior; and God our Heavenly Father interact in a mutually beneficial relationship that both benefits Them and us! And it couldn't be laid out any plainer or simpler.... The Holy Spirit gives the spiritual gifts; Jesus assigns ministries; and then God equips those gifts and ministries with His power [miracles] to accomplish His will.
     Yet, what do we do? We try to make it more difficult than it was designed to be. We argue over whether speaking in tongues is Scriptural for our age or not. We fight among ourselves over the calling of a fellow Christian because his ministry doesn't look like ours. We don't even believe God does miracles anymore because we don't see them. And why is that? Either because we don't believe God can empower us, or we believe in our own power more. 
     But all of this antagonism and conflict serve only to distract us from what Scripture clearly says. God shows us how He has planned for the Church to walk in His power and authority to take back dominion of the earth. But the Church only moves forward in expanding God's Kingdom when we align ourselves with Him and His agenda. Why don't we let God enable us to become fully equipped [as He has shown us in these three important verses] as we operate in our gifts and ministries by the wise use of His power? It's time we get out of His way and the Church gets over itself. It delights the Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit to give us these gifts; to see us use the power of Heaven to take back dominion of the earth. Until we fully commit to represent Them on the earth, follow Their agenda, and serve God in our assignments with joy and cooperation, I'm afraid our efforts to build up the Church will continue to fall short. Pray for Spirit-led understanding and obedience!

Proverbs 19:21     "A person may have many ideas concerning God’s plan for his life, but only the designs of His purpose will succeed in the end".
 

    

Finding Our Place In The Lord

     Today, I find myself being particularly introspective. Perhaps it's because of the experiences I have had with a variety of Believers through our Deliverance Ministry; or what the Holy Spirit is speaking to Mark and I. But I sense a real desire among people committed to Jesus to find their place "in Him".
    That phrase -- to be "in Christ", or to be "in the Lord" -- is such an intrinsic part of the New Testament Gospel, occurring 164 times in the letters of Paul alone. But what does it mean, and how do we get there? Scripture tells us that He abides [dwells, continues, persists] in us, and we, in Him. If I may simplify this concept, I think it means that we have a relationship with the Lord that is so intimate and personal, that we are necessary parts of a whole. We are codependent on Jesus, if that is acceptable to you.
     But, as I go through my own process of uniting with Christ, I am aware that my fellow Believers are each uniquely involved in their own discovery of where they fit "in Him". As we so often hear these days, Christians are struggling with their identities in Christ. Trying to figure out who you are, and your purpose in life, is a universal effort for everyone as they grow into their maturity. But it is particularly sensitive for Christians because I think we feel we are supposed to automatically be confident in who we are -- it comes with the territory the moment we recognize Christ as our Savior, right?
     But as I meet all kinds of people who love the Lord -- whether through ministry or friendships -- it is becoming apparent that the Holy Spirit is working through individual lives to renew what it means to know your identity in Christ. Let me see if I can make this statement a little clearer ... For so long, so many of us have been trained that our identities derive from Church doctrine based primarily on the writings of Paul. But we must remember that Paul had a specific purpose -- he was assigned with the task of teaching the early church how to distinguish themselves from the unbelieving cultures [and nations] around them; to move from a self-centered, carnal existence to a unified body of believers that could represent a new governing body on earth: the kingdom of God. It was necessarily a corporate model where believers found uniformity and strength in a unified body.
     Now I am seeing that the Holy Spirit is calling believers to their personal identities! As the time of Jesus's return nears, it seems as if the Spirit is calling people to personal account; what are we doing for the Kingdom? Because I will tell you that I have been discouraged by the lack of work for the Kingdom on the part of the corporate Church. And I'm not the only one. Individuals are not being fulfilled or fed within the Church walls to bring in the harvest of the Lord. People are no longer satisfied to be identified by a denomination or their "Church family". The Spirit is awakening a desire within the hearts of believers to walk closer to Jesus and to experience the spiritual gifts that Paul says are the right of every Believer.
     And when you consider how many times Jesus spoke to the hearts of individuals, we see that He does have a purpose for each individual in His Kingdom. He not only spoke to huge crowds, but ministered directly to the woman at the well, the Samaritan woman, the woman caught in adultery, Jairus, Lazarus, the thief on the cross, and countless others that are not recorded in Scripture. And I think we find it difficult to find that kind of recognition within the corporate model. In fact, I think it is hard to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit if there is no encouragement to find your own path in the Kingdom. After all, we are each uniquely crafted to serve the King, and it would be wonderful if our uniqueness was commended and enthusiastically praised as a significant part of the whole Body. Unfortunately, we often find that if we don't fit within the "accepted" pattern of our corporate community, we are relegated to the back row, or even more sadly, ignored.
     That's why I think we are seeing more individuals moving away from the corporate building in search for their relevance in the Kingdom through their personal experiences with Jesus and the Holy Spirit. I see the King validating them in the role He would have them play in advancing His Kingdom; leading them and teaching them to walk in a specific assignment He has given them; THEN uniting them with others who are walking in their own unique Kingdom identities. In this way, each member of the Body of Christ is truly walking in close relationship with Jesus, and validated by Him, while excited to join with others in mutual encouragement and harmony. That is what I think the Church was designed to be!
     So, I want to encourage each and every one of you that you are uniquely and wonderfully made to serve our King, Jesus! He has known you from the foundations of the world and has determined that you were to be here, in this very place and time, connected to Him through His Holy Spirit who is eager to guide you and counsel you on what you bring to the Kingdom. Make HIM your priority in all you do and say. See HIM when you look in the mirror. And listen for HIS voice to tell you who you are. The identity the devil wants to give you is a lie. The identity the world wants to give you is false. And the identity the Church has assigned you may be incomplete. When you can walk in the fullness of your identity as a Child of the Living God; unique in your purpose and assignment, and in peace and harmony with your fellow heirs of the Kingdom, then you will have truly found your place in the Lord. Rest in that!

Romans 8:28     So we are convinced that every detail of our lives is continually woven together to fit into God’s perfect plan of bringing good into our lives, for we are His lovers who have been called to fulfill His designed purpose.

Hearing The Voice Of God

     Contrary to what a certain daytime talk show host declared, it does not mean you are mentally ill if God or Jesus or the Holy Spirit talks to you. In fact, it is a healthy part of our relationship, to be in communication with Them. Throughout the Bible, we are given encouragement to talk to, and to hear from God.  Jeremiah 33:3 says, Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known. John 10:27, My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow me. John 8:47, Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God. Acts 13:2, While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
     These are but a few of the examples that show us we can [and should] be hearing from God. And as always, Jesus is our example. He says in John 5:30, I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of Him who sent me. Jesus is making it clear to us that hearing from God is a vital component to living a life that pleases the Father and satisfies ourselves. But how do we do that? And how can we trust that what we are hearing is actually God's voice and not our own, or even the devil's?

     I believe that God is always talking to us, but our lives are so busy and hectic that it is difficult to hear Him. We have so many distracting "noises" in our everyday life that they drown out the sound of His voice. I contend that it is important to quiet ourselves in the presence of the Lord. However that looks like to you, it is necessary if you are going to hear Him. Whether it is closeting yourself in your prayer room, or by going to the garden of your heart, or making an appointment with Him in the dark hours of the early morning, you must find a way to meet with God in order to hear what He has to say to you. And I believe that the more you do this, the easier it will be to hear [and recognize] His voice in the midst of your daily noise.
      And I will tell you that I am jealous of those who hear the audible voice of God. There is no mistaking it for your own voice, and of course, there is no doubt as to His will or direction in that moment. I will tell you, that for me, His voice often comes as spontaneous thoughts; or as an idea, a word of knowledge, or a feeling. In other words, if I am in a quiet place, meeting with God about a specific situation, I will suddenly have a spontaneous (unrehearsed, unforced) thought that will give me an answer or a direction. It won't be something that I have analyzed and dissected beforehand, but will be clear and precise and will sound like my own thoughts, but not analytical or well-organized from prior examination.
     These thoughts will sound like me, but actually be wiser, more loving, more healing and more intentional than my mind's thoughts, which can randomly wander. I instinctively know where they come from; that it is Jesus flowing through my heart and combining with my mind to present His and the Father's will.  And more often than not, this sudden spontaneous thought will illicit a reaction in my soul-- a sense of excitement at recognizing His voice; a heartfelt conviction that I am hearing His truth; and a sense of awe or peace. And the more I have trained myself to get in that quiet place, the easier it has become to hear Him.
     As I mentioned before, I have learned that if my thoughts run towards the analytical or overly organized and structured, then they are most likely my own thoughts, and I need to re-quiet myself and re-focus on Jesus. And if my thoughts tend towards the negative and line up with the characteristic names of the devil -- such as Liar, Accuser, Thief, or Adversary -- then they are thoughts that have crept in from demonic influence. If I am hearing God correctly, my thoughts will be positive and spontaneous; corresponding to the characteristic names of the Holy Spirit as my Counselor, my Comforter, and the Spirit of Truth and Wisdom.
     But the key to effectively hearing from God is to focus on Jesus's heart -- to get my heart in alignment with His. And how do I best do that? By fixing my spiritual eyes on His heart. Whatever I am focusing on will effect the accuracy of what I am hearing from God. Let me give you an example: If I am praying about a financial need and asking God for direction or a word of encouragement, and the eyes of my heart are fixated on that need, or the hardship I am suffering, or the fear that accompanies the consequences of that need not being met, then what I hear from God will not be His pure Truth, but will be muddied by my vision of that need. His response will most likely be unclear or confusing, and I will remain in a state of anxiety, while trying to convince myself everything will be OK.
     But if I fix the eyes of my heart solely on Jesus and His heart, present my need, and remain focused on Him, I will hear Him loud and clear -- a spontaneous reminder of Jeremiah 29:11 will come to my mind: For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. I instantly know that came from Him; that I was not trying to remember Scripture or searching my mind for an appropriate verse that I could attribute to Him.
     Let me give you another example. If I am praying for someone's headache to go away and the eyes of my heart are fixated on the headache and what I am doing, and not focused on Jesus, then I am, in effect, making that headache an idol -- I am fixated on it, instead of Jesus. What I should be doing is the following: watching and seeing what Jesus is doing in that moment. Is He laying His hands on the person's head? Is He rebuking the spirit behind the headache? Is He asking the person to repent of bitterness or anger? What is He doing and saying?
     So, if you are not hearing from God when you are praying to Him, then might I suggest that you examine the way you are praying and where the eyes of your heart are focused? If I am suffering through a season where I do not hear His voice, then I know it's time to evaluate. When I am praying about a specific situation, am I focusing on the person who is frustrating me, instead of on Jesus? Am I looking at my sin, instead of the One who takes away my sin? Am I centering in on those who have hurt me, rather than He who heals my wounds? If the answer is yes, to any of these questions, then I must repent for having the eyes of my heart fixed on what I'm praying about, rather than the One I'm coming to in prayer.
     When I am seeking the voice of the Lord, I am only to be fixated on His heart! That's when the spontaneous flow from His heart to my mind occurs and I hear Him! And there isn't a sweeter, more soothing voice in all the universe than the voice of the One who loves me and desires to answer my call. And it isn't all that hard to hear Him. It just takes practice and a willingness to spend the time in learning to recognize His voice. As Jesus so often said during His short ministry, He who has an ear, let him hear....

Deuteronomy 4:12     Then the Lord spoke to you out of the midst of the fire. You heard the sound of words, but saw no form; there was only a voice.