TURN YOUR MIND OVER TO CHRIST!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY OCTOBER 15, 2020.

SUBJECT : TURN YOUR MIND OVER TO CHRIST!

Memory verse: "And do not conformed to this world: but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God

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(Romans 12 vs 2.)

READ: Ephesians 4 vs 17 - 24:

4:17: This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind,
4:18: having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; 
4:19: who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
4:20: But you have not so learned Christ,
4:21: If indeed you have heard Him, and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus:
4:22: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,
4:23: and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,
4:24: and that you put on the new man, which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

INTIMATION:

The mind is the faculty that encompasses the reflective thinking of the brain and the emotional thinking of the heart. It’s the seat of reflective consciousness, comprising the faculties of perception and understanding, and those of feeling, judging, and determining. Turning your mind over to Christ is allowing the Spirit of Christ—the Holy Spirit—to control the functions of the mind enumerated above, thereby ensuring that it will be in conformity with the will of God. Through the Holy Spirit believers have the mind of Christ; the mind that works in perfect harmony with the will of the Father. When our minds are so controlled we begin to know God’s thoughts, talk with Him, and expect His answers to our prayers. 

Christians are not to copy the behavior and customs of this world that are usually selfish and often corrupting. Wise Christians decide that much worldly behavior is off limits for them. Your refusal to conform to this world’s values, however, must go even deeper than just behavior and customs; it must be firmly planted in our mind: Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think when you turn your mind over to Him. And it’s only when the Holy Spirit renews, re-educates, and redirects our mind are we truly transformed. 

The mind committed to Christ is directed by purposes that are higher than the material world and the ambitions of the selfishly driven individual. The thinking of the Christian is to be on those things that will last beyond the existence of this world. Therefore, he is not to engage his thinking in those things that would divert his life from the eternal purposes of God. The believers must not center their thoughts and actions around those things that pertain to the desires of the world. The mind of the sacrificed individual is different from the mind of the one who is consumed by the things of this world.

God takes the initiative in all that concerns our relationship with Him. He initially made the move to save us by given His only Son as a propitiation for our sins. When we accept all He has done for us in redemption, and turn our lives over to Him, He, by His Holy Spirit, builds into us the desire to obey Him. The Bible notes in Philippians 2 vs 13, “For it is God who works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.” God work’s in us as we have responded to His work for us. He worked for us through the cross. When we are motivated into action by the redemptive work of God, then we work according to His purposes. And when we work according to the purposes of God, it is God who works in us.

The Bible, in Isaiah 26 vs 3, says, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” We can never avoid strife in the world around us, but when we fix our thoughts on God, we can know perfect peace even in turmoil. As we focus our mind on God and His Word, we become steady and stable. Supported by God’s unchanging love and mighty power, we are not shaken by the surrounding chaos. 

Living the Christian life is a process, and every Christian is a continuing education program. The more we turn our mind to Christ, know more of Him and His work, the more we are being changed to be like Him. Because this process is lifelong, we must never stop learning and obeying. There is no justification for drifting along, but there is an incentive to find the rich treasures of growing in Him. It takes practice, ongoing review, patience, and concentration to keep in line with His will. When we decide to accept Christ’s gift of salvation, it is both a one time decision, as well as a daily conscious commitment. 

Prayer: Abba Father, thank You for the gift of the Holy Spirit; my Helper, my Advocate, my Intercessor, my Comforter, my Counselor, my Strengthener, my Standby, my Encourager, and my Empowerer. I completely turn over my mind to You, that You take over my thoughts, words, and actions, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!