Renewed Thinking
Rom 12:1- 2 I beseech you
therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies
a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable
service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye
transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is
that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Most, if not all, that claim to be a Christian, will say they believe
the entire Bible. But when it comes to putting that into action, many
fail to live what it teaches. There are many reasons for this. For some
it's the way they were brought up, for others it's where they attend
church. For many it's just plain tradition. This is the way Mama and
Daddy did it and I do it also.
It boils down to this, they are not thinking right. We must renew our
mind and forget the old way of thinking. We are new. Many of these have
been Born Again. (Some have not and have just joined a church but have
not become part of the body of Christ.)
This message is to those who have repented and received Christ as
Saviour and Lord. Those who have are part of the body of Christ. His
Spirit dwells in them but they are not thinking right and are not being
led by the Spirit. Rom 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
This is why we must let the Spirit lead us. A major part of this is
living the truth of the word of God. The Word of God came by the Spirit
of God.
Acts 17:28 For in him we
live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets
have said, For we are also his offspring.
1 Cor 12:27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
2 Cor 5:17 Therefore if any man be
in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold,
all things are become new.
2 Cor 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Eph 2:8-9 For by grace are ye
saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Gal 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not
I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh
I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself
for me.
1 John 4:17 Herein is our
love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment:
because as he is, so are we in this world.
The above scriptures tell us what and who we are in Christ. Please
grasp this, we don't become this by our works or our efforts, as some
would say. This is what God did for us when we repented and received
Christ! This is the area in which the devil deceived Eve and Adam. The
devil told them if they did something they would be like God. Beloved,
they were already like God, created in His image and had His Spirit in
them. They were not like God by their efforts; God made them like
Himself!
Almighty God made us, who are in Christ, new. We were dead and could do
nothing, worth while, in the Kingdom of God. God in His grace and mercy
reached out to us, not the other way around. 2
Cor 3:18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory
of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even
as by the Spirit of the Lord. As we read and study the word of
God we see what Christ is like and that is what we are like in Him! As
He is so are we in this world, not only when we get to heaven.
We are created for good works, not by good works we do. We don't need
to become righteous, we are righteous. All we need is to find out what
and who we are in Christ and live that. To do this requires we learn to
think with the mind of Christ. 1 Cor 2:16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
If we continue to think as we did before receiving Christ we will never
live the Christ-like life. As long as we continue to talk and think as
a sinner we will not be different. This is the way the devil keeps some
in bondage. We have been set free by the finished work of Jesus Christ.
We don't work to become saved, we work because we are saved! Just like
a bird doesn't fly to become a bird, but because that is what God
created him to do.
If we believe what the Word of God says about us, let's live it and
show our faith by our works. Jesus said in Revelations, to all the
churches, that He knows us by our works. Our deeds show if we believe
or not. Do you believe that as He is so are we in this world? Do you
believe that you are the righteousness of God in Christ? If so quit
listening to flesh tell you that you are not. Let the Spirit lead you,
not flesh. Hear what the Spirit says. Rom
8:8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. Rom 8:9 But
ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of
God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is
none of his.
Lord God, I ask You to open our
spiritual eyes and ears to hear what Your Spirit is saying to us in
this very hour. Let us hear Your voice and another we will not follow.
Help us to understand who we are in You and stop looking at what we
were and see what we are. Lead us into all truth. We ask and believe we
receive in the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
