“Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:6-7 NKJ
Just recently I had a conversation with a good friend whom I have also been mentoring in the Word for several years. In our conversation she told me of an experience she had just walked through and her response to it. Then she said she told God, “This isn’t me. This is what Holly does.” We laughed because her response was so funny. Then I said, “No this is what Jesus does and you are beginning to experience what that is like.” She knew that was true but her reaction to the situation had been so drastically different from past reactions that it felt a little uncomfortable, and the best way to approach it was to make light of it.
We continued our conversation and she shared how her entire thought process is changing and how she feels like she is becoming a completely different person. I hear this a lot from people who begin to operate in the mindset of Christ on a daily basis. And it does feel uncomfortable at first because there is a total transformation taking place and you are no longer thinking, speaking, or acting from the flesh. For most people this can be a very scary process because you are no longer the one in control when you give the Holy Spirit permission to speak to you and teach you.
No one likes to feel out of control because we spend our entire lives trying to gain control over our thoughts, words, and actions and we try to make life happen in a way that we know we can handle. But when we do this we are actually creating a life that is completely out of control and our thoughts, words, and actions are driven by our emotions and humanistic reasoning. When one comes to understand this and they begin to submit to God’s will for their life there is a period of time when operating in the mindset of Christ feels like jumping out of an airplane without a parachute.
The first time I went skydiving I remember wondering if my chute was going to open. The initial fall was so scary and for that brief moment I wondered if I had completely lost my mind! But the moment my chute opened and I began to float peacefully through the sky I saw the world from a new prospective. The sights were breathtaking and I couldn’t believe what it felt like to be flying through the air. Once I landed on the ground I wanted to board the plane and do it again! I was overwhelmed with a joy I can’t even describe in words. I felt like I had conquered one of the greatest feats in my life which was facing my fear of being completely out of control and at the mercy of the wind and the equipment on my back!
This is exactly what happens when you begin to submit your life to the will of God and begin to operate in the mindset of Christ. At first it is a scary experience because you are no longer controlling your thoughts, will, and emotions. And you are no longer controlling your words and your actions. You have put your complete faith in the Holy Spirit (wind) and your equipment (the Word, prayer, and armor of God). But I can tell you that once the initial feelings of fear leave and you begin to experience the peace of Christ inside of you, words can’t even describe what that feels like. You begin to see the world from a new prospective and it is such a breathtaking experience that when you land on the other side of a situation, you will want to do it again!
Making the decision to operate in the mindset of Christ is in coming to understand that you are not on this earth just to survive another day. You are on this earth for a purpose that God preordained before the foundations of the earth were formed. He has placed a calling on your life that only He knows how to accomplish. 2 Timothy 1:9 says, “who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began,” The friend I spoke of at the beginning of this devotion has begun to understand this and that is why she has made the decision to submit herself to the will of God in her life. This is also why she has chosen to seek Him for understanding when it comes to operating in the mindset of Christ. She is beginning to know who she is IN Christ and has a desire to fulfill His purpose for her life! Because she has come to this understanding she has been willing to give the Holy Spirit permission to speak to her and to teach her the truths of God’s Word.
This is my desire for the entire body of Christ because I know when every Christian comes to this place of understanding then we will begin to see the body of Christ operating as ONE IN Christ. This is when we will see the ministry and works that Jesus promised manifesting on a regular basis. It is when we will experience what the people experienced in the book of Acts! I want you to know that what I have experienced and my friend is experiencing is available to you as well. And I promise that what you will see, feel, and experience will be so breathtaking and peaceful that you will have a desire to experience it over and over again. In the following days we will uncover what it means to operate IN the mindset of Christ and what He promises for those who believe by faith that what you ask of Him IN His will, He WILL perform in your life.
Prayer: As I choose to submit my mind, will, and emotions to You I believe by faith that You will perform Your Word in my life as I come to know who I am IN You! I believe by faith that You did not give me a spirit of fear, but You gave me Your Spirit of power, love, and a sound mind. I praise You for calling me with a holy calling according to Your purpose and I desire to fulfill that purpose, so I choose to submit my mind to be taught by Your Spirit. Amen
No comments:
Post a Comment