The Power of an Anointed Mind
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Introduction
Introduction
Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.
I want us to notice today how Jesus approached his disciples: before Jesus could tell them how to think, he had to tell them how not to think:
There was a percentage of people in the crowd who thought that Jesus was coming to destroy the law and the prophets. This was wrong thinking. Wrong thinking matters, and right thinking matters. Wrong thinking has to be removed in order for right thinking to take over.
Jesus taught the people truth before ever telling them to go and take action. The reason for this is absolutely profound:
Some of you want to be used by God in the gifts of the Spirit.
Some of you want to be used by God in soul-winning.
Some of you have a dream for a particular ministry in you life.
What has held you back from pursuing your dreams? May I propose to you that it is not finances, it is not lack of talent, it is not even lack of skill. Those things are all important, and certainly we don’t have somebody do something when they don’t have the slightest clue what they are doing. Training is vital, but before that must come a dream, and that dream must be birthed within a heart that has an attitude that says,
Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content:
Many Christians have the misconception that to be content means that they are not to pursue their dreams. This is not true
This is not an effort by Paul to say that we should be “do nothings” and idle in the kingdom of God
If anyone was pursuing their dream of progress and revival, it was Paul.
The context reveals the real meaning in that while pursuing my dream, I will be content in whatever state I find myself in, in order to accomplish my dream.
That is why he went on to say:
I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
If Paul was talking about being content as a bump on a log in the church, then he would not have said that he can do all things through Christ.
If pursuing your dream means that sometimes you find yourself feeling a bit wore out - be content and get some rest! Your dream won’t go away overnight, not if it was from God! Just don’t burn out.
Someone said that if you don’t get away for a little while, you will wind up getting away for a long time. Burn out leads to quitting if you don’t understand the mindset of the lifelong pursuit of your dream in God.
Winning souls is a lifelong journey! Just because you have not seen fruit yet, don’t draw the unwise conclusion that the Bible does not work. The Word Works! What God needs is laborers in the field to help the lost understand God’s plan for their lives. I am talking about the basic plan of just living for God period!
When is the last time you shared your personal testimony with someone who does not attend church here?
Sometimes we allow rejection of the last experience stop us from doing the will of God because we are afraid that the next experience will be the same. This is one of the tactics of the devil to discourage the church!
Each experience is different, and if your last attempt at soul-winning was not so hot, then move on to somebody else and try again, but don’t draw the unwise conclusion that soul-winning just isn’t for you or that you have already paid you dues.
Do you want to know why Sis. McFarland is still on fire for the Lord? She is still telling people about God, even in her older years. Don’t ever get to the place where you think that you can’t share your faith with an unbeliever. If you have faith, you can accomplish anything!
Jesus said:
Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”
Jesus spoke this principal in context of a demon needing to be cast out of a man’s son, but the principal of believing applies to every area of our lives where we find challenges.
Jesus was constantly challenging the thinking of the people. That is how he built their faith. Jesus understood that faith could only be built upon the right foundation of thought patterns.
Jack Welch said, “The hero is the one with the ideas.”
The greatest detriment to many people’s success tomorrow is their thinking today. If their thinking is limited, so is their potential. If people can keep growing in their thinking, they will constantly outgrow what they are doing. Their potential will always be off the charts.
Victor Hugo said, “An invasion of armies can be resisted, but not an invasion of ideas.”
An idea, whether right or wrong, that captures the minds of a nation’s youth will soon work its way into every area of society, especially in our multimedia age. Ideas determine consequences.
Why do some people get promoted on the job, and others seem to stay at the same level their entire career? Here is the difference: People who get promoted are the ones who not only find their boss’s heart beat, but they also find creative ways to make the dream of their boss a reality by offering fresh ideas that will contribute to the overall dream of the corporation.
The goal is to add value to the idea and the thought by exceeding expectations when the initial question of, “What can we do to accomplish our dream is proposed.”
Novelist Leo Tolstoy observed, “Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.”
If you want to change your surroundings, start with yourself.
Albert Einstein asserted, “Thinking is hard work: that’s why so few do it.”
Recognize that only when you make the right changes to your thinking do other things begin to turn out right in your life.
Remember, no matter how old you are or what your circumstances may be, you can change your thinking.
• Change is personal - I need to change.
• Change is possible - I am able to change.
• Change is profitable - I’ll be rewarded by change.
Why do we fear the very thing that will bless us the most?
A belief is not just an idea that you possess; it is an idea that possesses you.
That which holds our attention determines our action.
Don’t ever be too impressed with mere goal setting, but do be impressed with goal-getting.
Going to the next level always requires changing your mind.
Do you want to become the person you always hoped you could be? If you do, don’t start by trying to change you actions. Start by changing your mind.
If you want to live on a new level, you have to think on a new level.
Success is OK so long as its seen as growth, not an end in itself. Could your past successes be getting in the way of your future success?
It all depends on how hungry we are for personal revival and the revival of the Church.
If we are content with church as usual, then we will never grow past where we are now. We must become desperate for a continual book of Acts moving of God‘s Spirit. We must continually think like the early church thought.
Here are some key points to consider about thinking as we wind things to a close today:
1. Changed Thinking Is Not Automatic
2. Changed Thinking is difficult
3. Changed thinking is worth the investment
4. Changed thinking is the best gift you can give others
5. Changing your thinking changes your beliefs
6. Changing your beliefs changes your expectations
7. Changing your expectations changes your attitude
8. Changing your attitude changes your behavior
9. Changing your behavior changes your performance
10. Changing your performance changes you’re your life.
11. It is at this point that we can live in the realm of the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
Some people don’t have an anointing on their life because they refuse the change that the Holy Spirit requires. Repentance by nature is change. You cannot have genuine repentance without change.
So also, even for us established saints, we cannot spiritually grow if at any point we become resistant to the good changes that God presents to us.
We are not talking about departing from doctrine here, we are talking about personal lifestyle. Personal lifestyle can only change when the engine of our lifestyle changes, and that engine is our thinking.
Quickly, What are some attributes of an anointed mind?
1. A mind in tune with the Holy Ghost
2. A mind that is humble
3. A mind that is not conformed to this world
4. A mind that is unified with the church
5. A mind that is continually being renewed
6. A mind that is positive on its outlook
7. A disciplined mind that is set on things above.
Ending statement: You may ask, “Bro. Treadwell, are you trying to change my mind?” My answer to that question is a definite no, but I am giving you the tools that you need to change your own mind! You see, I cannot change anyone. Change must come from an inner desire to become more like Jesus Christ Himself, and He gives us the strength to make those inner changes that are vital for spiritual growth.
Not even God will force a person to be blessed. We tell God that we want to be blessed, but we must become blessable in order for the Lord to be able to bless us.
How do we become blessable? By changing the way we think about our approach to God.
If you always think that God is angry with you and is out to get you, then it is going to be very hard to stop long enough in His presence to receive anything from God.
You will be so clammed up that God won’t even be able to say hello to you. It takes trust, and trusting takes faith.
That faith must produce an expression of love towards God that flows from our hearts on a regular basis. It is not enough to just say, “I love God”, but we must actually express that love to Him in our worship every day!
It starts with letting God anoint our minds and hearts with a desire for change. If you don’t desire change, then you won’t pursue it.
You may say, “yea, but I am just fine the way that I am.”
Yes, anybody can remain the same, but you won’t realize your potential, and you won’t realize what you have been missing out on in the realm of God’s treasure chest unless you allow God to stir your soul.
Anybody can remain the same and stop growing, but it takes a person of courage to say, “you know what, I only have one life to live, and I am making up my mind that I will make whatever changes in my thinking that I have to make in order to become what God wants me to be.”
