Refreshed and Renewed mind pt2

. Last weekend we began talking about the mind of Christ and the mind of God, how throughout all of scripture and throughout all human history God has had a focused mind, he has always had complete clarity regarding his plan redemptive plan for humanity.

. Jesus was never confused about his purpose while he was on earth, his mind was always stayed on the hid father and upon the word.

. we spoke about the fact that God desires for us to be able to have this same clarity in our minds and in our thoughts, but it requires transformation according to

Romans 12:2 NKJV

And do not be 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.

. we finished on this scripture in

1 Corinthians 2:16 NKJV

For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

. We to are able and in fact its the intention and desire of God that we have the mind of Christ, a mind that is stable, a mind that has focus and clarity, a mind that is transformed and renewed.

. free from the rubbish of the world and all the things in the natural that want us to take our thoughts away from the supernatural God.

. We need to be ever aware that though we live in the natural realm, there is also the spiritual realm that is just as real, we just cannot see it.

. we need to be aware that our enemy wants us to forget about the spirit realm and the things of God and get caught up and focused on the natural which is everything that we see and hear around us.

. and this is where having the mind of Christ comes into play.

. Jesus while on earth was confronted by all the some temptations we all are, he was faced with the same worldly troubles that all other people during his time were.

. in the same way his mind and his thoughts also would have been bombarded by all kind of thoughts and all kinds of distractions that were being sent to distract him from his purpose.

. So how was Jesus able to keep his mind stayed on his father in heaven, on the word of God and on his purpose??

. I believe this passage in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 gives us some insight!

2 Corinthians 10:2–5 NKJV

But I beg you that when I am present I may not be bold with that confidence by which I intend to be bold against some, who think of us as if we walked according to the flesh. For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,

. Bringing every thought into captivity!! this is a really interesting though! and one that i want to unpack toady.

. What do picture when you think of taking something or somebody into captivity??

. The picture that i got so clearly this week when thinking about this was like what you would see in a spy or war movie, when somebody is captured behind enemy lines.

. that person is taken a bound, often put into a cell for a time where they are confined.

. and then while they are in captivity then comes the interrogation! where they are questioned about absolutely everything. because those who caught want to know everything that this person knows.

. They want to know who sent them? are they all or are there more? where did you come from? who or what are you connected to?

. And then after they get all the information that they need, they deal with the captive accordingly (it usually doesn't end well for that person!)

. This is something i believe we are to do with our thoughts, when we take a thought captive, we don't just leave it to sit there! what if one day it escapes??

. When we recognize a thought that is not of God and is not something that would be found in the mind of Christ (which we are able to have remember!)

. We need to take it captive and begin to interrogate this thought as we know that a lot of this stuff comes from the enemy who fights in the spiritual.

. and we need to ask these question who sent you? though we should already know this one, but these others questions are so important!

.where did you come from mean, how where you allowed to enter my mind in the first place?

. Then find out if this thought is a lone thought or if it is connected to other thoughts that might be trying to distract us from having the mind of Christ!

. what are you connected to?

. you see by doing this and interrogating these thoughts we can find out the root cause and deal with them in such a way that they never come back and we deal with all the thoughts and doubts that are connected to them!

. This is all a part of us learning to have the mind of Christ so that we can have a mind with clarity and focus as Jesus did, he needed to deal with these things as well.

. We need to remember that our fight is in the spiritual and that we need to deal with these things as if we are in warfare because we are!

. take these thoughts captive and interrogate them until we find all all we need to know and then we need to deal with them accordingly! kill them off, so that they cannot come back.

.Lets pray