Looking Inward

February 6, 2021

For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

~Romans 8:6~

Let us focus on our minds today. The Lord formed us each with a brain to function our entire body, without it we would be unable to make our own decisions and actions, to fulfill our full potential. God created us with the ability to have free will, He didn't have to, He chose to because He loves us and respects us in ways we could never imagine. "And when you offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Lord , offer it of your own free will."

(Leviticus 22:29)

How we choose to use our free will has always been up to us. God never forces us to do anything. He waits for us to choose Him.

Our minds are the most vulnerable place for an attack on our spirits. If there is one place the devil constantly hits us, it is in our mind. "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." (II Timothy 1:7)

Satan attacks with ungodly emotions and desires, he does this through the mind. When he can get you to be in agreement with what he is presenting your mind, he can get you to sin, to slip away from praying or to turn away from God all together; this is his true end goal. He does not have true authority or power over us unless we give it to him willingly. When we follow Jesus we need to set our mind on Him; "Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth."

(Colossians 3:2)

For we know we are told to hate the things of this world as they are used as devices of the enemy. Distractions, hinderances and wicked customs take over as the god of this world deceives many. This is why Jesus tells us to focus on the kingdom and bringing heaven to earth as we renew our minds in Him. "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."

(Romans 12:2)

If we are renewing our minds in the Lord everyday and filling them with His word, goodness and Spirit; we will recognize quickly and conquer any opposing thought against the knowledge of God. Jesus shed His blood to redeem us completely from the spiritual hosts of wickedness and cast down every stronghold the devil tries upon us. It is, however, still our free will to choose to do so. If we ask for Jesus to help us to strengthen us so we can be ready for any attack on our minds, He is faithful to do so. "You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You."

(Isaiah 26:3)

It takes our willingness to rely on Him completely. We are all created with natural emotions and desires. These emotions are used against us as a tool by our enemy to act as an opening for him to work, in the very same way he uses sex, a natural created desire between man and woman, and twists it into perversion; he twists our emotions the same way. For instance, we become frustrated over an issue; we begin to let it build inside of us and as time goes on if we do not address it with Jesus and ask Him to take this frustration from us and give us a good attitude in its place it begins to build into anger. Eventually this turns into a loud outburst of anger we voice and as we let it continue to control us the devil makes his way in to use it for his plans. There are ways to address emotions with the Lord and ways to just ignore them and let them over take us in hazardous ways, spiritually and physically. The mind is a powerful connection to our spirit man. We must look inward at ourselves and align our thoughts to that of Jesus Christ. It is a matter of life and death. When we focus our minds on Him, we are focusing on the Life and Peace of God; "For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

(Isaiah 9:6)

Without truely making Jesus Lord over our entire life, we will leave room for the lusts of this world to take control of our thought process. We will become distracted easily. We will get thrown off by satans tactics. We will be hindered from our will for God. Let us be one step ahead of the devil and become one with the mind of Christ, aligning our inner self to Him so that when any carnal thought tries to come in we can eject it spiritually with the word of God. "Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind." (Matthew 22:37)

Our love for Jesus should be in all areas. As I have said, satan waits for an opportunity for us to waver with our faith and his power is very limited, therefore, the mind is where we need to protect ourselves most. Let us be in agreement with Christ alone. "Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion." (Romans 12:16)

We need to understand that we need the Lord's help everyday. We can't try to figure things out on our own or figure a way out according to our flesh. We must seek the Lord for help and ask Him to fill those areas in our mind that are under any attack. We will begin to open ourselves to the peace of God and the freedom Christ has to offer us.

The next time we begin to think in a certain way, we should stop and think to ourselves, "is this something Jesus would think or how he would react to this situation?" If the answer is no, then the next step would be to go to Him in prayer and ask for His divine intervention and He will always help. He loves us and this is what He wants for us. "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 2:5)

Stand for Jesus and be ready for total defeat against tricks and tactics the enemy will try. The Lord already won this battle for us long ago, it is our job to give it over to Him and receive peace.

Prayer:

Gracious God, thank you for the ability to have free will in my life. You never force anything upon me, yet I choose You. I am willing to submit my entire heart, soul and mind to You and know that You will help me each day to renew it in Your Son. I give praise for Your faithfulness even in times I let my emotions take contol, You have never given up on me. Glorify Your Name through me Jesus as I align my thoughts to Yours and my words to Your Word. Let those around me notice Your peace coming from me and strive for that closeness with You too. I pray more people focus on the kingdom over this world, that they find true peace in You and choose life over death. I pull down every stronghold satan may try upon my mind today and may all glory and honor be to You, Lord Jesus Christ, my Prince of Peace. Amen.