Thy Kingdom & A Renewed Mind

Scripture Reading:

Matthew 6:9-13...Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Matthew 8:23-26...And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. And, he saith unto them, “Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith: Then, he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. Authorized KJV.

A mighty ship was in a raging storm at sea a few years ago. Everyone on board that day was rocking and rolling with the waves. The crew was even fearful for their lives. Many on board, I'm sure, were praying to their god that day...'HELP'! Except for a small group of passengers. There they were sitting peacefully within the ship singing praises to their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Whether they lived, or whether they died, their hearts were at peace knowing the Lord kept them fully secure in His presence.

When asked how come they had no fear over this dreadful storm, one man turned to them and said, “We've all died already. We don't fear the wind or the waves. It is Christ now who lives deep inside our hearts.” “We're not afraid!” They all had been transformed by the renewing of their minds through Christ Jesus. They were content trusting the God of their salvation that He would bring them safely home one way or another. They ultimately did make it safely to port. And, many heard the witness about those men and their actions that no matter if they lived or died that they were safe in God's protective arms even through such a horrific storm at sea.

Having a 'Renewed Mind'...What does that all mean? Also, how can this 'Renewed Mind' work within our heart as we are bombarded through the mighty waves through our lives everyday?

Let's take a look at Heaven. There is a peaceful bliss found in Heaven and thus no fear can dwell there. Have we ever considered that as the prayer goes that God's will can be done on earth as it is in Heaven? Have we ever thought that God has given us the ability that we can do here on earth as it is in Heaven?

Wasn't it Jesus' mission to teach His people, Israel, about the Kingdom of God? Yes, Jesus, indeed, did come to 'preach the kingdom'. And, through His life and through His suffering and dying on the cross, by His shed blood, His resurrection, and by the outpouring of His Holy Spirit at Pentecost, that scripture came alive here on earth as it was in Heaven. For just as Paul said in the Word, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ now lives in me!”

In Ephesians Chapter 4, verse 23, it says, 'and be renewed in the spirit of your mind.' And, Luke ll:2 is one of the major scriptures that will transform our walk with God as we live and grow in Him.

What is this 'renewed mind'? Why, it is the 'very mind of Christ' coming to dwell in our hearts as we make the conscious decision to live and breath and have our total being in Him...submitting to God the Father through every part of our day. Our minds are renewed, not thinking through our own intellect and perspective but through the very mind of Christ in us deep within our hearts.

Let's think about this for one moment...You know...There are a lot of people in the world today, this very moment, who are so bombarded by everything that has been going on on earth. There are so many problems. ISIS is killing so many people. Economies are failing. Everything is topsy turvy. Good has become evil and evil has become good. Our minds are consumed with this world.

It is like when those who go to church listen to the sermon contently or perhaps not so contently, it goes in one ear and out the other. Then, we get up after hearing so many nice words from the message; and, then, no sooner do we get up from our pews than we begin to go on with our regular lives without being changed or being renewed in thought, word, or deed. Everything goes on as usual.

One wonderful thing about the Lord. Many of us have thought for many years; and, believe me, I used to be one of them, that all we needed to do was say the sinner's prayer and we were just fine. Well, we are saved by grace that not anyone can boast. But, we must realize that the Lord loves us with an undying love...so much so that He refuses to keep us where we are at. His goal is to cleanse us, renew our minds, and train us up into the very likeness of His Son, Jesus.

Many church people live more on an earthly level then a heavenly level...hoping, begging the Lord to come intervene in their lives and make things all better, or like a genie in a lamp...just come give us our every wish. Give us money, Lord. Give us that new job. It is usually an 'us' prayer, a 'give me' prayer, a 'me' prayer and not the type that we would find our Lord praying throughout His ministry. Sadly, many times, we pray for I or me but rarely praying God's heart over a situation.

First, a Renewed Mind begins with the 'the goodness of God'. Do you ever stop to realize that our God is a good God and that He is our Father. He sent His Son to a people lost in sin. When you get the revelation of the Lord's great love for you and us all that it changes everything, our very mindset. We come into the knowledge of it isn't how we see us or what we want, it is how the Father sees us and what He wants. The way you come to see Him. And, the way He sees us and wishes us to become.

The way you see yourself. The way you have seen all that has happened in your past. The potential that you felt you had yesterday compared to the potential you now have found that you have through

Christ now dwelling within comes alive. He came so you can realize that you are not alone. But, as you asked Him into your heart that He has come to dwell with you and prepare you now for eternity. How sad it is when we go through so many years and so many church services and never come to realize such love that has always been there for you. Everything changes when you come to realize in Christ that He has made you perfect and you have a Father who now only desires to fill you with more of Himself.

Many feel salvation is a free ticket that we can now do anything we want. But that is not true. It is a passion to do what pleases Him. This, indeed, is the beginning of a renewed mind. It changes everything. It changes how we see Him. It changes how we see ourselves and, how He wills to interact with us through every situation in our lives, both in times of good and the bad.

One of the most learned scriptures in the Bible is 'Thy Kingdom Come.....' found in the book of Luke.

Now, this is major...”Is this how you have lived your life?” Yeah, Yeah...That's it! That's the point and my focus of being...that is to be my whole life. You know...there is no other purpose. He gave us a 'very clear' example of how Jesus lived His life and how Christ had dominion over any situation. And, isn't that how our passion should be also...to let the world see our Lord who lives deep within our hearts, showing His deep love for all through our hearts and that He and His very character is 'alive' and 'living in and through us, heart, mind, soul, and strength as we have come and have given our lives in total submission so that He may live through us? And, ponder this thought, that the Lord loves everyone and not those 'we' only like or care about but those we don't particularly care about also. And, as we climb the ladder and yield to the Holy Spirit and His agape love, His very presence will come alive in us as we start to step into new arenas of God's very being flowing through us. Lives will be changed and miracles happen.

We are the House of God. We are the dwelling place of the Most High God. And, when we lose awareness, consciousness of the Spirit of the Living God upon us, we live differently...selfishly. We may have accepted Christ as our Savior, but I'm concerned that many of us were still born as many don't move as if He were a part of Christ and the regeneration has never really begun in their lives.

Oh...we go to church but what do we do after church? We go back to our selfishness and the world, don't we many times? But, think about this, we need to start thinking about Jesus as our companion and empowerer of our lives, who guides and directs, the person that we co-labor with each and every day. Everything I think...Everything I expect...The way I pray. Everything changes because we no longer are begging. I now realize that I am with Him and He with me. I walk with Him and speak His Word and want to pick up on His heart, what He thinks, what He would say and do.

As our mind is renewed, we begin to mature into areas that we could have never imagined...'On earth as it is in Heaven' begins to have greater meaning as we speak those words.

God living in our hearts through the Holy Spirit lives, breaths, and has His being. We feel restored, greatly loved and adored as His Glory fills our souls. We are His Beloved, His Beautiful Bride, adorned for His use.

In closing, I just want to share something with you. Between l A.M. and 3 A.M., I was awakened with this realization. Jesus while on earth taught about the Kingdom, not just that it is a place to come to when we die with angels flying among the clouds but what He was trying to teach us is right here 'Now'! At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came from Heaven to fill a people who became filled with God's Kingdom that changed the world. May we as a people open up our hearts to the very words we hear each time we meet in our churches and throughout each day and see what those words actually have meant through God's own eyes as He reveals Himself to us and truly begin to put them into practice. Indeed, that is something to ponder!

May the Lord bless you as you grow and mature into the very likeness of Christ by the renewing of your mind and by the Kingdom being revealed through your life. Amen and Amen.

Go With God!

End Notes...

All scripture is taken from the KJV or the Authorized KJV.

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