As Year 2014 begins, Believers in Christ must commit to allocating more quality time and effort to daily learning God’s words. We must not only hear them; we must learn what we have heard. The reason is that God’s words contain transforming Power. He has already prepared great blessings designed to make our lives abundant this year. Ephesians 1:3 declares, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.” Notice two things in this passage. First, God has already blessed us. Second, the blessings are spiritual in nature. Since God is a Spirit and His blessings are spiritual, He releases them upon spiritually minded individuals. To partake of them, He requires that we become spiritually minded. Romans 8:6-7 declare, “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.” Only God’s words can renew our minds to operate in the manner that positions us to receive His blessings.
When we are “Born Again” by the Spirit of God, our spirit is regenerated, or made new in Christ. However, our mind does not change at that point; it remains carnal, or natural, tied to the natural world. It, too, must be made new. God’s requires that we be transformed by our mind’s renewal to partake of His blessings. (Romans 12:2)
Transformation to spiritual thinking is accomplished by mentally laboring in God’s word and learning it. Using our mind, we must focus on, acquire and process the Knowledge of God, which is Truth. Living Truth has been provided by Him to be known. (St. John 8:31-32) Truth that we do not know is what hurts us. Hosea 4:6 declares, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge:..” When we know Truth, it is permanently fixed in our memory and its power works to manifest a new way of thinking within us. We ultimately experience a total change in thinking and associated behavior, since we think to act. Equally important, our spirit is freed from the bondages of unbelief and fear that hinder the flow of God’s blessings into our lives.
It must be understood that one can be acquainted with Truth, but not know it. Learning Truth leads us to the state of knowing it. We learn from teaching and then by meditation upon that which is taught. This involves speaking. (Ephesians 4:20-21) As we daily speak Truth, it reshapes our mind into a new spiritual state. This state connects to God’s glory where His rich blessings are. A divine “thought channel” is established within us causing our mind to expect to receive the gifts that God flows to us from above to make life more abundant. So, think spiritually and be blessed this year. God Bless.
From Pastor Leroy Rankin
http://www.christabundantlifeministries.org
When we are “Born Again” by the Spirit of God, our spirit is regenerated, or made new in Christ. However, our mind does not change at that point; it remains carnal, or natural, tied to the natural world. It, too, must be made new. God’s requires that we be transformed by our mind’s renewal to partake of His blessings. (Romans 12:2)
Transformation to spiritual thinking is accomplished by mentally laboring in God’s word and learning it. Using our mind, we must focus on, acquire and process the Knowledge of God, which is Truth. Living Truth has been provided by Him to be known. (St. John 8:31-32) Truth that we do not know is what hurts us. Hosea 4:6 declares, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge:..” When we know Truth, it is permanently fixed in our memory and its power works to manifest a new way of thinking within us. We ultimately experience a total change in thinking and associated behavior, since we think to act. Equally important, our spirit is freed from the bondages of unbelief and fear that hinder the flow of God’s blessings into our lives.
It must be understood that one can be acquainted with Truth, but not know it. Learning Truth leads us to the state of knowing it. We learn from teaching and then by meditation upon that which is taught. This involves speaking. (Ephesians 4:20-21) As we daily speak Truth, it reshapes our mind into a new spiritual state. This state connects to God’s glory where His rich blessings are. A divine “thought channel” is established within us causing our mind to expect to receive the gifts that God flows to us from above to make life more abundant. So, think spiritually and be blessed this year. God Bless.
From Pastor Leroy Rankin
http://www.christabundantlifeministries.org