The Bible A Book Of Truth

The Bible A Book Of Truth

The power of God’s Thoughts and His Laws

The power of God’s Thoughts, Laws,

 Purpose, and  Love.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:8-11)

God's thoughts are on a different level from the thoughts of man. God has the right to expect and demand that every human being live according to His will. This right is His because He is the eternal, sovereign Creator of us all. He is righteous, holy and powerful. He is also loving, kind and merciful. He is capable of both wrath and judgment. He is far above and beyond us. The wisest, most prideful among us are foolish compared to Him. It is a fool who lives in rebellion against God with each day drawing nearer to eternity. Some of us are willing to admit to God's supremacy and live our lives accordingly. Others stubbornly refuse, some even mocking God and His will as God still waits for them to wake up and come to their senses. Why does He wait? Why does He not react forcefully and finally to man's wickedness? His thoughts and ways are too wonderful for me. That is why we are asked to return to God. Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. (Isaiah 55:6-7)

Everything in life begins with our thoughts.when our thoughts  are correct and right, we preserve and protect our life. Correct thoughts will help us to prioritize, organize and discipline our life.When we establish our priority according to God given purpose and laws then our progress is guaranteed. Right thoughts and  priority simplifies our life. Failure to establish correct and right priority causes us to waste our three most important commodities: first our Time,then our Energy and finally our resource. When our priorities are not correct, we will find ourselves busy with the wrong things, majoring on the minor, or becoming preoccupied with the unimportant. Incorrect thoughts and priorities in our life will cause us to invest in the less valuable and abuse our gifts and talents. Ultimately, it will cause us to forfeit purpose and disobey laws, which results in failure.

However, Jesus  identified for us the most important thoughts and priority: In Mathew 6:31-33 saying, “So do not worry, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Jesus’ declaration suggests that there must be something about the Kingdom that all of humanity has missed and misunderstood. If everything we pursue and strive for to live and survive is found in the Kingdom, then we have been misguided and perhaps have imposed on ourselves unnecessary hardship, stress, and frustration in our pursuit of the wrong priorities. Therefore the real goal of life is to work in God's kingdom and be right before Him.  God created man for a purpose. Life is meaningless unless we fulfill that purpose. Each of us can fulfill the purpose for which God created us, but first we must diligently seek His kingdom ruler ship over our life and His Law to live.

God created the universe and everything in it. Life came from the living God. Man is the crown of creation and different from the animals because we did not evolve from animals. Bible teaches that every person is a sacred child of God, made in His image. We were made with unique characteristics that God possesses. God is involved in every person's life from the very beginning. God has not abandoned man; man has abandoned God. But some have the wisdom to recognize that it is we who need God; His love and care and fellowship before we can truly be happy. We are His offspring! (Acts 17:24-28). Some have abandoned our Father and have gone to live with another Jesus said, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me. Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.  Yet because I tell the truth,you do not believe me! Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me?  He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”(John 8:42-47).

If you allow the corrupted culture of the world to dictate your morality, your life, your communication, your behavior, your culture, then according to Jesus; "You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father..." (John 8:44). Ecclesiastes 2:1-11; 12:13, 14 – King Solomon experienced the pinnacle of enjoyment in every aspect of life: wealth, pleasure, and wisdom. Did it satisfy? No, It was all "vanity and vexation of spirit" (2:11). Then he learned the ultimate purpose and priority of life: "Fear God and keep His commands" (12:13). Our God is holy and is the Lord God Almighty. When I think of the power He holds, I can't help but fear Him and hold Him in reverential awe. Do you care more about what men think of you than God? Then learn to fear God, and you will be preoccupied in walking in His presence, not wondering what other people think of you. You will begin to live your life in light of eternity, and the temporal views of men won't matter anymore.

The fear of the Lord enables us to obey His Law and keeps us from evil and sin. A.W. Tozer writes, "It is impossible to keep our moral practices sound and our inward attitudes right while our idea of God is erroneous or inadequate." When we lose the fear of God and don't respect Him and His commandments, we are going to live our lives without accountability to God and one another, which is the cause of a number of sins.

We live in a world of tremendous uncertainty and anxiety. Everywhere there is a chaos (absence of order) we call it law and order problems. Then there is emptiness in every heart (absence of purpose) and finally the darkness (absence of knowledge, love and holiness). Law and order is essential in all communities. In an orderly law-abiding community people can plan ahead, work in safety and do business in trust. In most modern societies order means stability. The guarantees of this order take place in the form of laws. Laws are rules and customs that the citizens of a community regard as binding upon them and can be enforced by the courts. Laws provide boundaries so that people realize where and when they are committing an offence. One of the principal objects of the law is to safeguard the rights of citizens.

Christ warned that as the end times were upon us that there would be times of "perplexity" on the earth and distress of nations. Perplexities are problems or challenges for which there seems to be no logical answer or solution. We are truly living in an age where the pages of bible prophecy are literally being fulfilled before our very eyes....and in the news! For the student of bible prophecy, this only serves to confirm what we already know- God is in control! May I would encourage you to surrender to the call of God. This destiny provides meaning and significance.

The Bible makes it clear that God is outside of time. He is eternal, with no beginning or end—He is infinite! He also knows all things, being infinitely intelligent. Bible open with a statement in Genesis1:1” In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.' The God of the Bible is an infinite being not bound by limitations of time, space, knowledge, or anything else. God is the Supreme Being, infinitely perfect in power, love, and character. Who made all things and keeps them in existence.  Since God wanted to share His love with others, He created the angels and human beings—spiritual creatures who can relate to Him. Because God is love, He wants us to love Him and love other people. God came to earth in human form as Jesus Christ to teach us about Himself and to provide the ultimate sacrifice for our sins, so that those who believe can have fellowship with Him. The Bible encourages all people to turn from their selfishness to become lovers of God, to fulfill God's perfect law of love and purpose.

Every manufacturer creates a product with inherent laws and purpose. We did not create life. God created everything. Therefore, we need to find out what laws God has put in place for us to have life on this planet. God gave life, and He created the laws. He told Adam that every living thing was given to him to control. God also told Adam that there was one law, which was also a warning, “Do not eat from that tree” (Gen 2:17). Man was told to not violate this law. When you violate a law, you will die. In other words God told Adam that the day that he ate the fruit (violated the law), he would activate death (Gen 2:17). Rebellion against the law of God [sin] gives death its sting or power (1 Cor 15:56). The law of sin gave birth to the law of death. When Christ died in the place of humanity and was resurrected, He came to remove the power of sin and to give life. This divine intervention also restored man to a position to follow God’s laws again.

The scriptures say that all of creation is groaning to be redeemed. The reason we see the seas and the waves roaring and the great earthquakes is because the creation is groaning for redemption. Even though it may seem that things couldn't get any worse (and they will during the tribulation period if you believe the Bible to be a true document) God is still in control and Jesus is holding everything together. The reason that you haven't lost your mind and that your faith is not shattered is because Jesus is holding the fabrics of your life together. Christ said that the very hairs of your head are numbered and you are of more value than many sparrows....none of which falls to the ground without God knowing about it. You may be tempted to believe that God has somehow forsaken you or that He has no idea where you are, but dear friend you can rest assured that Jesus is holding all things together. The same Christ that created the world is still holding it together today. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever! Everything that you have accomplished by His grace and everything that you and I try so hard to maintain is kept by God. "Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain who build it." 

The central theme of the Bible is that God's eternal purpose to bring many sons unto glory!  This theme is picked up in the Bible in great generalization that takes into account eternity past and eternity future. Apostle Paul said “To me, though I am the very least of all the saints  this grace was granted and graciously entrusted: to proclaim to the Gentiles the unending riches of Christ, Also to enlighten all men and make plain to them what is the plan [regarding the Gentiles and providing for the salvation of all men] of the mystery kept hidden through the ages and concealed until now in [the mind of] God Who created all things by Christ Jesus.[The purpose is] that through the church the complicated, many-sided wisdom of God in all its infinite variety and innumerable aspects might now be made known to the angelic rulers and authorities (principalities and powers) in the heavenly sphere. This is in accordance with the terms of the eternal and timeless purpose which He has realized and carried into effect in Christ Jesus our Lord,” (Ephesians 3:8 -11AMP)

Proverbs 19:21 says “Many plans are in a man's mind, but it is the Lord's purpose for him that will stand.” This verse is very clear that God’s purpose is more significant than our plans and His purpose will precede our plans. Thus discovering God’s purpose is vital for the fulfilling life. To have a clear understanding of what God's Purpose is for us would certainly change our whole outlook on life and our commitment to God's service. Our life would take on a whole new dimension! “To everything there is a season, and a time for every matter or purpose under heaven :”(Eccl 3:1)

Every human being born with a God-given purpose and fulfilling that purpose must be our primary mission in life. No man or woman ever born in this world without a God-given purpose, Prior to our birth, God installed in us all of the necessary gifts, talents and abilities we would need to fulfill His purpose for our life. Those gifts, talents and abilities help us to define our purpose. It is the responsibility of each individual to learn his or her God-given purpose. When the Lord God created us, He gave us an operator's manual. It is called the Bible - the Written Word of God. Thus the wisest king ever lived in History said “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth,”

Once you know your God-given purpose and have taken inventory of your gifts, talents and abilities, go for it with all of your might! Bible says “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom. (Ecclesiastes 9:10) What is the Lord saying? Don't take your gifts, talents and abilities to the grave! Get active about fulfilling His purpose for your life! Give it all that you've got! “God says….. I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.”(Isaiah.46:9-10).

Have you ever wished you could see into the future? When you don’t know what’s ahead for you, God does. Our future is filled with near-unlimited possibilities. Understanding the mind and primary intention of God is vital for building our life. According to Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.” When you have a desire to know God’s purpose for your life and want to do His will perfectly and completely, God will direct you to what’s next.

God created us with a purpose and ready to lead us to experience that purpose?  The God of the Bible promises that he can make our lives meaningful and purposeful. Through a relationship with him, we can "do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." We can make a positive difference in the lives of others. We can become part of his master plan. He can direct our steps so that we can do what pleases him, and what's in our own best interest at all times.

Bible says "In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." This is not to say that life becomes perfectly wonderful. There are still problems and failures. Life does not become perfect, but it becomes more enriching, meaningful and significant. The benefit of knowing and walking with God is an amazing experience of peace, joy and righteousness in the Holy Spirit and the display of the fruits of the Spirit such as love, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”

Paul says “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight…”   Ephesians 1:4. In love he predestined us for adoption to son ship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the one he loves.  In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.” Ephesians 1:4-10

 “God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe.  The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command.” (Hebrews 1:2-3)

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.(John 3:16-17)

Isaiah 9:6 “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Our counselor is none other than the Lord God Almighty!

God's heart is most characterized by an unspeakable purpose to display His holiness through interplay between two attributes Divine Will and Divine Passion. In His eternal counsels, God has established the entire Creation story--its fall and redemption--as a theater for working out a mysterious "manifest reconciliation" of His own Passion to His Sovereign Will in Holiness. Specifically, God's ultimate purpose in Creation and the plan of salvation is to prove and display through Christ His chief attribute of perfected Holiness by demonstrating in Him the supremacy of His Eternal Will over His own Passion for His Creation.

God’s purpose is to call us through the gospel, to justify us through the new birth, and to glorify us by transforming us into the image of His Son. This is the predestination of everyone He calls who continues to love Him (to be loyal and committed to Him).By populating the earth with glorified believers, God will fulfill His ultimate purpose, which is to fill the earth with His glory (Habakkuk 2:14)

The Bible says, ‘For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things were created through him and for him' (Colossians 1:16). Every created thing, from the vastest galaxy to the tiniest particle in the universe, owes its existence to Jesus Christ. There is not an atom, a molecule, a neutron, a proton, a photon, an electron, a quasar or a quark which is not his by right of creation. But He chose to leave eternity and submit himself to the limitations of time and space. He became ‘obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross'. He knew exactly what would be involved in his earthly mission. 

He exchanged the perfect harmony of heaven for the turmoil of life on earth, with its pressures and pains, trials and tensions, conflicts and crises. He exchanged being worshipped by angels for being reviled by his enemies. The one by whom ‘all things were created' (Col­ossians 1:16) had to borrow a boat to cross the Sea of Galilee (Mark 4:35-41), a donkey to ride into Jerusalem ( Luke 19:28-40) and a coin to give an illustration (Luke 20:19-26). The one who owned every square inch of Earth was so poor that he had ‘nowhere to lay his head' (Luke 9:58). The one who created water as a liquid compound with its molecule made up of one oxygen atom and two hydrogen atoms (H₂O) had to ask someone to give him a drink when he became thirsty ( John 4:1-7). Even in death his body was laid in a borrowed tomb (Matthew 27:57-61).

These are spectacular picture of what it meant for the one who created all time, space and matter to step into their limitations. It was a humiliation without para­llel. C. S. Lewis said, ‘The Eternal Being who knows every­thing and who created the whole universe became not only a man but (before that) a baby, and before that a [foetus] inside a woman's body. If you want to get the hang of it, think how you would like to become a crab.’ Yet even this gets nowhere near the staggering truth of what happened when Jesus laid aside his heavenly glory and chose to become human, a truth made even more amazing when we realize  that he did this ‘for our sake'.. Praying to God the Father, Jesus spoke of “the glory that I had with you before the world existed'” (John 17:5). Our minds are incapable of grasping the splendor of God's glory, which is so wonderful that even the highest angelic beings cover their faces in his presence (Isaiah 6:2).

Have you ever asked yourself the question? Why did Jesus Christ “The Infinite became an infant”? Bible says “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.(John 3:16).God's love is not only unchangeable, but unfailing. Without justice and love, peace will always be the great illusion. "The way of peace is the way of love. Love is the greatest power on earth. It conquers all things." In Isaiah 49:15, 16 we read: "Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget; yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of My hands; thy walls are continually before Me."

Now the strongest human love that we know of is a mother's love. Many things will separate a man from his wife. A father may turn his back on his child; brothers and sisters may become inveterate enemies; husbands may desert their wives; wives, their husbands. But a mother's love endures through all. In good repute, in bad repute, in the face of the world's condemnation, a mother loves on, and hopes that her child may turn from his evil ways and repent. She remembers the infant smiles, the merry laugh of childhood, the promise of youth. Death cannot quench a mother's love; it is stronger than death. You have seen a mother watching over her sick child. How willingly she would take the disease into her own body if she could thus relieve her child! Week after week she will keep watch; she will let no one else take care of that sick child.

What Will Make Heaven Attractive? Is it the pearly gates or the golden streets? No. Heaven will be attractive, because there we shall behold Him who loved us so much as to give His only-begotten Son to die for us. What makes home attractive? Is it the beautiful furniture and stately rooms? No; It is the love and affection of our loved one. Christ who has loved us and given Himself for us. He is a true Father. It is His nature to love; just as it is the nature of the sun to shine. He wants you to share in that love. Do not let unbelief keep you away from Him. Do not think that, because you are a sinner, God does not love you, or care for you. He does! He wants to save you and bless you. "When we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly" (Romans 5:6).

This desire and love in God's heart not only moved Him to create us. It also urged Him to go through a process so that He could enter into us and make us His expression. He, the infinite God, humbled Himself to become a finite human being named Jesus Christ. In Him, all the fullness of the Godhead dwelt, and through Him, all the fullness of the Godhead was expressed. Everything He did, said, and thought was a pure expression of God in humanity. This brought the highest delight to God, for in Jesus Christ, His eternal purpose began to be fulfilled in that a man was fully expressing God. Then the Lord Jesus allowed Himself to be crucified on a wooden cross in order that through death, the God-expressing life that resided within Him could be released and made available to us. He then resurrected from the dead to become the life-giving Spirit. As the life-giving Spirit, God is able to dispense everything that He is and has into us so that we can become exactly what He is—the expression of God in humanity. Unlike any other revelation of God, Jesus Christ is the clearest, most specific picture of God revealing himself to us.

The new life in Jesus, frees us from the devastating hold and effects of sin, guilt and death (Rom. 8:1). The resurrection power provides us the Power and Grace to live a truly holy life. When a person turns to Christ for salvation and trusts Christ from the heart, the Holy Spirit is involved. At this time, the Holy Spirit causes the spirit of that person to be made new.(2 Corinthians 5:17). The human spirit, once dead in sin, is regenerated or made new by the power and working of the Holy Spirit. This is what it means to be born of the Spirit.The church is called not only to a ministry of reconciliation, but a ministry of nurture to holiness those within her gates. Part of that nurture includes spiritual discipline for the purpose of Godliness or holiness.

“Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’tales; rather, train you to be godly.” (1 Timothy 4:7)The idea of Train or discipline is totally consistent with the basic purposes of the church—evangelism and edification. Evangelism ministers to those without the church who are in bondage to sin to bring them to faith in Christ where the transformation process begins. The edifi­cation process is designed to build up believers so they can be conformed to the image and character of Christ.

Bible says “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever. (John 2:15-17)

James 4:4 tells us that you can become the enemy of God by becoming a friend with the world. How do you become a friend with the world? You begin to live by your flesh. I would rather be a friend of God than an enemy of God!

What is the object of our affections, Power, Recognition, Hobbies? Sometimes ago, I visited an unbelievable garden, and as I walked around it, for just a moment my thought was, "I could have had a garden like this." But I was reminded that a garden is not what life is all about. The world is seeking to seduce us into a love affair, but we must love God and be preoccupied with pleasing Him alone. We must love His people and be concerned about their eternal destiny. We must look at them with compassion, like Jesus, and be moved with action to do something for them. Those who love God will do what He wants and be concerned about His mission and His will, and they will fulfill His calling.

God has created us to walk in perfect harmony with Him, and to enjoy His fellowship
and His blessings. True meaning in life can be discovered only as we go God's way. J. I. Packer writes: “Those who know God have great contentment. There is no peace like the peace of those whose minds are possessed with full assurance that they have known God, and God has known them. This relationship guarantees God's favor to them in life, through death, and on forever." "What should be our purpose in life?"

Our ultimate purpose should be to know God. Jesus taught this with unmistakable clarity: " Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. " (John 17:3) The Apostle Paul speaks of his desire to continue to know Him, and to know Him more and more as a primary goal in life for him as a believer “What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ  and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,  and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.." (Philippians 3:8-11) To know God in this way will cost something. Since God has called us to a life of fellowship with His Son (1 Corinthians 1: 9), we can be sure that He will bring us into such an experience.

This purposeful working of God in our lives is gentle, and persuasive. It is a loving Father working to keep His children close to Himself. And, if we love Him in return, we will then be happy to surrender ourselves to His loving care. We will trust Him even when it hurts, and even when we have no immediate answer to explain what we are experiencing. We have problems with this process when we resist God and determine to go our own way. For many this resistance becomes a contest of wills. Will it be my way or God's way; my will or His? Which way we go becomes a matter of choice.

If we choose to do it our own way, then we must be prepared for the discontent and frustration, and the unanswered questions, and a life without meaning.
On the other hand, if we choose to surrender the reins of our life to God, we'll discover
real meaning in life, along with the contentment that comes with that discovery.
We will receive it only after we have surrendered our wills to God at all costs.

So, will it be your way or His? Will it be your will or His? God has a perfect plan for us.
It is a plan that brings great glory to Him. It is also a plan that brings meaning and contentment to our lives.

The real key to the spritual life is the renewing of the mind, the way we think. We often talk about being controlled out of our spirit. That’s not quite true. You’re controlled out of what you think, but who controls your thinking? Does your spirit-man control your thinking or does your flesh control your thinking? Our mental attitude can either make us or break us. Bible declares in Proverbs 23:7 “  For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” How we think determines our success in the Christian life. Many people say, “You are what you eat.” No, you’re more than that. Food affects you a lot, but the main thing that controls you is your thoughts and attitude.

Hence bible says Isaiah 55:7-Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.We have two different types of people here. The wicked man is the sinner and the unrighteous man is the carnal believer. The carnal believer might have actions that look good, but his thoughts are wrong. Carnality doesn’t begin with your actions; carnality begins with your thoughts. You can go to church and give large amounts of money and look spiritual, but you can be just as carnal as ever.

The unrighteous man is the believer who is living in unrighteousness, but notice where his unrighteousness begins — in his thoughts. The way that a carnal believer returns to the Lord is in his thoughts first because his thoughts have not been in line with the things of God. God will abundantly pardon the wicked — the sinner. He will abundantly pardon the unrighteous man — the carnal believer.

Romans 8:5-7-For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 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.

Carnal mindedness produces death, but living spiritually minded is life and peace. The carnal mind is the enemy of God.

As a believer, you have a choice to think in line with your flesh or to think in line with your spirit. You can choose to think in line with your five senses or think in line with the Word of God. If you think in line with your five senses, you are carnally minded. We’re not to ignore the five senses, but how when it comes to a walk with God, we don’t live by the five senses. Hebrews tells us our senses can be trained to recognize both good and evil. In other words, we quit looking with our eyes only; we look with our eyes through the Word of God. We don’t just hear with our ears; we hear with our ears through the Word of God. In other words, the Word becomes like a pair of glasses we put on, or hearing aids we put in our ears, and it helps us to hear the voice of God, see the things of God, and sense the things of God. We don’t ignore our five senses, but on the other hand, we don’t live by what they dictate to us.

Whichever way the mind swings is critical. If it swings towards the flesh, you’re going to be carnal. If it swings towards the spirit, you’re going to be spiritual. The choice is yours — to live carnally or to live spiritually. Verse 7 says the carnal mind is the enemy of God because the carnal mind is in league with the flesh, which is the body — the lust of the body and the thoughts of the body. Because of that, this verse is telling us that it is possible to become the enemy of God.

Romans 12:1-2- “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is —his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

How do you present your body? Verse 2 says, By the renewing of your mind. By turning away from the world and turning toward the Lord, you can begin to accomplish the will of God and move from the good will of God to the more acceptable will of God, and finally to the perfect will of God as your mind is renewed day by day . What controls your life is your thinking. What controls your dedication is your thinking. That’s why to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded continually produces life and peace.

 Philippians 4:8-9 “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”

What do we do on these things? Think on them. Let your mind be surrounded by them. In other words, if there are things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of a good report, then you’re to think on those things.But if you say, “Well, I don’t know if it’s any of those,” then it goes on to ask, Is there any virtue in it? Is there any praise to God in it? Then it’s got to be okay to think on these things. God is simply saying that to be spiritually minded is life and peace and it produces such a joy and happiness in your heart.

 James 1:26- “If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” 

No man can control the tongue, but the Spirit can tame the tongue. The only way you’re going to control your tongue is having your mind and thoughts be dominated by the Holy Spirit. Listen to your inward man because you can tame the tongue through the Holy Spirit. You can tame the tongue through the Word of God and these verses are telling us, one after another, that our actions can be tamed, our words can be tamed, our tongue can be tamed, and what tames them is a mind that has been renewed with the Word of God and is stayed on God.

 2 Corinthians 10:1-5 “By the meekness and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you—I, Paul, who am “timid” when face to face with you, but “bold” when away! I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of this world.  For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

When it comes to the daily warfare, the moment you decide to follow after the Spirit is when the enemy will attack. Satan doesn’t come against the food or the clothes you’re buying, but when you make a step for Jesus Christ to spread the Gospel and fulfill the Great Commission, walk in divine health and prosperity, and let God be your source and your supply is when all hell begins to break loose. That’s when the warfare comes, and you can’t fight spiritual warfare with your natural wisdom. You have to be filled with the Word of God. Paul is saying that when it comes to fighting the daily fight in the ministry, he has to be led by the Holy Spirit and not by his flesh. Yes, I walk in a natural human body just like everybody else, but that’s the only thing I do in this human body. Everything else beyond that, he says, is according to the Holy Spirit within him.

Paul got hungry and tired and needed food and shelter just like anybody else, but he separated his simple existence from his calling. Separate the life of the flesh that you live in from the life of the Spirit. We walk in two worlds, but don’t let the two get mixed up. Don’t let the senses that tell you not to step in the street begin to tell you when to follow God. Don’t let you natural senses dictate how you should serve the Lord.

The strongholds are in your mind. We often blame our warfare on demonic forces, but that’s not always the case. Sometimes our warfare is a prejudice from our past. When Paul says the weapons of our warfare, he’s talking about the ministers of the Gospel. Paul’s warfare is his preaching and teaching ministry. Paul does not use fleshly gimmicks as some other ministers do. They’re not looking to tear down strongholds in people’s minds and they’re not looking to change the way people think. They’re there to entertain people, to impress people.


 1 Thessalonians 2:3-For our exhortation was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile. Deceit is literally a term for false doctrine. Paul says, “I do not preach false doctrine; I preach the Word of God.” 

2 Corinthians 10:5-Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.

When Paul preached, he didn’t use carnal means or flattering words. He didn’t size up the audience ahead of time, but was led by the Spirit. In this verse, Paul was saying, “While I am preaching, I have to cast down reasonings.” It’s so easy sometimes to naturally reason Scripture. He said, “I have to cast that down and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God.” The high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God is pride. Pride can enter in and you begin to think, I can do this because I’m so deserved, eligible and great. No one is in the ministry because they are great. Paul was in the ministry because God is great and that's why he says, “Bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”

 We have to cast down pride that comes against the knowledge of God, thinking I know more than God. I have to be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit, and while I’m preaching I have to bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. Then, I have a readiness to revenge all disobedience.” These verses apply to all believers. To renew our mind day by day, walk according to the Spirit and not the flesh, and let God’s thoughts be our thoughts. This is what Paul was talking about. When we capture our thoughts and bring them to the obedience of Christ, we change our thinking, and as a result, we change our life and changed life will change the world.

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