Do you ever feel like who you are is not who you want to be? It is like you are living in one reality and looking at another across a great divide. People will say “I do this but know I should be doing this.” It is an identity problem. In our carnal thinking we believe that what we do is who we are. That isn’t the way God thinks. As a matter of fact the only “work in progress” is the transforming or renewing of your mind (Rom 12:2). God has taken care of the rest. We are learning to think like God thinks. We actually have the mind of Christ and are coming into agreement with that truth (1 Cor 2:16).
Here is a question for you to ponder: “is God in me better than me in me?” Romans 12:1 says we should present ourselves as a living sacrifice. Notice verse 1 is before verse 2. Are we willing to surrender our carnal thinking and embrace His thinking? Of course it is a supernatural endeavor, but He has put in place all things necessary for the transformation (1 Cor 2:12).
The transforming or renewing of our minds brings us from carnal thinking to Godly thinking. We begin to see from God’s perspective. We come to know God’s nature which is already written on our hearts and minds. As we chose to believe in what God has said our eyes are opened to the truths of a loving God that we GET TO rely on. We no longer have to rely on self but have the best provider in the world. We begin to see that a surrendered life is the better life. We begin to see Grace as God’s very nature and expression of love towards us. We determine that salvation is preparatory for cohabitation and “it is finished.” All if this transforming and renewing brings more desire for surrender and reality of blood lines. We are His children. As children we step into our created design as empty vessels inhabited by the most amazing and loving God we could imagine. We become love. We fulfill our destiny as creatures created in God’s image (Col 3:10).
So what is the bridge from one reality to the other? First we have to understand that God’s reality supersedes what we perceive. What we perceive is what we count as evidence. Our carnal minds are like detectives. We base what we know on what we have experienced or witnessed. We often rely on emotion and feelings. This is normal for a fallen man who only has self to rely on since there is no other. But as children of God we not only have a better way, we are actually a new kind of creature. We are now “connected” to and “inhabited” by Him. We have the mind of Christ. We can discern the things of God and man from His perspective (Rom 12:2, Heb 4:12). We are seated in heavenly places in Christ (Eph 2:6). We are no longer held captive to fleshly perspective. All things are new and God has opened a door into His reality. The Holy Spirit guides us into all truth and the knowledge of that truth sets us free (John 16:13, Rom 8:2, 2 Cor 3:17, John 8:32).
So you want to know what the bridge is? Believe. When God says something about you believe first. He has already given you faith to trust Him so just agree with Him. You may not “feel” like it is true. You may not see evidence of the truth. But remember that faith fills those gaps. Faith is the substance or in this case the substitute for feelings of the things hoped for. It is also the evidence that you lack in the natural but He is supplying in the supernatural (Heb 11:1). Faith is His gift to us and He says you don’t need very much to move mountains. The key is believing. Jesus said if we believe without doubt we have the faith to move mountains (Mark 11:23). We just need to believe! Our minds will be powerfully transformed.
So if you “feel” trapped by something instead choose to believe that God said you have been saved, set free and believe it is true. The “something” has no power over you. Jesus said you are free and free indeed. The enemy and carnal thinking is opposed to that truth. Your old way of thinking drives you to establish rules and laws to control yourself. That actually puts you back in bondage instead of living from Grace (Gal 5:1,4). Paul says a desire to be in control born of self effort is living from the flesh instead of the Spirit and the outcome is never good. I pray that we all learn to trust Him more. I pray that we come into agreement with His perfect plan. I pray we become surrendered, empty vessels for His habitation. What greater joy than to live out the perfect plan, the created design, His manifest love through His children. Let’s get on the believing bridge and shed that carnal way of thinking and receive His way of thinking as our own. We GET TO do that while we rest in the finished work of Jesus!
Yay God
Lance
alancetotheheart 