Renewing the
Mind
The truth and reality of God's Word is not
revealed to the mind, it's revealed to the spirit, and from there it will flow
into the mind and renew the mind. That is why the scriptures say to be renewed
in the spirit of your mind. If you can dare believe the riches of God's life,
if you can just dare to believe it, it will begin to flow into your mind. In
Christ also you were circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands, but
in a spiritual circumcision performed by Christ by stripping off the body of the
flesh, the whole corrupt, carnal nature with its passions and lusts and raised
you up and seated you with Christ in heavenly places.
Most
of us were taught that we needed to deal with sin in our lives. The more you
try to deal with it the stronger it becomes, because you are putting yourself
under the law. One who is trying to perfect themselves has not had a full
revelation of the magnitude of Calvary’s victory. The Apostle Paul said many
years ago 1 Cor 15:56 The
sting of death is sin; and the
strength of sin is the law. The more you struggle with sin the stronger
it will get. We need to stop living by the law and just be grateful that sin
has been dealt with and we are not under the law but under grace.
Rom 7:14-24 For we know that the law is
spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I
hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law
that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For
I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no
good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is
good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would
not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but
sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that,
when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God
after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the
law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my
members.
I
lived in Romans chapter 7 for many years until I finally understood the truth.
If we are struggling with sin it is like a branch on a tree. If you cut a branch
off it will just grow back. You cannot just keep trying to cut off the branches
of sin and expect to ever win the battle. We must lay the ax to the root of the
tree. I finally understood that to lay the ax to the root was to repent, change
my way of thinking and realize that regardless of my experience my old man is
dead. I believed a lie instead of the truth. I am a new man in Christ and all
old things have passed away.
1
John 3:9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin;
for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin,
because he is born of God. I had a hard time with this verse until I realized I
was a spiritual being and my spirit and the Holy Spirit is one spirit. It is
impossible for my spirit to sin when I am awakened or regenerated to the truth
of my being. In my carnal nature I will always experience sin and separation
but now my life is hid in Christ and now I am learning to function from my
spirit and not my flesh.
Everybody
that's ever been quickened and touched by God has had a circumcision of heart,
and on the inside they are different.
There may not be any change in the outward character at all, but you
know something's happened on the inside of you.
God works from the inside out and religion tries to work from the
outside in by trying to get you to clean your life up. Listen to this song by Linda
Musgrove
You
see, unless the Spirit of God comes alive in us, we'll either be legal or we'll
be loose. You have those Christians who
have so much grace that you can do anything you want to do, and on the other
hand you have those that are so legal that you can't do anything without
condemnation. The spirit working in your
life will bring the proper balance to our lives. We must get into the heart
throb and into the Spirit of God. If we have habits and problems in our lives
we overcome by the spirit in us and not by striving in the flesh.
I
will never forget when I first had the revelation of the Blood of Jesus that
destroys sin consciousness. For years all I could think about is how bad I was
and my inability to overcome my sin. Then one day I read this in Hebrews.10:1-2
For the law having a shadow of good things to come,
and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which
they offered year by year continually make the
comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered?
Because that the worshipers once purged should have had no more conscience of
sins.
Heb 10:11-14 Every priest standeth
daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never
take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins
forever, sat down on the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting till his
enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected forever
them that are sanctified.
As I was meditating on these verses I wondered
how Blood could cleanse us of sin because I certainly was not experiencing a
consciousness without sin. As I pondered this another scripture came to my
mind, Rom 5:8-10 But God commendeth
his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall
be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were
enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being
reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
Then I saw the truth of the magnitude of
Calvary’s victory. We are not delivered from sin consciousness by what we do or
don’t do. We are SAVED BY HIS LIFE. The resurrected, transcended, magnificent
life of Christ in us is our deliverance from sin and a sin consciousness.
Sometimes I intercede with tears that the eyes of the religious blind would be
opened to see the rich inheritance they have within them. Religion will always
tell you what you have to do instead of telling you what He has done for you.
Almost all of us in the beginning of our walk
with God try to come to God to get something from Him, but our conscience
condemns us, the law condemns us, and we so easily fall under condemnation.
Heb 9:14 How much more shall the blood of
Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God,
purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? The blood will
cleanse our conscience and enable us to enter boldly into the presence of God.
The life is in the blood and the life of Christ in us will absolutely destroy
sin consciousness. As long as we're always depending on our conduct, we will
never make it, because it's not our conduct, it's His life and His ability, and
His power coming alive on the inside of us that causes us to begin to walk and
fulfill the covenant according to the New Testament.