The Mind of
Christ
By
Evang. OkwudiliChukwu
R.A. Okechukwu
Deputy Registrar:
Anambra State University, Uli
“Who knows the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him, but we have the mind of Christ” 1Cor. 2:16. This statement is authoritative, decisive and conclusive! It is spoken with divine finality it is stimulating and truly revelatory!
The mind of Christ is a compendium of multiple scripturally driven spiritual arrows that the enemy cannot assail. It illuminated the three fold redemption of our spirit soul and body in Christ Jesus. The book’s prophetic entrance through the mind of Christ like character of consecration is electrifying. It dwelt almost exhaustively on the triumph of direction available to Christians through the Holy Spirit for breakthroughs. It elucidated the power of righteous praise and joy unspeakable. The book interestingly contains about 1,125 scriptural illustrations that encapsulated the wonderful concept of the mind of Christ for every redeemed child of God. It went on to unravel the correlation between the cross, the mind of Christ and eternity.
The book expounded the mystery of faith and the centripetal position of the word of God for exploits in the believer’s life. The book succeeded in linking meditation on the word, the gifts of the spirit, the power of knowledge, positive confession and the discipline of prayer to dominion in career, marriage and ministry The book buoys the mind of Christ as one of heaven’s final revelations on Christfullness for living the kingdom life.
The book attempted a long but blissful exploration into the believer’s spiritual position and exaltation through the mind of Christ, the recurrent issue of sanctification and expounded the mystery of the city of refuge which is the eternal portion of the possessor of the mind of Christ.
Finally, the book presented the eight weighty questions of eternal value to mankind and the multiple precepts for a colourful and conquerors life in Christ Jesus. The Mind of Christ is presented in a lucid, profound and living way that capacitates change, deliverance, faith, victory and rest in the reader. If you desire to move to the next level of good report, you may please read on.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Evang. ORA Okechukwu, a quiet minister of the gospel with unassuming sincerity. He began the ministry of teaching the word in his school days on campus the Christian Union Fellowship, He is the author of the expository book, Ye are gods, and the scripture cannot be broken’’. He holds Masters and Bachelor’s Degrees from the University of Benin. He is a member of the Nigerian Institute of Management. (Chartered) and Association of Nigerian University Professional Administrators.
He has through the empowerment of the mind of Christ blazed the trail in many areas of his life: marriage, career and ministry; all to the ineffable glory of God.
He is The Deputy Registrar of Anambra State University. He is faithfully involved in overseeing several campus fellowships in the service of the Lord, such as JCCF, NIFES, EFAC, SUCF, SCM, GCF, DLCF, CASOR, NCF, CRF,WCF,et.el.
Evang. Okechukwu is a dynamic leader in FGBMFI since 1993 and a regular minister in many Full Gospel and Pentecostal services, conventions and revival programmes in town and many campuses. He is married to Sis. Obiey and they are blessed with three children; David, PraiseGod and Jehoshua.
Published in Nigeria by Springfield Publishers Ltd.
Copyright © 2009. ORA Okechukw
ISBN: 978-978-8405-19-1
All Rights Reserved
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DEDICATION
TO THE LORD HOLY SPIRIT
Your instructions over the past two decades harvested good reports in my life, to the glory of
Precious Lord, your Love for the Truth shall continue to preserve the church of the Lord Jesus Christ from the decimation and depravity of this warped generation.
Thanks a trillion times, my Precious Teacher, Guide and Comforter.
PREFACE
The church service had just ended and a fervent sister said to me; "Pastor Okechukwu, why is it that the Bible says that we have the mind of CHRIST and still, we get angry, fail examinations and carry all manner of impurities in our hearts?" I tried my best to answer her question and scripturally assuage her feelings of seeming despair and despondency with little success.
After some days, as I was approaching my gate after another day’s church programme I began to hear from Heaven, the mouth watering revelations inscribed in this book.
The mind of Christ is a mind that had been purchased by the perfect Blood of the Lord Jesus, possessed by the Holy Spirit who had incubated the person’s spirit and quickened it to the extent that the Holy Spirit now uses the word of God to transform the mind so that the recipient stands in the stead of the Lord Jesus Christ, thinking like Him, talking like Him and acting like Him.
The mind of Christ is the soul that can no longer be conformed to this world but is renewed by the Lord Holy Spirit through the instrumentality of the engrafted word of God to the extent that in all things, he proves the perfect will of God as his reasonable service and he receives without measure his requests from the Lord without hindrance.
Consequently, the now quickened spirit of the person is pervasively illuminated by the Holy Spirit unto a realm where "deep calleth unto deep." The eternal Spirit who makes the spirit of man alive unto God using the word of God also quickens the mortal body of man and makes his flesh unmolestable by forces of darkness, affliction and infirmity. In this way, the Lord completes the triune redemption of the spirit, soul and body of man.
The mind of Christ is one of the most important spiritual encounters any person can have. It is the validity of redemption. It is a natural effect of a genuine salvation and sanctification experience in the Lord.
With the mind of Christ, every believer does as occasion serves him: thinking, talking and acting the way the Lord Jesus could have acted if He was physically present.
The full consciousness of the mind of Christ is the exact antidote to strife and contention in relationships, homes and societies.
The mind of Christ nullifies lack of divine direction, faithlessness, prayerlessness, wordlessness and poor evangelical attitude in the life of Christians.
It excommunicates academic failure and examination misconduct.
It invalidates career stagnation and business failure.
It condemns sin, transgression and habitual misdemeanour
It rules out spiritual dryness, depression, cynicism and despair.
It is opposed to poverty, sickness and careless deaths.
It cancels anger, immorality and the unbridled instincts of avarice and materialism.
It is the cure for electoral fraud and error of judgment by judicial officers.
It renders void official recklessness, corruption and irresponsibility in offices, institutions and governments.
It nullifies indecent dressing, secret romance, marital infidelity and unrestrained sexualism in the society.
It can never be over stating the fact if one rightly inputs that the exposition on the mind of Christ is the final revelation for dominion under the new covenant of Christfullness.
The mind of Christ is the life of Heaven on Earth which is guilt free, strife free, fear free, sin free, bitterness free, lust free, filthy lucre free, sickness free, poverty free and sorrow free.
As you read this spiritual treatise, you will discover how deep, how high, how wide and how long the love of God for us is and how truly unsearchable are His riches in Christ Jesus for the redeemed.
Prepare to encounter the mind of Christ through His Resurrection power as you assimilate these scripturally validated truths.
You are moving to the next level of victory where rest and good reports are your sure heritage in Christ Jesus. Shalom.
YOU ARE BLESSED!
ORA Okechukwu
THE JITULAK HOME ON THE ROCK
P. O. Box 76, Ukpor
Nnewi South, Anambra State, Nigeria Orajitulak@Yahoo.com
Tel. 08036765439
January, 2009
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Thanks a trillion times my God and my Father; Jehovah ADONAI, for leading me once again to write about you. That afternoon when you revealed to me that you did not save me to only attend and preach at church services but to be like you; in thought, in word and in deed, I knew that my mind must undergo a divine transformation. This book is one of the invaluable fruits of that encounter many years ago.
Secondly I wish to appreciate my students in different Campus Fellowships and church members alike whose endless calls goaded me to write yet another book after the heart warming revelatory exposition in the compendium titled "ye are gods" Springfield Publishers (2008). To my beloved Christian students, anytime they called me during vacations or after graduation and informed me that they were missing my messages in their respective cities, I always supplicated thus, "Lord Jesus, help your children". This book is an extension of that prayer.
Thirdly, I hereby solemnly acknowledge the following servants of the Lord whose personal interactions with me or pulpit ministrations positively imparted me. Arch-Bishop Benson Idahosa (1938 - 1998) Pastor William Kumuyi, Bishop David Oyedepo, Bishop Paul Nwachukwu, Bishop Maxwell Korie, Pastor Charles Egeonu and numerous others, even outside Nigeria whose print and electronic releases and life in Christ Jesus not only challenged me but caused me to take new decisions in the word of God which the Holy Spirit used to mould the mind of Christ in my life.
Finally to my beloved wife and sweetheart, Sister Obiey and our children; NlotaifeJesusmelum, JigidemJesus and EkenekamjibiaJesus. You are my forever lovers and after loving you all, I am beginning to understand the depth, the height, the width and the breath of God’s love for mankind.
Now unto Him who is able to do exceedingly, immeasurably and abundantly, above all that we ask or desire, according to the power that is at work in us, to lead us to walk worthy of Him continually and to make us perfect in every way, through the Lord Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
ORA OKECHUKWU
SON OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST
CONTENTS
DEDICATION v
FOREWORD vi
PREFACE vii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT x
NUGGETS xiii
CHAPTERS
1. THE CHRIST LIKE CHARACTER OF CONSECRATION
2. THE TRIUMPH OF DIRECTION BY THE HOLY SPIRIT 22
3. THE MYSTERY OF FAITH 52
4. THE POWER OF RIGHTEOUS PRAISE 68
5. THE CENTRAL POSITION OF THE WORD 75
6. THE SCIENCE OF MEDITATION 101
7. THE VICTORY OF THE TONGUE CHANNEL 114
8. THE DISCIPLINE OF PRAYER 134
9. THE VICTORY LADEN CONSCIOUSNESS OF THE MIND OF CHRIST 159
10. RES IPSA LOQUITUR 182
11. THE LIGHT OF THE MIND 208
The Many-Sided Nuggets From The Mind of Christ
Discover the concept of the mind of Christ and the scriptural process of its formation.
The 8 – fold understanding of regeneration in Christ-fullness.
The Biblical declarations on the mind of Christ.
The 9 fruits of the mind of Christ.
The 10–fold way the mind of Christ develops faith in Christians.
The manifold results of the eternal call to live in the mind of Christ.
The A- Z (26) ways the Holy Spirit imparts exploits through the mind of Christ.
The 8 scriptures that compel Heaven to deliver your requests through the faith of the mind of Christ.
The 6 fold covenant package of service by the mind of Christ.
The 12 dimensions which the Holy Spirit uses to enamour the mind of Christ for victorious living.
The 7 fold benefits of justification through the mind of Christ.
The triple heritage of the redeemed with the mind of Christ.
The 10 fold revelatory correlation between faith, obedience and victory.
The major triple benefits of the new covenant over the old covenant.
The five lines of fellowship in the mind of Christ
The Anatomy of faith.
The 8 fold scriptural triumph of hope through the mind of Christ.
The 15 fold provisions by faith
The 16 fold revelations by faith
The 15 fold protections offered by the faith of the mind of Christ
The 7 fold process of praise by the mind of Christ
The 5 biblical prerequisites for effectual praise for the mind of Christ.
The Spiritual process of transforming the carnal mind into the mind of Christ.
The word of God as an access to the heavenlies through the mind of Christ
The 26 wonderful effects of the word by the mind of Christ.
The 7 fold process of victory by the word of God.
The wonderful concept of the science of meditation by the mind of Christ.
The scriptural process of meditation by the mind of Christ.
The 15 fold nuggets on meditation through the mind of Christ.
The correlation between the mind of Christ and joy unspeakable
The Concept of victory through the channel of the tongue.
10 scriptural precepts on the use of the tongue
The correlation between the cross and the mind of Christ.
The 7 fold victory of the cross over the flesh
The 8 fold relationship between the mind of Christ and eternity.
The Christ like preparation for prayer through the mind of Christ .
The 24 fold pattern of prayer by the mind of Christ
The 10 benefits of thanksgiving through the mind of Christ.
The 10 fold ministry of the Holy Spirit in the mind of Christ.
The 9 fold gifts of the Spirit by the mind of Christ.
The concept of victory – consciousness of our perfect redemption in Christfullness
The 14 fold proofs of knowledge by the mind of Christ.
The 10 consequences of our perfect redemption in Christfullness
The 5 fold demeanor of Christ for your emulation
The 8 weighty questions that guide the mind of Christ to eternity
The 5 fold revelation for Dominion in life, marriage and career by the mind of Christ
The 7 fold biblical reasons why the possessor of the mind of Christ cannot fail.
The multiple empowerment through righteous praise
The 15-fold biblical positioning of the mind of Christ.
The Word of God as the divine mirror of life
The 12-fold mandate of the Spirit that strengthens the mind of Christ.
The 9-fold exaltation of the mind of Christ.
The recurrent issue of sanctification
The mystery of the city of refuge
The six evil winds of false doctrines and prophecies
The 17-fold correlation between the word of God, faith in Christ and miracles.
How the Mind of Christ Overcomes all Life Challenges
AND LOTS MORE!
Chapter1
THE CHRIST LIKE CHARACTER OF CONSECRATION
PROPHETIC ENTRANCE
The mind of Christ is a product of about two decades of waiting upon the word of the Lord; to know His will, do His will and when need be, to share His will with others.
During this long period, I received and published the mouth watering revelations inscribed in the book "Ye are gods" and the scripture cannot be broken" (Springfield 2008)
While "Ye are gods" sought to portray man saved from the tragedy of the garden of Eden through the beauty that transpired in the Garden of Gethsemane, the "Mind of Christ" buoys the saved man that should not only walk in dominion as living gods of the Most High God, but the one that reigns as kings in every situation, under the eternal authority of His Majesty, King Jesus Christ, here on planet earth.
The mind of Christ is that soul after having been washed by the Blood of Jesus at salvation is now fully regenerated and renewed by the Holy Spirit.
This process of regeneration and renewal is orchestrated by the Holy Spirit using the word of God as His principal agent.
In Titus 3:5-7, the Holy Spirit indited that this is the only justification we have by the abundant grace of God, for us, so that we can be made sure heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
The understanding of this regeneration work is eight-fold:
It portrays the manifestation of the kindness and love of God upon all flesh (Titus 3:4).
It was and shall never be based on men’s former works of righteousness (Eph2: 8-9)
It is entirely wrought by God’s eternal plan of mercy (Titus3:5)
The washing of regeneration is wrought by the precious Blood of Jesus (Matt 26:28, Cor 1:14-22, 1Pet 1:18-23)
The washing for transformation is then wrought by the word of God (Eph 5:26, James 1:18)
The renewing of the mind is wrought continually using the Blood and the word by the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5, Eph 4:24, Rom 12:2)
This experience of washing, regeneration and renewal was shed on us through the Propitiation of Jesus Christ (Titus 3:6, Rom 5:5, Rom 8:14-16, 1cor 12:13)
Finally these redemptive works which freely justify us by His Grace, make us sure heirs of the hope of eternal life (Titus 3:7, Rom 3:24-31; Rom 5:11, Eph 2:8-9)
DIVINE DECLARATIONS ON THE
MIND OF CHRIST
In I Cor 2: 9-16 the Lord declared that the synopsis of our faith should not stand in the wisdom of this world but by the Spiritual revelations of the word of God.
This particular many sided wisdom of God is elusive even to the most educated, influential or wealthy men for if they had known this wisdom, or believed in it, they would no longer be called unbelievers.
The wisdom of God is revealed by the Spirit of God to them that believe to the extent that He shows them the things that are yet to come (John 16:13-14)
Apparently the Spirit knows all things even the deep things of God and it is those deep things that He had revealed to us.
Continuing, He declared that what we already have is not the spirit of this world but the Spirit that is of God which the carnal mind cannot access
Brother Okechukwu what is the spirit of this world? Beloved the spirit of this world is discerned from the character manifestation of the recipients of this filthy spirit of unbelief. Their features include pride, envy, indecent dressing, electoral fraud, anger, anxiety, immorality and all other forms of unrestrained sexual perversion, bitterness, greed and unbridled quest for material acquisition, witchcraft, marital unfaithfulness, idolatry and traditional worship, necromancy, strife, academic fraud, business misconduct and other dirty practices.
The Lord decisively and finally declared in vs 16, "for who had known the mind of the Lord that He may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ " Hallelu Jah. The implication of this statement is that revelations, instructions and directions from the Lord must be preceded by encounter with the mind of Christ! When the mind of Christ is absent, divine instructions become elusive.
In Isa 40:13-14 where the question was formerly posed, there was no answer for the Son of God was yet to redeem us. In that place, the Holy Spirit sought the one that He would teach Divine knowledge (Epignosis) or show the way of wisdom and understanding (sunesis) or direct in the way to apply Divine counsel in life affairs (phronesis).
Today, the Son of God had shed His love in our hearts by His Spirit that we may know the things that are freely given to us.
Sir, what are those things? Beloved, those precious things are the wonderful promises of God for abundant life like divine healing and ultimately divine health, living barrenness free, poverty free, bitterness free, immorality free, greed and vanity free, anxiety and fear free, guilt free and all those things I had earlier outlined in chapter ten of "ye are gods" as our stupendous heritage in Christ Jesus.
Sir, how can one discern one who has this mind of Christ and the consciousness thereof.
Beloved, before we outline the different features of the fruits of a completely regenerated soul, may we remind you that in Phil. 2:5, the Lord also demanded that this mind of Christ should be in us. "Let this mind which was in Christ Jesus be in you" He enthused.
This refers to the totally transformed mind which is replete with love, and does not contend, strive, quarrel or be involved in vainglory, arrogance, haughtiness or any work of the flesh outlined in Gal 5: 19-21 as the spiritual strictures that stifle the formation of the mind of Christ in mankind.
Further more, in II Tim 1:7, the Holy Spirit straightaway declared that "God had not given us the spirit of fear (unto bondage and torment) but He had given us the spirit of love, of power and of a sound mind".
Please answer me, when a woman begins to call her husband filthy names and troubles the man who paid her pride price, is that a sound mind?
When a man lives a profligate life that he forgets to provide for his family, is that a sound mind?.
When a child prodigalises his life and is involved in immorality, cultism, examination misconduct and gangsterism, is that a sound mind?
When a teacher bastardizes the integrity of the examination system that she is paid to protect is that a sound mind?
When a business person is involved in all sorts of fraud and perverted dealings, is that a sound mind?
When a politician declares a false result of an election that never took place, is that a sound mind?
Please, let us get it very clear, does a public officer who diverts the money meant for execution of projects in his constituency into his private business possess a sound mind? When it is not a sound mind it is a dirty mind and it is the spirit of this utterly depraved and decimated world which can lead to perdition!
That is why the Lord directed Moses in Lev. 24:12 to show the people the mind of the Lord by instantly punishing publicly some transgressors.
In Isa. 26:3, God declared that perfect peace is the portion of those whose mind are stayed on Jehovah Nissi. The kind of mind that the Lord cherishes is the mind that is trained by the Holy Spirit and transformed by the Word of God with the result that it is now called the mind of humility. (Acts 20:19; Col. 3:12) the Mind of the Lord (Rom. 11:34); the Mind of lowliness and willingness (IICor. 8:12; Phil 2:3) the renewed mind after the image of God in true holiness and faith (Rom. 12:2; Eph. 4:23-24) and the mind of the Spirit of God (Rom. 8:27). It is when a soul had been so transformed by this spiritual exercise that it is called the mind of Christ. That mind now freely accesses God’s will and knows the mind of the Lord in almost every matter! Living with the mind of Christ is living the kingdom kind of life on planet earth.
THE FRUITS OF THE MIND OF CHRIST
The Holy Spirit who is my Principal source of knowledge in all my books, ministrations and seminars had shown me the nine fold definite fruits of the regenerated mind in Gal: 5:22-23; viz
1. LOVE:
The Greek word ‘Agape’ translated as love simply means Divine love. It is a strong, ardent, tender and compassionate devotion to the well being of God and our neighbours. Let us study 1 Cor 13:1-13; every work that is not wrought with love is not accepted by God. Love is patient, it does not rejoice in evil report, in does not provoke others nor revenge when provoked. In Rom. 5:5, we saw that it is the Holy Spirit "that shed abroad the love of God in our hearts. The implication of this verse is that without the Holy Spirit, the effectual application of the love of God in our lives is elusive.In 1John 4:6-8, we are reminded that anyone who doubts the word of God has the spirit of error. Continuing, He declared that if we love God and our neighbour, we are truly children of God for God is love.
Beloved, did you hear that? If you are still praying that your enemy should fall down and die, you are practicing witchcraft in the church of our gracious Saviour. Since the Lord asked you to bless your enemy, do not allude that it is demons that you are killing because demons do not die!
It is needful to reiterate these things because the Ignorantus Juris Non Excusat principle also applies on bible matters (Acts 17:30).
It is salient to discuss these basic ingredients that over the years had made Christianity unique, peculiar and Divine. Modern Pentecostals, orthodox evangelicals and charismatics had negatively impacted the church using their new principles that do not agree with the Bible. The modern age cross cuts a clean line from the old rugged cross. The modern age cross is replete with social, contemporary and traditional mentalities whereas the old rugged cross is replete with consecration, sanctification and commitment to the crucified Jesus.
The modern age cross entertains while the old rugged cross edifies. The modern age cross enjoys cosmetic messages that appeal to the senses and emotions whereas the old rugged cross convicts of sin and shows the way of salvation from sin, sickness, poverty and demonic affliction. For a detailed comparism between the modern age cross and the old rugged cross see Okechukwu (2008:105-109).
Furthermore, the modern age cross continues in sin that grace may abound whereas the old rugged cross dies to sin and bears fruit of purity unto eternal life. The modern age cross bears fruit of a carnal nature like secret romance, celebration of valentine day, ice cream nights, beauty contests, Jeans carnival, Comedy and Social picnics in the church. They actually introduce strange festivals and events in the church that relish the spirit of Jeroboam who made Israel to sin by introducing unscriptural spiritualism into the worship of Jehovah.
However, the old rugged cross is reminiscent of Bible based practices and repudiates any ceremony, feast or practice that has no Bible basis and does not promote holiness.
Love is not sex. To love is to be godly because God is Love. When sensuality adulterates Love, it turns into lust which functionally obviates the presence of God in our lives according to the word of GOD. When Sexuality interferes in love, it is corrupted into sensuality. Secret kissing, amorous advances, indecent dress codes and lascivious text messages are not of God. To Love is to be Godly, kind and tenderhearted. Lust is the corruption of true love. While lust ends on the bed of fornication or adultery, Love may be consummated on the marital alter in the Church. To love is to have the mind of Christ
2 Joy
The Greek word "chara" translated as Joy means the deep rooted excitement, gladness and delight over blessings received or expected for self or for others. In Isa 12:3, it is written that it is with Joy that we can draw water from the well of salvation. One of the primary sources of joy is the word of God received in the hearts of men (Jer 15:16). Joy is enamoured by the word of the Lord. It is not mere happiness which is based on a temporary circumstance. Joy is spiritual and can continue even in adversity. It’s source and foundation is GOD. For the believer in Christ, his mind of Christ is higher than the circumstances of this life. The God he has is all he needs to overcome. The mind of Christ makes possible every seeming impossibility. A basic fruit of this mind is joy unspeakable full of glory.3 Peace.
The Greek word ‘eirene’ translated thus: means the state of quietness, rest, repose, harmony, order and security in the midst of turmoil, strife and even temptations .With Peace as a basic character expectation of the mind of Christ, the believer cannot hurt others and when he is hurt, he does not carry animosity in his heart. In Isa 45:7, the Lord declared that He is the one who created peace and in Isa 9:6, He is called the Prince of Peace, Rabbonni Shalom. When strife, contention, bitterness and envy are present in relationships the mind of Christ is absent.4 Longsuffering.
The Greek word ‘Makrothumia’ translated thus means to endure, to be patient, to bear long with the frailties, offences, injuries and provocations of others without murmuring, mauling over, repining, revenge or resentment. In Eph 4:1-2, we are commanded to forbear one another in love with lowliness and meekness.In 1Tim 1:16, the Apostle was determined to show forth all patience as a pattern to us who believe in Jesus In 11Tim 3:10 and 4:2,we are expressly directed to be patient in doctrine and in all manner of living. Many people don’t want to be patient, they want everything to be delivered to them today. But that is not the way of the cross. Jesus endured, we should endure. In Heb 6:12, we are reminded that it is by faith and patience that we can inherit the promises of God. Patience is a double edged sword. It is a fruit that oils our faith and it is a proof that we have been regenerated in the character of Christ. Relationships in marriages, offices, governments and institutions can get better with patience as a basic ingredient of the mind of CHRIST.
5 Gentleness
The Greek word ‘chrestotes’ translated thus connotes a disposition to be amiable, malleable, soft spoken, kind, tenderhearted, even tempered, cultured, civil and refined in character and conduct. To be gentle means to be accessible, approachable and intreatable. In 11Tim 2:24, the servant of the Lord is instructed never to strive but to be gentle. In Titus 3:2, the believer in Christ is directed not to speak evil of no man but to be gentle and not brawlers and squabble starters. In Jas 3:17, the mind of Christ is approximated to the wisdom that comes from above and this wisdom must be pure, peaceable, gentle, impartial, sincere, merciful, intreatable and full of good fruits of a transformed and renewed mind. A gentle believer does not tear down the church or the members no matter the provocation. Jesus was gentle; to be gentle is to be Christ minded!6 Goodness
The Greek word ‘agathasune’ translated thus implies the state of being kind, filled with virtue, benevolence, generous and God like in life and conduct. Goodness is an admirable virtue. In Ex 33:19 and 34:6, God is described as good and merciful. In Matt 5:44-48, the Lord Jesus adjured His followers to be good like the Heavenly Father and to bless their enemies rather than pray that they should fall down and die! To be good is to forgive our malefactors, persecutors and offenders. To be good is to pray and bless those who hate us. To be good is to be Christ minded.7
Faithfulness The Greek word ‘pistis’ translated thus means the living, divinely implanted, acquired and created principle of inward and wholehearted confidence, assurance, trust and (depending on God’s word to live is called faithfulness or living the faith) reliance on God and in all that His word says. To have faith is to utterly depend on God on all matters.In Hab 2:4, Rom1:17, Gal 3:11 and Heb 10:38, the Lord declared that the just (the one who possesses the mind of Christ ) shall live only by His faith.
There are many implications of appropriating faith through the mind of CHRIST, and the consciousness appertaining thereto.
i. The mind of Christ persuades you to posses faith (Rom 4:17-22)
ii The mind of Christ places confidence on living by the word of God (Eph 3:12, Phil1:6) which is called faithfulness.
iii The mind of Christ translates the word of God into substance, conviction and assurance to receive from God (Heb 11:6)
iv The mind of Christ coveys full surrenderedness, yieldedness and obedience to the revealed truth (Rom 1:5)
v The mind of Christ conveys unreserved trust in God (Matt 6:25-34)
vi The mind of Christ transforms one to live the God kind of life (Col 3:5-10)
vii The mind of Christ commands God’s kind of creativity and productivity in man. (Mk 9:23, Lk 17:6)
viii The mind of Christ compels the word of God to produce power to believe and receive (Rom 10:17, Rom 1:16)
ix The mind of Christ commands faith to produce results of.
Salvation (Acts 4: 12)
Access into Grace (Rom 5:2)
Receipt of the Holy Spirit (Gal 3: 14)
Healing (Jas 5:14-16)
Answered Prayers (Heb 6:12, Mat. 7:7-11)
Multiple Prosperity (IIIJn. 1:2, IICor 8:9)
x The mind of Christ compels absolute dependence on the word of CHRIST to produce great faith (Col 3:16 Matt 8:8-10)
8 Meekness: The Greek word‘ Praotes’ translated thus implies disposition to be open, soft, humble, kind, indulgent, even balanced in tempers and passions and patient, in suffering injuries without feeling a spirit of revenge.
In Ps 25:9, it was declared that God will always guide the meek in judgment and teach him His ways In Matt 5:5, the Lord Jesus declared "Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth".
Those who contend for positions in their places of assignment should settle this in their hearts: only the meek shall go beyond this realm! I’m happy that God is not from your ethnic group neither is He from my country or city. God is God and He is from Heaven and His ways are higher than our ways (lsa 55:9-11)I’m also happy that God’s Language is not Igbo Hausa, French, Hebrew or Chinese, which are all products of the rebellion from the tower of Babel. However, when God speaks, any person can decode it in his own dialect. He has also settled His exalted word eternally in heaven (Ps 119:89, 138:2) so that no group, nation or assembly can change it. To be meek is to be Christ minded and teachable by the word.
9
Temperance The Greek word ‘enkrateia’ translated thus means to possess continence, self control. It means to be restraint and moderate in the indulgences of the appetites and passions.In Rom 13:14, we are directed to put on the Lord Jesus so that we may not fulfill the multiple lusts and desires of the flesh.
Self control is the crescendo of the fruit of the mind of Christ . It starts with love and climaxes at self control. Without self control, the world will be like the Hobbessian state of nature. Life will be short, brutish, violent, stupid, filled with egocentrism, confusion, indecorous, subversive, nasty, a war of every man against every man, a pandemonium!
A man who sleeps with another with whom he is not legally married to has no self control. He needs the mind of CHRIST.
A woman who prostitutes her body because of money has no self control and has actually disappointed destiny. She need this mind!
A professional who indulges in dirty practice and breaches the code of conduct he swore to protect is an insult on the redemption package. He desperately needs the mind of Christ.
A preacher who preaches to please the people and fails to teach them the truth has given in to the very sin of Saul who claimed that he listened to the people (1Sam. 15:20-29) and disobeyed God and eventually died in darkness. That preacher needs the mind of Christ.
Beloved, as we said in the preface, encounter with the mind of Christ is the complete cure for every transgression, failure and confusion of this perilous age. It is when the Holy Spirit has transformed one’s mind with the word of God that the operation of this mind becomes effectual. Consequently, you can now access Heaven to receive Christ’s mind or God’s will on any matter whatsoever you desire. The baptism of the mind of CHRIST is your access to know Christ’s mind or God’s will on all matters.
THE ETERNAL CALL TO LIVE VICTORIOUSLY WITH THE MIND OF CHRIST
God had called us to live victoriously without evil reports. He had said in 1Cor 2:16 that we already have this wonderful mind of CHRIST. Since it is the word of God that the Holy Spirit uses to transform our minds into the mind of Christ, it means that as we behold HIM in the mirror of His word, we are fashioned like unto HIM
In James 1:23-25, we understand that if we look into the perfect Law of liberty and continue therein, we shall never be stranded. In Prov 27:19, the Bible says that "as in water, face answers face" and so it is in the word of God, His mind is imparted into our mind as we read daily.
In 1Cor 13:12 and 11Cor 3:18 we see God through the mirror of His word and with an open face, we behold the glory of the Lord and are changed into His glorious image. In effect, we begin to move from glory to glory as orchestrated by the Spirit of the Lord when we read and meditate upon His word.
Sir, how do I get changed by the word?
Beloved, if you hear God tell you from his word that immorality irks HIM, would you not stop being amorous in your thought, words and actions. The moment you take that positive decision, the mind of CHRIST is already at work in you.
It means that any one who reads and is being changed by the word of God, is already being transformed by the Holy Spirit into the image of the God of heaven.
In Eph 1:3, we understood that the Lord had blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
The results of these blessings are that we can appropriate the following benefits with the mind of Christ operating in us.
1 God chose us to be holy
The mind of Christ declares that we are sanctified even before the world began. This means that even though many other people heard the gospel the day you were saved, you are the only one that was chosen and this choice was before Adam was created.
Moreover, we understand by the mind of Christ that God chose us to be holy and without blame. You must make a covenant with your body never to behave unseemingly again (Job 31:1) To be holy is to obey God’s word. Modern age Christianity cannot change this. God called us to live a holy life, anything less than this is fraud. In Lev 19:2, God spoke that He wants us to be holy. No one can follow God unless, he becomes like Him; like must beget like. Modern evangelicals and some sleeping orthodox folks who teach that Christianity is only by grace had missed the mark because grace without obedience is fake and may result in negotiated Christianity.
2 God predestinated us to be adopted
as HIS Children
The mind of Christ reveals to us that God predestinated us to be adopted as His children. In Rom 8:29-30, He declared that He foreknew us and predestinated us to be conformed to the image of His Son and also called us by His Spirit. Furthermore, He justified us by His precious Blood and consummated this relationship by glorifying us.
In Rom 11;17, we understood that we ‘ve been grafted into the olive Tree that is the Lord Jesus. To be a child of God implies that you have received the mind of Christ and so sin, sickness, academic failure and demonic oppression can no longer have dominion over you.
God had accepted us
With the mind of Christ, we know that we have been chosen and we are now his children. It doesn’t matter how your background is, we are accepted. It does not matter your financial situation or your health condition, we are accepted! If you are afflicted, God will deliver you because you are His child. To be accepted means to be declared God’s property. In Eph 1:6, he revealed to us that to the praise of the Glory of His Grace, God had accepted us in His Beloved.
4 God had redeemed us by His Blood.
God delivered us from the dominion of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of His SON.
In Col 1:14, he showed us that in Christ Jesus we have redemption through his Blood and the forgiveness of sins. God does not remember our former sins any more. He has made us a new creature in HIM (11 Cor 5:17) To be redeemed is to be owned again by the Lord after a possible prodigal son experience with the result that our destiny in Him becomes bright and colourful.
5 God had shown us His will
By the mind of Christ, we understand that we already know God’s will by His word. God’s word is God’s will or counsel and God’s counsel is God’s commandment or ways.
In Eph 1:9-11, He made known unto us the mystery of His will when He declared unto us that in the fullness of times, He will gather all things together in Christ Jesus after the rapture of the saints.
By implication, we know that we are not going to continue in this world. He will soon collect us and rapture us to Heaven. He promised us this so that in times of trouble we can be very stable and calm.
God had called us to show forth His praise in all things always.
The mind of Christ compels us to live our lives to the praise of his Glory. In 1Cor 10:31, we are admonished to do all things to God’s Glory. Our preaching is for God’s Glory, our dressing is for God’s glory, our marriage is for God’s glory, and our prosperity is for God’s glory. In Jn 16:12-14, we discovered that one of the works of the Holy Spirit is to glorify the Lord Jesus and always testify of Him. Any time the Lord does not receive glory from whatever we do, it means that the Holy Spirit is not part of that venture. The mind of Christ commands us to do things that are praise worthy to His Name.
God had given us His Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is the surety of the new Covenant. In Eph 1:13-14, the Bible says that after we have heard the word of God and believed, we were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise who is the earnest of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it to the praise of the glory of God.
The Greek word ‘arabon’ translated as earnestly means the first payment in a series of promises in a covenant package. This is what the Holy Spirit represents. By the Holy Spirit we access every redemption right in Christ. He is the Neck that joins the body (church) to the Head (Jesus). With the Holy Spirit in you, habitual failure in your career is escapable.
8 God gave us knowledge, wisdom
and understanding
God has given us the Spirit of knowledge, wisdom, counsel and understanding. In Eph 1:17, the prayer for the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him was sealed. This is to make the eyes of your understanding to be illuminated to the intent that you may know the hope of Christ’s calling and to encounter the exceeding greatness of His Power which was released to us who believe. The mind of Christ is the functional synopsis of Divine knowledge, wisdom and understanding. With the mind of Christ, you are not permitted to be stranded any more or be confused in the valley of decision. You ‘ll not go to the grave until you ‘ve your head filled with grey hairs, with multiple testimonies to prove that your God is the One True Eternal King!
9 God gave us His riches
The mind of Christ delivers divine prosperity to those who believe. In the days of His flesh on Earth, the Lord Jesus never lacked, we are forbidden to live in lack and penury. In Ps 23:1, we saw that the Lord is our Shepherd and we shall not lack.
In Ps 37:25, you understand that the righteous cannot be forsaken nor his seed beg for bread.
In IIIJn 1:2, the mind of Christ constrains you who believe to encounter the triple prosperity of your soul, divine health, and the works of your hands. From Josh 1:8, you‘ll see that God had promised you good success and prosperity as you obey His word by the mind of Christ.
In Exodus 23:25-27, God provides and blesses your bread and your water, He takes away sickness from your midst, He removes barrenness and miscarriage from your lives, He fulfils the number of your days and delivers you from your enemies.
In 11 Cor 8:9, the Lord Jesus was made poor so that you might become rich. Poverty may not stop you from going to heaven, but it can deny you of other redemption rights which the mind of Christ has consistently granted to you.
Beloved, get it very clear, prosperity is not wrong, what the Bible considers abhorrent and evil is prosperity without righteousness. With the mind of Christ, if you wait on the Lord, He will surely prosper you in due time. You don’t have any problem, all you need is the consciousness of the mind of Christ which is one of the sharpest revelations of the new covenant with unassailable results always.
10 God gave us power over and
against principalities and demons
The Greek word ‘Exousia’ translated as power implies delegated authority from a superior person. The Lord Jesus had delegated power to us through the consciousness of the mind of Christ to operate and trample on all the works of darkness with His Name, His Blood, His Word and His Power as divine standards against demonic or psychic opposition (Isa 59:19) Christianity without power is frustrating, so the Lord had given us His anointing to break every yoke of affliction, bad habits and other forms of demonic oppression. The end product of the breaking of these yokes is that at the end, we shall be free from every type of demonic influence like Him. In the Scriptures, we see that the Lord had delivered you from the mired clay of sin (Ps 40:2-3) and set your feet on a rock to stay with a new song of praise unto His Name. Apparently the Lord who permitted you to pass through sore troubles, shall quicken you again and He shall increase your greatness, comfort you on every side and remain your Defence and the Rock of your refuge (Ps 71:20-21, Ps 94:22)
I see you blossom in every way from this day. I see you live in the consciousness of the mind of Christ for victories in your life. I see you flower in wellness and wholeness and ardently glow in abundant life free from every type of stress in Jesus Name.
Let Us Pray
Heavenly Father, thank you for calling me to live in the full consciousness of the mind of CHRIST. Forgive me from all my sins, write my name in your book of life and deliver me from every yoke of darkness by the Blood of Jesus. Impart unto me your Gracious Spirit to transform my mind and cause me to live by the words of Christ. I return all the Glory to your Name in Jesus Name.
Commendation:
Now, may the God of all grace and mercy, who had called you to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a little while, make you perfect, establish, bless, strengthen and settle you and cause you to walk worthy of Him in all things well pleasing in His sight through the Lord Jesus, to whom be glory, honour, adoration and praise forever. Amen!Prophetic Declaration:
"My CHRIST-like character of consecration is the gate way to the MIND OF CHRIST for multiple breakthroughs in my life".Congratulations, it is your time to shine in every area of your life. With the mind of Christ, the solution to your challenges has just arrived. The word of God is the many-sided wisdom of Christ which makes tremendous power available for exploits.
For you to excel, you must begin to speak the word to your situations. Do not confess what you see, profess rather what you believe as it was declared by the word. Since the just lives by faith and not by sight, as you live in the world, do not conduct yourself in a worldly way. So long as your consecration to the Lord is intact, anything you bind or loose on earth shall remain so, even in Heaven. Until you declare a thing, nothing changes. Beloved, do not despair, the Lord shall soon finish His glorious work in us. Christian beauty is like the scintillating radiance of gold which is perfected by the furnace of fire.
If you continue to believe, you shall soon harvest your next level replete with good reports. It took a prophet to deliver Israel from captivity and it equally took another prophet to settle them in their land of rest. The word of God is the spirit of prophecy which changes situations. It took God only six days to create the heavens, the earth and the fullness thereof; it will not take Him a life time to fix you up. Do not limit God with doubt and anxiety, He will do it again!
You are a wonderful creature of valour. Christ’s redemption had delivered to you the strength and mind needed to brave and overcome challenges and forge ahead in life with an excellent spirit.
You are blessed and lifted up to demonstrate the glorious manifestation of the sons of God irresistibly, irrepressibly, irreversibly and irrevocably!
THE TRIUMPH OF DIRECTION
BY THE HOLY SPIRIT
Introduction
The Lord Holy Spirit had revealed to me in various ways and on sundry times what I’ve compiled together as the A-Z of the mind of Christ. By the time we have finished with the A-Z series and the twelve dimensions of the Holy Spirit and their correlation to the mind of Christ, we would have established the incontrovertible linkage between the triumph of direction by the leading of the Holy Spirit and the consciousness of the mind of Christ. In my former book "ye are gods" we undertook an exposition on the Holy Spirit. We discussed who he is, His position in creation, His status in the GOD HEAD and the twenty eight scripturally driven purposes He accomplishes in our lives. We expounded His Divine Symbols and His gracious acts in the church. We finally outlined the seven ways to receive Him on a daily basis and the seven things we must not do if we must continue to abide in Him.
We can now continue with the A-Z triumph of direction series of the mind of Christ by the Spirit of Christ and His Dimensions thereof.
A
On the premise that the Holy Spirit uses the word of God to create the mind of Christ, beloved, be very confident of this very thing, that what ever work God had begun in your life, He will finish it in Jesus Name (Phil 1:6)
B
The word of God that forms the mind of Christ constrains you to understand that nothing shall be impossible to you that believe. In Mk 10:27, the Lord Jesus said that with GOD all things are possible. The literal implication of this statement is that nothing is impossible with God.
In Phil 4:13, the Holy Spirit said that you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you by the Holy Spirit.
In Mk 9:23, the Lord Jesus said that with your faith in Him intact, all things are possible to you. This revelatory statement puts you in the class of GOD.
Sir, how do you mean?
Beloved, only God can make all things possible. Now, the Lord Jesus is saying that with your faith, you ‘ve entered into the class of GOD and you can now work out all things without frustration and stagnation. Your faith is the conveyor to that exquisite class of Divine accomplishments with minimum stress!
Several Scriptures validate this position;
i Math 7:7:, Ask and you shall receive
ii Math 7:7-11, Seek and you shall find
iii Math 7:7 Knock and it shall be opened to you
iv Math 17:20 Nothing shall be impossible unto you if you walk with the faith of the mind of Christ.
v Math 21:21-22 All things whatsoever you ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive exceedingly.
Vi Jn 15:7 and 16; Ask what you will and it shall be done unto you.
Vii Deut. 28:1and 13; When you hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord your God, He will set you on high above all nations, He Shall make you head and you shall be above only
Viii Eph 3:20 God does exceedingly and abundantly above all that we ask for according to the power that is at work in our hearts. That power is the Holy Spirit and the work He does is to transform our soul into the mind of Christ. When we are so renewed, our prayer requests fall in line with the will of God that cannot be resisted; hence, our consistent victories, testimonies and good reports.
Beloved, to be above only means that you shall never be an ex rich man, ex-married person, ex-healthy folk, ex believer, ex successful man or woman, ex property owner, ex holy person, ex-anointed or ex-car owner. His blessings shall continuously increase and enlarge you (Isa 54:2-3)and never give you sorrow. This is His will, for you can never fail in anything you do from today. Let it be written and let it be done in Jesus’ name!
C
You are part of the Body of Christ. You are in the church that God is eternally building. The Lord Jesus said in Math 16:18,that the devil can not prevail against His Church. The effect of this statement is that you are simply unassailable by forces of darkness. Settle this in your mind, you are unconquerable, unmolestible and unimpeachable!
D
By the mind of Christ, you must not negotiate the truth that when any person comes to GOD, that folk is not left desolate. GOD is committed to increasing you. In Mk 10:29; Jesus answered, "Verily I say unto you, There is no man that left house, brethren or lands for My sake and the gospel that shall not receive a hundred fold now in this life, houses, brethren, lands with persecutions, and in the world to come eternal life."
In Phil 4;19; God promised to supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
Ps 71:21; He shall increase your greatness and comfort you on every side.
Ps 84:11; He is your light and your defence, He will give you grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from you as you walk uprightly.
Ps 36:8-9: You shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of God’s house, you shall drink of the river of His pleasures, for with Him is the fountain of life and in His light shall you see light.
Beloved, God’s word is the conveyor of light. It is the generator of light. It is the baptizer of light. It is the capacitator of light. God’s word sets God’s light aflame and ablaze. Your attitude to God’s word determines your altitude in life, career and ministry. You can never grow beyond the level of your word intake and eventually word connection. Your revelation of light precipitates the level of consummation of sonship accessible by the mind of Christ.
If the word says that by His stripes you are healed, the day you see and understand that revelation, you can no longer be a patient like me in any hospital, because, you, you are healed already and you must walk in Divine health; thus says the Faithful Healer El’Rapha (Matt. 8:16-17; Isa. 53:5; Exd. 5:26).
E
Your ability to live in holiness determines your access to God’s help, protection and increase. The mind of Christ does not permit sin. Ps 46:1, God is your refuge and strength. He is a very present help in the time of trouble. Because you have the mind of Christ, you can not live in sin. Anytime you do what is unscriptural, the Holy Spirit would make you uncomfortable until you repent so that He continues to guide you.
Isa 59:19; when the enemy shall come in, like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against the enemy.
Ps 34:19; many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
Prov 24:10&16; You cannot fail in the day of temptation because your strength is not small. If you slip, you shall rise again. You are not a failure until you are found on the floor. This is the mind of Christ for you, my beloved.
Rev. 3:8-10. as you live in His strength alone, God opens a door of increase for you. He exalts you above your enemies, keeps you from the hour of temptation and seals you as His own against the day of reckoning. Beloved, money and mundane connections cannot buy these promises. The Holy Spirit therefore uses the word of the Lord to guide you in the way that is profitable always.
F
The mind of Christ which is an automatic consequence of a soul that had been sanctified by the Holy Spirit, redeemed by the Blood of Jesus and transformed by the word of God is a mind that serves the Lord without reservations. As you serve God, you enter into the six fold covenant package in Ex23:25-27 viz;
He shall bless your bread and your water (this implies that you cannot starve and whatever you eat or drink is blessed and cannot give you infirmity).
He will take away sickness from your midst.
You shall have nothing cast your young (including your vision)
You shall not be barren
You shall live long to the fullness of your days replete with long life (Ps 91:16)
You shall be protected from your enemies who shall be smitten by the Lord and He shall cause them to flee in several ways (Deut 28:7, Gen 1:28).
G
The mind of Christ does not accommodate frustration, stagnation and the enemy called average. Your present level spiritually or otherwise is not yet God’s perfect will for you. Your prayer life, bible study culture and evangelism zeal are still too low for Heaven’s standards. You must desire an enlargement and increase by conscious determination and diligence.
As you already know, the word of God is the compendium of God’s counsel and will. The word of God is the source of divine direction which the Holy Spirit uses to transform your soul and give you triumph on every matter.
Ps 71:21 had settled the issue of your increase on every side IICor. 2:14 had assured us that we shall always triumph in Christ.
Eph 1:19 had settled the exceeding greatness of His power to you who believe so that by the working of His mighty power in you, victory is assured.
Eph 2:10 acclaimed that you are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works which God ordained before the foundation of the world that you should excel in them. Henceforth, your career, marriage and academics shall be replete with good works.
In Matt. 5:48, the Lord Jesus directed thus; Be ye therefore perfect (in all that you do) as your Heavenly Father is perfect.
The implication of this and other counsels is that there is room for improvement unto perfection.
Your marriage shall soon be perfected
Your career is on the path of perfection
Your spirituality is being perfected
Your health shall have no blemish any more. So be it in Jesus Name.
See you on the other side of greatness where mere men have no access to.
H
The mind of Christ constantly grants you the unfettered consciousness to delight in the Lord and His House.
As this delight is enlivened, God Himself shall work out all things for your sake.
Ps 37:4; He will grant you the desires of your heart as you pray to Him and serve Him with gladness of heart and holy zeal.
Jn 10:10. He will give you abundant life free from sin, sickness, failure and demonic oppression. He will make your brain very sharp that you can not fail any examination in your school or test needed for employment. With the mind of Christ, the Holy Spirit shall bring all things to your remembrance, teach you all things and show you things to come (Jn. 16:13; 14:26). He shall make you a frontliner!
I
The mind of the winner in Christ never accepts failure. Even though he is buffeted on every side, he is sure of victory. He knows that opposition comes because he has a position in Christ Jesus. His strength does not fail in adversity because his strength is from God. He understands that enemies come because he has a destiny in Christ Jesus by his faith.
In Matt. 9: 29, you are assured that it shall be unto you, according to your faith. In Phil 4:13, you can do all things by His mighty strength in you. You cannot fail with the mind of Christ.
J
The mind of Christ is humble, meek and lowly. You cannot afford to be arrogant for you understand that the sin of pride was what made Mr. Lucifer lose his estate and dominion in heaven.
Phil 2:5-9. Let this mind be in you which was in Christ, who made Himself of no reputation, became a servant and was exalted in due time.
Phil 3:14 Don’t count yourself to have reached your goal yet, don’t be overtaken by temporary setback or success, forgetting those things which are behind, reach forth to things ahead, press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. The past had passed. It is now irretrievable. Wise men look forward beyond their pasts because they know that what lies ahead is higher than the setbacks, mistakes or the successes and miracles of yesterday. You are what you are, not because of your past but because of God. If you keep your mind in Him, you shall move to your next level with dignity and colour. This is what the Lord Holy Spirit does in the lives of those who believe.
In Ps 16:7, He gives you counsel in all matters and by the Word, instructs your heart in the night seasons. Finally, He converts the speeches of the day into revelatory knowledge in the nights as you commune with Him (Ps 19:2)
K
The mind of Christ is not controlled by his melancholic fears, anxieties and cynical remarks from others. He fears nothing but God. In 1994, the Lord said to me in an accent distinct and clear, "Son if you fear me, you will not fear any other thing" fifteen years had passed, I have known no other fear but the Lord Jehovah. This is why the Bible asked that you sanctify the Lord in your heart (I Pet 3:15), so that you may know no other fear or concern.
In Job 3:25, Job’s fears came down upon him. The mind of Christ only knows Lk 12:32; "fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom."
L
The consciousness of the mind of Christ is a master over anger, resentment, revengeful thoughts, bitterness and strife.
You know that these things are spiritual insulators of God’s Presence. You should without compromise, avoid them.
In Matt. 6:12-15, the Lord gave us a pattern of prayer. He said that we should forgive our trespassers so that God would forgive us our sins for if we do not forgive others, then our sins shall remain and our heaven shall be blocked .
In Eph 4:31, anger, strife and such like characters of religious witchcraft were proscribed by the Holy Spirit. In chapter eleven of ye are gods (2008) I outlined in horrid details the psychological, emotional, social, financial and spiritual consequences of a bitter and contentious heart. The mind of Christ delivers you from such ignoble end. Remember you are dead and your new life is from Christ of God (Col 3:3) Dead men do not quarrel or strive. (1Pet. 2:23). If you truly love the Lord, consciously refrain your tongue from evil and your heart from contention.
M
The mind of Christ is not controlled by greed, covetousness and unbridled instincts of the filthy lucre. He is temperant and content about all matters. The greatest miracle after my salvation is this miracle of contentment. I’ve never gone beyond moderation in any thing I’ve done. My ceremonies; (academic, marriage, child dedication et. al) had all been low keyed. I loathe noise making, conspicuous consumption and competition in life. In I Tim. 5:6, the Bible says that the one who lives in pleasure is dead while he/she still lives. The idolatry of public opinion is the bane of many modern age Christians. The Devil deceives them to meet standards of a carnal nature. In I Tim 6:6-12, the love of money is seen as the root of all evils which had made many err from the faith and pierced them with many hurtful sorrows, drowned men in destruction and perdition and caused the ex-anointed to make a ship wreck of his faith.
Beloved godliness with contentment is great gain for we came into this world naked and shall soon go without the many material things we are pursuing to the detriment of our souls. The only thing the mind of Christ reckons is the character which is the gate way to heaven or to hell fire. Beloved, flee collecting money to change academic, financial, medical or electoral figures. A man’s life does not consist in the abundance (Lk12:15) of his possessions. Your new car or house or latest fashion is not your personality. Your character is. If one bought a new house but his zip is still loose, surely he is a pig and if one acquired another degree but she cannot respect her husband, then her madness shall soon take her to a Consultant Psychiatrist.
N
The mind of Christ is not controlled by lust lasciviousness and other traits, trends and tendencies towards immorality.
In Col 3:5, mortification of the flesh against fornication, uncleanness, abortion, pornography, in ordinate affection, indecent dressing that exposes rather than cover nakedness, secret romance and evil concupiscence were proscribed.
The mind of Christ does not sleep with any person with whom he/she is not duly married to. He understands Christ’s injunction in Mk10:6-12 that marriage is one man one wife and any other human complication is the sin of adultery. Don’t allow what you have between your legs to take you to hell. Learn how to manage your sexuality. Indiscriminate pruriency can destroy you if you do not tame it now!
O
The mind of Christ is driven by gladness of heart and joy in service. The mind of Christ does not grumble or murmur even in adversity. He is filled with the joy of salvation and accepts situations and circumstances with out bitterness. He has trust that God is in charge working out all things, in line with Rom 8:28; for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose.
In Jas 1:2-3, the mind of Christ counts all things with joy knowing that diverse temptations work out the fruit of patience unto perfection in his character, life, career and marriage.
In Isa 12:3, it is written that it is with this joy that you draw water out of the wells of salvation. Joy which is a fruit of the spirit is both the source of our strength in God (Neh 8:10) and the evidence of our salvation in Christ. Cultism, bitterness, depression, murmuring and despondency are fruits of an unregenerated soul. But joy, hope and gladness are attributes of the mind of Christ. You cannot tabernacle in God with negative melancholic traits for God desires thankful, praiseful and joyful worshippers. Those who think well normally thank well. Those who thank well shall praise well. God dwells (Ps 22:3) in the praise of His people. Those who praise God normally receive from Him. Praiseful folks always harvest miracles. Miracle-full worshippers are joyful believers. With joy, you can then harvest other benefits of salvation. May your harvest be full and complete in every area of your life. May the Spirit teach you how not to complain and criticise any longer. Do not take God for granted so that you will not be grounded.
P
The mind of Christ knows that God answers prayer. He understands that God rewards those (Heb 11:6) who diligently seek Him. The mind of Christ is the dove in the song of Solomon 2:14 that his Shepherd delights to hear his voice.
In Prov. 15:8, praying with the mind Christ is the uprightness which God delights in. Beloved, do not faint nor murmur, your miracle is on the way. You shall soon rejoice. God has not called the seed of Jacob to seek Him in vain.
Q
The mind of Christ is trained by the Holy Spirit to abide in Christ for in Him is everlasting strength.
(In Jn. 14:16, 26,; 15:26; 16:8-15) the Lord Jesus said that if ye abide in Me and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you, friend you can no longer be stagnated in as much as you abide!
Besides abiding in Christ, the Holy Spirit shall teach you every other thing that pertains to godliness
He shall bring the scripture to your remembrance always
He shall testify of Jesus in your heart all the time,
He shall reprove you of sin whenever you are in temptation;
He shall lead you to righteousness that is found only in Christ.;
He shall adjure you of the inevitability of judgement;
He shall guide you into the truth in every life affair.
He shall speak the mind of heaven on all matters in your heart;
He shall show you things to come;
He shall receive those things that belong to JESUS and show them to you for your appropriation and edification.
He shall glorify Jesus as Lord in all issues concerning you. Your words, your dressing, your marriage, your career, your spirituality are all intended by heaven to radiate glory to JESUS, the unspeakable GIFT of heaven to mankind.
R
The mind of Christ prays with a large heart laden with thanksgiving and praise. He / she does not grumble. The mind of Christ in Ps 100:4 admonishes believers to enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise, to be thankful unto Him and to bless His Name continually. Beloved, very soon, your walls shall be called salvation and your gates shall be termed gates of praise (Is 60:18) Learn to pray with rest and hope. Be careful for nothing. Drop your burdens for the Lord on the alter, don’t go back with them (Phil 4:6-8). Think of things that are of good report. Bless the Lord at all times, may His praise continually be in your month (Ps. 34:1) May God Bless and keep you, may He compass you with favour like a shield (Ps 5:12). May your mouth show forth His praise (Ps 51:15) may your lips be filled with songs of worship (Ps 71:8). May your praise turn into a two edged sword to judge your enemies (Ps 149: 6-7). May your worship cause God to show you His salvation (Ps 50;23) and strength (Ps 8:2)
S.
It is well with you; spirit, soul and body. The mind of Christ avoids sin like a plague. He very well had been instructed by the Holy Spirit that if he/she regards iniquity in his/her heart, the Lord will not hear his/her prayers (Ps 66:18) He can only lift up holy hands in worship and prayer without doubt or wrath (I Tim. 2:8)
The mind of Christ had read in the Bible that the fearful, the unbelieving, the abominable, the murderers, the sexually immoral, the sorcerers, the idolaters and all liers shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone (Rev. 21:8) He does not want to partake in frustration in this life nor in the second death of the ethereal where sinners are damned with fire and brimstone in hell.
T
The mind of Christ triumphs in every thing because his christian attitude glorifies Jesus as Lord. He does not question God’s will neither does he doubt His precious word. He understands by instruction that the promises of God are yes and Amen. (II Cor 1:20) to the glory of God.
Many folks had grieved the Holy Spirit by too many questions. The mind of Christ teaches us to submit to Him, even when we do not clearly understand why some things are the way they are. Herein is the SON glorified and this is the validity of your submission to Him. When our submission to the Lord is no longer negotiable, we can then be sure that we are living out the kingdom kind of life on planet earth which is predicated on obedience to the will of God on all matters whether we understand the situation or not. This is a major principle of the kingdom life for which purpose the Lord Jesus became flesh to show us how to walk in it (Lk. 4:43).
U
The mind of Christ lives and worships with a pure and fervent spirit without anger, bitterness and revengeful heart. The mind of Christ is not a religious witchcraft, he understands that if he does not forgive or stop resenting others, our Father in heaven will not forgive him or give ear to his prayers (Mk 11:25-26) He knows that sin is the infirmity of the soul. He avoids it like a plague, even the sin of unforgiveness. When you live in purity, it approximates to living in the faith because your obedience to the word is an unequaled evidence that you believe that God is a rewarder of those who keep His word.
V
The mind of Christ loves to walk and live in the Spirit. He understands that as many as are led by the Spirit of God are the certified children of God (Rom 8:14). Likewise, he prays by the leading and help of the Holy Spirit who strengthens us in our weakness.
The mind of Christ understands Rom 8:26-27 that says that it is the Holy spirit that makes intercession with deep spiritual groaning which the Lord discerns for our benefit. The Greek word "stenagmos" interpreted as groaning of the Spirit simply means unutterable gushing of the heart which the Spirit uses to link up to the throne on High. Walking in the spirit simply means living in line with the word of God! If any still lives in immorality and bitterness, then that folk is walking in the flesh. But if we obey the perfect law of liberty, then we are living in the Spirit who is the author of the Word.
W
The Holy Spirit is the one that gives us triumph by the direction He grants us by the word of God.
Since it is the word of God that transforms the carnal mind into the mind of Christ, the regenerated saint with the mind of Christ has this confidence that anything he asks according to His will God hears Him.
The word of God is the light that the Holy Spirit uses to lead believers in this world replete with evil (Ps. 119:105). He leads you properly to a colourful Christian marriage, the kind of job or vocation that shall not affect your relationship with Him and guides you always to godliness in your everyday business conducts.
In Lk 1:38, Mary, the blessed mother of the Lord, said that it shall be unto us according to God’s word.
Sir, who wrote God’s word?
Beloved, in Isa 34:16, the Holy spirit is identified as the writer and gatherer of God’s word.
In ITim 4:1, the Holy Spirit is the one that spoke expressly God’s word.
In II Tim 3:16, the scripture was given by the inspiration of God by the Spirit.
In 2Pet. 1: 20, all scripture are beyond private interpretation for holy men of old spoke as oracles of God as they were moved by the Holy Spirit .
In Ezek 2:2, the Spirit of God answered the word of God that He wrote and enters into the heart of believers.
In Mk. 12:24, if you do not know the scriptures, it shows that you do not know the Spirit or the Power of God.
In Jn 6:63, the words that I release to you, they are the Spirit and He is the one who uses God’s word to generate God’s kind of life (ZOE) to you. Hallelujah.
In Jn 5:39, those very words in the Bible testify of Jesus and in Deut 4:1-2 and Rev 22:18-19, those scriptures can never be altered or changed by any one!
X
The consciousness of the mind of the Christ lives every day on the scripturally settled truth that he has access to God always
In Heb 11:6, he understands that his faith grants him benefits from God.
In Eph 3:12, you have boldness and access with confidence by trusting in Jesus as the propitiation of your sins.
In Heb 4:16, you are encouraged to come boldly unto the throne of grace to obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
The mind of Christ is the mind of faith, rest and assurance forever. You can no longer carry Him and be drab intellectually.
Y
The mind of Christ does not live in anxiety and, competition with others or foolish comparism with the accomplishments of others. Even when he does not prosper hastily, he knows that his salvation is higher than any other earthly miracle. He understands Rom. 8:32 that says that if God did not spare His Son, but sacrificed Him for the salvation of our souls, He will surely and freely give us all things for nothing can separate us from the love of Christ.
In Rom 5:6, we understand that when we were without strength, Christ became our propitiation, therefore, you can look unto God and not be ashamed for His light can overcome your darkness (Ps 34:5-7) and His angels shall minister deliverance to you soon.
Z
The mind of Christ lives with a rapture consciousness. Because he knows that the Lord Jesus is coming soon, he develops "a going home mentality" that insulates him from the cares, perversions and the viciousness of this world. The following scriptures had been my source of this kind of life since I got the revelation of living in" "Rapture before the Rapture mentality"
Rom 12:1-2; I have presented my life to God, I do not conform to this world anymore and I am transformed in my mind by the word of God.
I Cor. 15:19: I know that if I do not get to heaven at the end of my life, I’m of all men most wretched and should be pitied for being deceived by the toys (cars, houses, status) of this world.
Gal 2:20. I am crucified with Christ yet I only live now by the imparted life of Christ. That life is called Zoe in Greek which is greed-free, lust free, wrath free, pride free, fear free, vanity free and carnality free. It is the very life of God.
Gal. 6:14; I am saved, I no longer glory in this world but in the old rugged cross which crucified me to this world.
LK 14:26. I am Christ’s disciple because I bear his cross daily and my name (Lk 10:20) is written in heaven.
Heb 4:5-13. I’ve entered into my Sabbath. I have rest from sin, strife and the multiple afflictions of this life.
Jer 9:23-24. I can no longer glory in this world of wealth, academic qualifications and status. I rather glory in the knowledge of my God; His love, justice and righteousness. I live in His rest. This kind of sabbath is not the sabbath of saturday or sunday. It is not part of the law of Moses nor the entrance into Canaan which Joshua achieved for the Israelites, yet they did not have rest. It is the very life of Christ laden with peace.
Heb. 11:10, 14&38. I am delivered from religion, indulgences and earthly toils. I look for another city of joy and rest, another country whose Builder and Maker is God. I cannot be part of this filthy life, it’s not worthy of me, the child of the King of Heaven!.
Beloved, this is the synopsis of the mind of Christ. I’m compelled to release these things to you because I’m a debtor to the Body of Christ on account of what the Lord had wrought in my life.
THE TWELVE DIMENSIONS OF THE SPIRIT
In the course of my walk with Him, the Lord Holy Spirit revealed to me, His twelve dimensions which had enabled me to overcome the crucibles of the work of the ministry, my career and had enlivened me in this transient life.
This twelve fold dimension of the Spirit shapes, moulds and makes the mind of Christ effectual in the believer’s life. It makes the believer to live the fullness of the life of the Spirit. It reproduces Christ in the saints, it activates Christ in us and makes this age the dispensation of the saints to become able ministers of the New Testament pushing down strongholds, casting out vain imaginations and causing every thing to obey Christ!
1. THE SPIRIT OF HOLINESS
The consciousness of the mind of Christ generates a holy demeanour in the carrier at all times. This is because the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus had set you free from the law of sin and death. Apparently, the righteousness of the law is fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit of holiness.
The carrier of the mind of Christ can not sin successfully. Put differently the Blood bought child of God can not yield himself to sin any more because he is dead to sin but alive unto God. Consequently sin no longer has dominion over him.
In Rom. 1:4, the Lord Jesus was declared Son of God with power by the Spirit of holiness by whom we also received grace for service.
This dimension of the Spirit keeps you sanctified and a candidate for a habitation of God always. God is holy; there is no darkness in Him. He can not lie or commit sin. His divine nature is holiness. He therefore cannot resist a holy person. When you are holy, God cannot but tabernacle in you and if God be for you and in you, no body can overcome you. The first and principal factor in the school of the mind of Christ for exploits is this dimension of holiness of the Spirit.
2. THE ETERNAL SPIRIT
The word translated eternal in the scripture means a timeless period and span of life that began with the dateless past and will never end, even in a dateless future. Living in eternity simply means living out in time, God’s kind of life. Eternal life, in Greek; Zoe; is God’s kind of life which is affliction free, lust free, bitterness free, fear free and avarice free.
The implication of this dimension is that the carrier of the mind of Christ reckons in his heart that life is for eternity. He, therefore does not behave foolishly but redeems the time of his sojourn on earth so that he may make positive impact for posterity.
In Heb 9:14, we understand that it was through the eternal Spirit that Jesus offered himself without spot to the Lord God. Every seed you sow, good or bad has eternal consequences. If you live in immorality or kleptomania as a public officer, your family members shall suffer it and in the dateless eternity in the future, you will appear before the judgment seat of Christ.
The mind of Christ therefore constrains us to live and walk worthy of God to the glory of the Lord and for the benefit of our lives here and in the hereafter.
The Spirit of Wisdom, Knowledge and Understanding
This dimension is the epicenter of the apostolic calling; to make men to see the glorious riches hidden in Christ but revealed to the saints. This is the mystery unknown to the people during the last five dispensations of human history but now has become known to us which is CHRIST in you; the hope of glorious things to come.
Wisdom is the principal thing. By it, the worlds were created and formed. Knowledge precedes wisdom. While knowledge is the compendium of divine counsel, wisdom is the application of the multitude of these counsels.
Understanding simply means to see. It is a spiritual force that converts scriptures into pictures. The mind of Christ compels Divine knowledge (Greek: Epignosis) or applies this knowledge into wisdom (Greek: Sunesis) for multiple results and the frequent and practical usage of this wisdom is called understanding (Greek: Phronesis).
In Eph 1:17, the spirit of wisdom, revelation in the knowledge of Him and the enlightenment of the eyes of our understanding are the triple heritage of the redeemed for them to:
know the hope of this calling
know what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints are
know the exceeding greatness of His love to usward who believe, according to the working of His mighty Power.
This is in fulfillment of the seven fold anointing which the Messiah (Isaiah 11:1-5) walked in.
A man or woman who "sleeps" around, "drinks" around, "steals" around, "quarrels" around or "speaks evil" of every person around lives destitute of this dimension of the Spirit for the mind of Christ.
Knowledge is important. Knowledge embodies information. If you are not informed you will be deformed but when you are informed, you can be transformed. Your mental picture determines your actual future while your attitude which is a result of your knowledge determines your altitude in life. Your knowledge translates your mentality into a delectable reality and turns your perception into a pleasant situation in life, marriage and career. We shall return to this issue of knowledge in chapter nine but settle this in your mind that with the Spirit of knowledge you can no longer repeat any examination any longer!
4. The Spirit of Truth
A truth is the quality or state of anything being accepted as unarguable and indubitable. Truths are beyond polemics and expostulation.
This dimension of the Spirit as posited in John 14:17 is the guide to the mind of Christ.
To walk in the truth is to live in line with the scriptures which is the ultimate TRUTH. Since the Bible says that dressing is to cover nakedness, (Ex. 20:26), for glory and for beauty (Ex. 28:2, 40 & 42) any dressing style that exposes nakedness is destitute of the truth.
Furthermore, the Bible says that believers in Christ Jesus are one in Christ (Gal. 3:27-29) For as many that are baptized into Christ have put on Christ, there is neither Jew or Gentile, bond or free, male or female, we are all one in Him and heirs according to Abraham’s seed.
Any denomination (and they exist) where racial, class, ethnic or caste system bring a demonic divide in the church lives destitute of the truth.
Finally, the Bible says that if we call upon the Lord in the day of trouble (Ps. 50:15), He will deliver us and we shall glorify Him. Beloved, I want you to settle this in your heart that your deliverance from every besetting problem is nigh. Thus says the Lord who is the Spirit of the Truth.
5. The Spirit of Life
This dimension of the Spirit compels the saint with the mind of Christ to live free from sinful flesh and the lusts of this mundane life.
It causes us to mind the things that are of the Spirit and repudiate the things that are of the flesh.
In Romans 8:10, the Bible says that if Christ lives in you, your flesh becomes dead to sin and by the operation of the Spirit of life, you live in righteousness without condemnation.
It is this dimension that causes believers to live eternally like Christ in
understanding the inheritance of the saints in His light Eph. 1:14
demonstrating the dynamics of the manifestation of the sons of God in victorious and faithful Christian living (Rom 8:19) bearing fruits worthy of the Lord.
Awaiting the blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our Great Lord in the final redemption rite at the rapture (Phil 3:20) with power and great glory. With the Spirit of life, you can no longer die again. Yes, the Lord said so and it is so (JN 14:19) the second death is not for us (Rev. 21:8).
6. The Spirit of Power
This dimension of the mind of Christ empowers saints to live in His strength and never be weak, feeble, listless, powerless, diffident and live with lassitude.
In II Tim 1:7, God stated unequivocally that He had given us a spirit of love, a spirit of power and a sound mind. Christianity is frustrating without His anointing.
In I Cor. 2:4-5, our ministrations are not based on the enticing words of man’s wisdom but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power. Beloved, your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in His anointing.
In I Pet 1:5, we are kept by the Power of God and in ICor 4:20, the kingdom of God is not described in matters of His word only but in His Power.
The dimension of the Spirit of Power enables you to demonstrate what you believe. If your spouse was diagnosed with a dysfunctional fallopian tube, the anointing of God should break that yoke for you shall be fruitful and not barren. Your faith should be based only on God’s word that empowers you to be fruitful and not fallopian tube full! Power turns you from being a victim: He makes you a victor!!
Living in the Spirit of Power implies living in security in this world of iniquity. Living in the Spirit of power, like the Lord Jesus Christ, means living sickness free (for He sent His word to heal you. Ps. 107:20) poverty free (for it is the Lord that gives you power to get wealth Deut. 8:18) sin free (for He had given you dominion over sin Rom 6:14) and demonic oppression free (for He had given us power over unclean spirits LK 10:19).
7. The Spirit of Love
This dimension of the mind of Christ through the instrumentality of the Holy Spirit enjoins believers to walk in love.
In I Jn 4:7-8, every one that loves his neighbour is linked to God and he that does not love is contra-indicated against God, for God is love. Love is not lust; it does not accommodate divisions and prejudices.
In ICor 13:13, love is described as being the greatest of all the virtues of God. Yes brother, for God so loved the world (Jn 3:16) He gave!
If you can not walk in love, it means that you’ve missed the mark of God’s standards. The Greek word (Harmatia) translated as sin simply means, missed mark of God’s rule. Friend, do not miss anything in Christ for you’ve got His mind.
8. The Spirit of Grace
This dimension empowers the mind of Christ to appropriate the benefits of Grace unto victory. Mercy, Grace and Favour are used in the Bible to position the believers in Christ into their new covenant heritage.
While mercy understands your frailty as flesh, Grace enables you to overcome temperamental inadequacies and Favour places you on higher grounds in Christ Jesus irrespective of you.
In Heb 10:29, the Holy Spirit is described as the Spirit of Grace. It is this grace that enables you to pray effectively (Eph 6:18, Rom 8:26) and war a good warfare.
Finally, in Zech 12:10, the house of David shall receive the Spirit of grace and of supplication and this shall enable them discover that the one they crucified was and is their Redeemer, their Maker! This dimension of the Spirit enables saints to talk and act graciously at all times. It proscribes slander, strife and bitterness. In Col 4:6 we are directed to walk graciously at all times. Now, receive the prophetic grace for exploits in Jesus name.
Every mountain of sickness, failure, and affliction, shall not buffet you anymore in Jesus name. Friend, get connected to the Bible which is the repository of Basic Information Before Leaving Earth.
9. The Spirit of Glory
This dimension of the mind of Christ connects the saint to the anointing of Jn 17:22 where the Lord Jesus gave his children the same glory that he had received from the Father.
This is the glory of the knowledge of unity for corporate strength. Behold, how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity, for there, the LORD commands His blessings eternally. (Ps. 133:1-3)
The corporate anointing of togetherness between couples and members in the church are often hindered by bickerings, fleshly prejudices and misunderstandings. When this is avoided, we shall receive a double portion of the mind of Christ.
The second aspect of this glory is the glory of an entirely consecrated heart which is described in I Pet 4:13, as the heritage of the righteous when they are buffeted and reproached for standing on the truth. This is the mystery which the world could not understand over the ages but which is revealed to us, which is Christ in you, the hope of Glory (Col 1:27) by which we labour in His anointing to be presented perfect in Christ Jesus in the face of oppositions, yet we remain focused, faithful and unperplexed.
Beloved, do not murmur, your final salvation draweth nigh!
10. The Spirit of Faith and the Mystery Thereof
This dimension of the mind of Christ consolidates the faith of the believer as the substance (the word of God) of things desired in prayer, which shall become an evidence (Testimony, proof) to be received, concerning those things which were before now not seen but soon shall become obvious to all.
In Heb. 11:6, the mind of Christ understands that he can only please God when he diligently seeks him.
In ICor 4:13, the mind of Christ comes to terms that he has the same spirit of faith which the saints of the old possessed and suddenly utters thus: "I believe and I also speak out".
Beloved it is for this cause that we cannot faint, even though our outward man grows pale, yet our inward man is renewed daily by the word of regeneration.
Receive prophetic grace to reckon that your present affliction is temporary and it will even work out good reports for you in the future. Please, do not look at your present small problems, for the things you behold are transient and mundane but the weight of your redemption is eternal and spiritual.
In I Tim 1:5 & 19, this dimension constrains us to practice our unfeigned faith with a pure heart and a good conscience. Beloved, faith without obedience is a fake faith.
You must hold your faith with purity of conscience. This is what is called the mystery of faith (1 Tim 3:9) i.e obeying a God you did not see physically.
Now, faith comes by hearing God’s word, (Rom. 10:17) but the entrance of His word (Ps 119:130) is what gives light and understanding. It is this understanding that activates faith and makes it patient unto obedience. When faith has no power, it becomes latent and eventually repletes with inertia. But when faith is activated and enlivened with obedience, then that faith is justified before God and can keep the saint alive for exploits.
Consequently, Hab 2:4, Rom 1:17, Gal 3:11 and Heb 10:38 all declared that the just shall live by faith.
The Spirit of Faith or the mystery appertaining thereto keeps and activates the mind of Christ beyond failure, despondency and backsliding.
Beloved, your covenant rights in Christ Jesus are higher and stronger than your present troubles; you can not fail! As the cost of things increase in a geometrical progression, even more so shall your faith increase to deliver your desired breakthroughs in a constant pattern.
Lets say it together, CHRIST in me; is the hope of glory!
11. The Spirit of Joy
The spiritual consequence of the spirit of faith is the elation of joy. You can not be confident and victorious and not be constantly joyful. You can not be harvesting testimonies with a frowned melancholic face! A genuine victory is characterized with joy. Recently, some politicians who massively manipulated the electoral system and declared "landslide" results in their own favour even in places where elections did not take place were seen on television with a moody countenance and an anxious face. This is because their victory was fraudulent.
In Ps 45:7, the Holy Spirit made this electrifying declaration; "thou lovest righteousness and hatest iniquity, therefore God, thy God has anointed you with the oil of gladness above thy fellows". Friend, when you are right, you will be glad. There is no peace for the wicked, it shall not be well with him, he shall receive the punishment of his wickedness (Isa 3:11).
In Isa. 12:3, Joy is identified as the gateway to revelations. A murmuring heart can not access God, he is simply a frustrated fellow. A joyful heart is the tabernacle of the Spirit for the joy of the Lord in his strength (Neh 8:10). In Isa 61:3, the oil of joy is used to cure mourning and the garment of praise is the antidote to a spirit of heaviness.
The dimension of the spiritual fruit of joy is that it constrains the saint to deliver himself from every garment spotted by sadness, depression and heaviness for such, short circuit the flow of the positive supernatural from on High.
12. The Spirit of Justification
This last dimension of the mind of Christ notifies the saint to consistently keep his heart devoid of guilt, sin and condemnation. To be justified is to be counted blameless through His Blood.
In Gal 5:11, the believer knows that because he had been justified, he should now live by faith without guilt.
In Rom 5:1, we understand that being justified by faith, we have multiple benefits of his justification, viz;
we have peace with God devoid of guilt and condemnation as testified in Rom. 8:1-2.
we have access to God without hindrance
we have faith in God because the greatest molester of faith which is guilt had been crucified to the cross
we boldly stand in Christ based on His perfect propitiation
we rejoice because the hope of the glory of God is bestowed on us and in which we shall be consummated at the rapture for the final redemption of His purchased vessels.
We glory even in tribulations because we know that such contradictions work out patience which mould our character and enlightens our hopes.
Finally, we rejoice in hope because the Holy Spirit sheds abroad the love of God in our hearts.
Beloved; these things can not be harvested in the University or by political appointment or in the Stock Market. Only the word of God can grant access to these unquantifiable blessings.
Finally, in 1 Tim 3:16, the Bible says that the Lord Jesus was justified in and by the Spirit. This also is our portion. Have you been justified or are you still carrying a bitter, critical and revengeful spirit around?
Commendation
I commend you to God and to the Word of His grace, which is able to cleanse you, build you up and grant you an inheritance among saints sanctified in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Prophetic Declaration
Congratulations, you’ve made it. When you know these things, your faith shall not be based on emotions but grounded on His word. You can never be barren or unfruitful in your work or walk with the Lord for you’re already bouncing in Him.
THE MYSTERY OF FAITH
PREAMBLE
The issue of the mind of Christ can not be exhaustively discussed without the weighty factor of faith. We shall discuss the link between faith and victory, the anatomy of faith and the multiple triumph of the mystery of faith. All these shall help us to operate in the realm of faith with the mind of Christ.
THE REVELATORY CORRELATION BETWEEN FAITH, OBEDIENCE AND VICOTRY
It was March 2003, I was reading Benson Idahosa’s wonderful book "If your Faith Says Yes, God Can Not Say No" and suddenly I began to receive the following ministrations from Heaven on the anatomy of faith.
Several years later, I was attending the send forth service of a pastor friend and the visiting minister was teaching on faith. The minister was teaching the congregation that the Egyptians they saw yesterday, they would see no more. He was quoting from Ex. 14:13. Suddenly, the eyes of my understanding opened. In another dimension of the topic, I saw that the reason why the church had heard this declaration over the years without much result is because many church members are the Egyptians themselves. This is because when obedience to God’s word is not mixed with faith, it does not produce much results.
In 1 Jn 5:4, the Bible says that whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world and this the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith.
The only way that faith begets lasting victory is by obedience.
Let’s outline this tenfold correlational revelation.
Faith comes by hearing God’s word (Rom 10:17)
God’s word convicts you of sin and shows you the way to escape condemnation (Rom 3:21-25)
When you obey God’s word, you move from believing faith that saved you to faith that keeps you (1 Pet 1:5)
Living in accordance with God’s word is what is called living in the faith or walking in the Spirit behind the word of God. (Gal. 5:16-26).
Walking in the Spirit means living under the effectual consciousness of the mind of Christ which is living in righteousness (Eph 4:21-24)
Living in righteousness frees you from guilt, sin and condemnation of the devil (Rom 8:1-2)
The freedom of righteousness grants you the boldness of a lion (Prov 28:1)
This boldness gives you access to the throne of God with confidence that your desires can be granted (Eph 3:12, Heb 4:16, 1 Jn 5:14-15)
The fact that it is the word of God that is the generator of your new found confidence and a conveyor of your new found righteousness makes you a candidate for a habitation of God by the Holy Spirit (Rom 8:13-17)
This confidence is what is called faith which is the spiritual energy that conveys dependence, trust, persuasion, conviction, acceptance, total yieldedness and complete surrender to Jehovah El’Adonai. (Heb. 11:1)
It is the bridge from earth to heaven, from the natural to the supernatural, from the carnal to the spiritual, from sin to righteousness, from sickness to divine healing and ultimately divine health, from oppression to freedom and from failure to victory.
Beloved this tenfold revelation was delivered to me like a brief drawn out curtain beyond the physical altar. As I tried to put these points down, He continued to shake my heart with the following gracious illuminations.
The greatest buffeter of faith is not lack of positive confession of God’s word as some modern age preachers presuppose, the major killer of faith is guilt and the precipitator of guilt is sin, as it is written, if your heart condemns you not (because of guilt) you have confidence (faith) towards God, (1 Jn 3:21) with whom we’ve to do *(Heb 4:13) and in whose eyes all things are naked.
Certainly, it is by keeping God’s commandments that you can please God like Jesus the Master did (Jn 8:29) If you can not obey God because of the strength of sin, then the wages of sin which is death shall apply.
Continuing, to have faith, is to live in line with God’s word which is the capacitator of Divine faith. Remember that faith does not just imply believing; demons also believe and tremble or shudder (Jas 2:19).
Beloved, believing without grace for obedience is mental assent as faith without works is dead (Jas 2:17-18). The new covenant gives three major helps to the believer.
The new covenant does not condemn like the law of Moses, it rather gives the offender another chance.
The new covenant pardons the sinner but the old covenant says that the sinner must die; life for life, blood for blood!
The new covenant gives you grace or empowerment to obey God but the old covenant only prescribed what must be done and the punishment appertaining to offenders. Friend, I hope you are flowing with us under this better covenant where spiritual faith failure is as disastrous as physiological heart failure.
THE VICTORY OF FAITH
We have defined faith from the point of view of its major constituent which is the word of God.
Faith whose ultimate substance is the word multiplies your access to God when the word of God is obeyed (Lk 8:18). Your obedience to every known revealed word of God is your strongest weapon in the school of signs, wonders and victory.
Since the word of God is the double generator of faith and righteousness, obedience to the word of God is the most valid proof of faith and sanctification.
To obey God means to be righteous (see ye are gods pages 144-160). or to be holy. Righteousness, purity or holiness attracts God’s presence.
In Matt 5:8, the Lord says that only the pure in heart shall see God. You can not carry His presence and be stranded, be oppressed by demons without rescue or be manipulating examination, electoral, financial or medical records fraudulently. When people claim that they are born again and they become reprobate on sensitive issues of bad character, such folks are simply practicing religious fraud punishable by death in hell fire.
When the word of God conveys the right standing to receive from God, such victories redounds Glory back to God and makes the receiver humble in success and rapturable in demeanour. It is this kind of victory that draws the honest believer closer to God and causes him/her to continue to depend on God for his salvation to the uttermost, even the rapture of the saints.
When the believer encounters this kind of faith he practices his Christianity with solemnity, integrity, gravity, and dignity.
Finally, he does not neglect the five fold lines of fellowship, viz.
fellowship with the Word (II Tim 2:15)
Fellowship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit through prayer (I Thess 5:17, I Jn 1:3, IICor. 13:14)
Fellowship with Brethren (Heb 10:25)
Fellowship in serving the Lord in any way you can (Rom 12:1-13)
Fellowship of testifying to others about the indescribable gift of God in Christ Jesus (Matt 28:18-20, Mak 16:15-20, Acts 1:8)
THE ANATOMY OF FAITH
The following letters of the alphabet make up the word F A I T H.
We can now proceed to undertake an anatomical analysis of the word by studying each letter as it has been dissected, making scripturally valid comments for proper understanding.
F
The letter F represents the primary ingredient of the word faith. It stands for fidelity which connotes loyalty upon God, His Deity and on his ability that He alone is capable of intervening in every situation of life. The word fidelity or faithfulness implies that God can not fail and that He alone is worthy of Glory.
In Isa 48:17. God identified himself as the Holy Redeemer who alone teaches us profitably and leads us by the way that is right.
In Isa 46:9-10, God is the only one that knows the beginning and understands the events that are yet to be unfolded. He is the only God who is first and last and besides Him there is not other God (Is 44:6-8). He is the one who makes a way where there is no way and creates a river in the desert. He can be trusted to deliver. When you pass through the troubles of life, He will deliver you because of His great love and power and because you have the mind of Christ.
A
This letter represents the attitude of God. God’s divine attitude is always that of confidence. God is always at rest. He is never anxious or emotional. This attitude compels peace which guards the heart from emotional, sensual and melancholic assailant of fear. Such fears include fear of failure, fear of death, fear of depression, fear of sickness, fear of rejection and even fear of the unknown.
This attitude of the mind of Christ is a stable character of temperance and self control. It compels believers to be restraint and continent always.
In Isa. 42:8, this attitude does not share God’s glory with any other thing.
In Isa 48:18, once the instrumentality of the mind of Christ is in operation, peace and righteousness shall flood our hearts like the river and the waves of the sea. He will keep you in perfect peace because your mind is stayed on God; Furthermore, for your trust in him, you shall have everlasting attitude of strength (Isa 26:3-4).
The mind of Christ is moderate in all things and the peace of God guards his heart beyond his understanding (Phil 4:5-8). Thus says the Lord in Jn 14:1, let your heart not be troubled, trust in the Lord your God, for you can not be born again and remain without divine help.
I
This letter represents the integrity of God and on His word. God never lies. If you have the mind of Christ, you can keep this integrity-laden consciousness. Integrity compels you not to habour any thought contrary to His word. Your character must not accommodate defiling traits, trends and tendencies. The Prince of this world must find nothing in you. (Jn. 14:30). God can not deceive you, by two immutable things; God’s word and His oath, God can not fail (Heb 6:18).
The Lord Jesus died to save you and give you His Divine nature far from every defilement (1 & II Pet 1:3-4). Do not become bitter, continue to walk in love, don’t be haughty, rather remain gentle, don’t hurt others, don’t allow yourself to be provoked. Let the lion in you be tamed into a lamb. This is the integrity of faith which must go in concurrence with the mind of Christ.
T
This letter represents the teachability of the mind of Christ. This implies submitting to God’s instructions no matter how painful. This attribute differentiates the physical church (carnal) from the heavenly church (spiritual). By being teachable, you make yourself available for instruction and correction. You can not be living the mind of Christ and be unteachable and dogmatic about your views except when such ideas are scripturally validated.
In Prov. 4:20-22, you are commended to attend to God’s words consistently because it is life and health to your flesh. The word of God is powerful to discern the inner thoughts of the heart (Heb 4:12). The word of God sanctifies and cleanses the heart so that the heart may see God without spot or blemish (Eph 5:26-27).
Beloved, do not despise the Lord’s corrections for God chastises the ones He loves (Prov. 3:11-12). All things shall work out for your good because you believe. By remaining teachable, you are demonstrating the kingdom life on planet earth because in His kingdom, there are no rebels!
H
This letter represents Hope which is a spiritual force that can not fail. Hope is never ashamed (Rom 5:5). It commands the spirit of performance because it trusts on God’s magnificence that what He promised, He will surely accomplish (Phil 1:6). With Bible based hope, failure can not ravage your life. The Holy Spirit works on your hopes that are based on the scripture to translate them into faith for good reports.
The following triumphs of hope are recorded in the scriptures.
Heb 11:1-2: The word of God processes hope to be seen by all as a testimony.
Col 1:27: It is the precedence to Glory of the saints in Christ.
IJn 3:3: It is the basis upon which purity is predicated upon so that we can see HIM.
Rom 4:18: It is the anchor upon which faith stands to glorify God when He performs His promise.
Acts 2:26: It is a platform wherein our hearts shall rest in Christ so that we shall not see corruption.
Rom 8:24-25: We are saved by hope because hope builds the divine character of patience in our lives.
If believers cannot have patience then hope is deferred, and this makes the heart sick and dry. (Prov. 13:12). Hope therefore is both a precedent to victory and concomitant of faith!
Ps. 33:18. It is the link for God’s mercy and deliverance.
Beloved, we can go on, but this is only a book. The summary of this analysis on faith is that with faith, grounded on the word of God, you can not fail.
THE MULTIPLE TRIUMPH OF FAITH
Faith is indispensable in our work with God. Faith failure is equivalent to heart failure. Life answers to faith. Without faith, life becomes disgusting and exasperating.
We are going to outline the multiple triumphs of faith in relation to
Life applicable revelations from the word of faith.
Heart warming provisions from the word of faith.
Undisputable protections from the word of faith. All these are possible in life affairs while you walk with the mind of Christ.
LIFE APPLICABLE REVELATIONS
By life applicable revelations, we refer to those instructive statements made in the Bible by the Father, the Son or the Holy Spirit which convey insights to the reader and when they are applied to real life situations, they produce wonderful testimonies by the mind of Christ. The manifold process goes thus:
The hearing of words from the scriptures produce faith (Rom. 10:17).
Words of faith compel light and understanding (Ps. 119.130) so that you are not confused in any matter.
The Word of God is the substance that produces good reports. It does this by giving you proof that what you desire can be delivered to you. (Heb 11:1-2)
The faith that the word of God produces turns you into the class of GOD. It is written that with God all things are possible (Matt 19:26). Now, in Mark 9:23, the Lord declared that all things are possible to those who believe. Since all things are only possible with God, now that all things are also possible with a genuine believer in CHRIST, this kind of believing or faith simply turns you into the class of God, hence ye are gods created and saved to make all things possible.
Faith provokes joy full of glory (1 Pet 1:8). This kind of joy cannot be molested by the storms or waves of life because it is rooted in the word of God and watered by the Spirit of God Himself.
It generates the spirit of utterance and word of knowledge (II Cor. 4:13) so that you can speak your way to victory always.
It is a mystery that purifies the conscience of saints (I Tim 1:19 & 3:9) in the mind of Christ. Faith without purity is fake while purity without faith leads to frustration.
Faith is the justifier of all before God (Gal 2:16, Rom 3:22, Acts 13:39), thus making you guilt free.
It sanctifies one wholly (Acts 26:18)
It is by faith that you live (Heb 2:4, Rom 1:17, Gal 3:11, Heb 10:38)
It is by faith that you are saved (Eph 2:8)
It is by it that the Lord Jesus lives in you (Gal. 2:20).
You walk by faith and not by sight so that the things that you see don’t trouble you anymore (II Cor 5:7, II Cor 4:16-18) This is the mind of Christ
By professing the words of faith continually, you commit God’s faithfulness to perform. (Heb 10:23)
It grants you peace before God (Rom 5:1)
It is by faith that Christ dwells in your heart and causes you to be rooted and grounded in His love. (Eph 3:17). With Christ in you, academic and business failure shall no longer access you in Jesus name.
HEART WARMING PROVISIONS
Whereas life applicable revelations of faith shall grant you entrance into the epignosis (Divine knowledge) ordained for your exploits, the following heart warming scriptures on provisions can guarantee your access to receive the manifestation of these promises through the instrumentality of the mind of Christ.
Faith gives evidence to the world of the unseen and converts the spoken word of the scriptures into tangible pictures (Heb 11:1). You can grow up in a mud house and be seeing a modern house! This is what faith makes the mind of Christ to see. You may be living in poverty but planning in your heart how to manage your prosperity successfully.
It conveys performance of God’s eternal promises (Lk 1:45)
It reveals the power of God to deliver in every circumstance (Isa 53:1)
By faith, everything you expect is delivered to you (Matt 9:29)
Faith persuades God’s ability to perform His promises (Rom 4:21)
It is by faith that you become a recipient of good reports. (Heb 11:2)
Faith in Christ places you on a platform to serve God and receive from Him (Jn 6:29)
If you believe, you can do greater works in Christ’s name (Jn 14:12)
Faith grants you access to God’s throne to receive answers to your petitions (Rom 5:2) as you walk in the mind of Christ.
Healing from sicknesses and Divine Health ever after, are possible through the instrumentality of faith (Lk 8:48-50)
It is by faith that you access the very life of God called Eternal life "Zoe" (Jn 3:36)
Faith provides deliverance from shame and confusion which the crucibles of life can promote. (1 Pet 2:6).
Faith purifies the hearts of believers and propels God to tabernacle in them, (Acts 15:9) with the result that the Lord becomes the good shepherd of Ps 23:1 that makes you not to want anything. Put differently, when the Lord lives in you, you become free from evil reports. My family and I have been insulated from afflictions in the past one and half decades. We live sickness free, auto accident free, poverty free, strife free, failure free, anxiety free and demonic oppression free. The gateway to this kind of liberty laden life in the Holy Spirit is consciously living in purity without offence towards God or man which faith in Christ conveys. Hallelujah!
It is by faith that you can prosper, you can increase and be established in all matters. (Acts 16:5, 11 Chr 20:20)
Faith provides answers to prayers of the saints (James 5:15, Mk 11:22-24) in every situation as they live in the glorious mind of Christ. Barrenness, poverty, failure, sickness, demonic affliction, habitual misdemeanour, career or marital frustration are all life challenges that the word of faith can easily surmount with effortless ease. We shall discuss this simple process of victory by the word of faith in chapter five.
UNDISPUTABLE PROTECTIONS
When you have known God and received from Him, you need to be preserved from backsliding and your resources protected from being wreaked by the enemy. The following are the scriptures that guarantee our defence from the ravaging storms of the enemy.
Faith is an offensive weapon to quench every fiery dart of the devil (Eph 6:16) thus making the devil worthless and dissolute.
Faith turns the word of God (which is it’s principal ingredient) into the Power of God to save you in every situation of life (Rom 1:16) thus, making your walk with the mind of Christ marvelous.
With faith in your heart, your worship and praise sessions become a warfare package to silence demonic hosts (Rom 4:20).
It is by faith that you can please God in all things (Heb 11:6)
With faith grounded and rooted in your heart, you will see the glory of God in every circumstance and situation (Jn 11:40) no matter how intractable.
Faith delivers every saint from being hurt even in dangerous and internecine situations (Dan 6:23)
Faith compels divine victories that overcome the world and its vicissitudes which can deflate the status of a believer (I Jn 5:4)
It is the spiritual ammunition that delivers every one from every curse (Gal 3:13).
Faith exalts the believer higher and above every enchantment and psychic manipulation of this world (Eph 2:6, Numbers 23:23)
It is the vital link to the power of God (Jn 1:12) for signs, wonders and exploits (Mk 16:17) to beautify your wonderful walk with the mind of Christ.
Faith grants boldness and confidence needed to obtain victories in life’s duel situations (Eph 3:12) between you and the devil.
Faith stabilizes you in periods of stress, persecution and temptation. (Dan 3:17 & 28)
It is by faith that you are kept from evil reports (1 Pet 1:5)
It is by faith that you can come out of every drab situation in life (II Cor 1:24).
Your faith protects you from every plague, pestilence, night terrors, afternoon arrows, and destructions. (Ps 91:2-10)
Beloved, these are the revelatory, provisional and protective attractions of living by faith in your glorious walk in the mind of Christ.
You shall not fail. You have triumphed. Your testimonies will show your detractors that your mind of Christ is unmolestable and indefatigable.
We can believe it together without further polemics or expostulation that "The mystery of faith has triumphed over the mysteries of this life." This was why we could plan and solemnize the public presentation of "ye are gods" in the height of the rainy season without fear. We asked God for a dry day for that Sunday but He gave us three dry days from Saturday to Monday and the heavens opened again. Faith truly is the vital link between failure and success and the mystery of faith dissolves both the mysteries of life and the laws of nature.
When you are planning a public ceremony at a period when the rainy season had fully set in, you need the prayer of faith, predicated on the word of God, to shut the heavens like Elijah, the prophet did. Your faith in the word of God is your deliverance from shame, confusion and frustration in this area.
Finally, faith is the only way out of life’s challenges and it is the only way up into abundance, plenitude and cornucopia of good reports in life.
Commendation
Dear Lord Holy Spirit, help your children to understand the deep things of faith and transform their minds from rationalizing issues to believing your word so that they would harvest wonderful testimonies to the glory of the Lord Jesus; through whom, by whom, for whom, to whom and from whom all things subsist. Amen!.
THE POWER OF RIGHTEOUS PRAISE
The Process of Praise
"Whoever that offers praise, glorifies me and to the one whose conduct is upright will I show my salvation." Ps. 50:23. This statement is electrifying. It was made by God the Father Himself. The implications of this statement are triple:
Songs of praise bring glory to the Father
A praiseful life should lead an upright life.
A praiseful life that lives uprightly shall see God’s salvation in all matters.
The one who praises the Lord God offers a double prayer, because he magnifies God and as well makes supplications.
There are two kinds of praise. The one that magnifies God and the one that edifies the singer and encourages his faith in the risen Lord.
The process of praise normally starts with thoughtfulness about the mercies of God. Those who walk with the mind of Christ always have something good to think concerning the Lord.
Such meditative and reflective thoughts lead to thanksgiving. A thankful heart is a positive mind.
When positive thoughts lead to gratitude, praise naturally is released.
A praiseful heart is a Godful heart. Ps. 22:3 says that God dwells in the praise of His people. When you live with the mind of Christ, you learn how to praise God as a lifestyle for the Lord is good and His mercies endure forever.
A Godful heart is a miracleful heart. You can’t be carrying God and be stranded without deliverance. Your carrying capacity of God’s measures of virtues determines the level, frequency and intensity of your miracles.
A miracleful heart is a joyful heart. The Lord Jesus said in Jn 16:24 that when you ask and receive, your joy shall be full. To flow in God’s fullness of joy is scriptural and it is one of the manifestational dynamics of the mind of Christ.
To be joyful is to live a wonderful life. The Lord Jesus was called Wonderful at birth (Isa. 9:6). For you to represent Him in the operation of the mind of Christ, your life must be seasoned with wonders. The mind of Christ is therefore a mind of wonders, signs, victories and good reports. Bitterness, strife, failure, lust, avarice and evil reports must be insulated from the mind of Christ which already is in you. Guard your heart against these spoilers and keep your mind receptive to the wonders reminiscent of Christfullness.
THE FIVEFOLD PRE-REQUISITE FOR
EFFECTUAL PRAISE
There are five major pre-requisites to scriptural praise. It is not every singing that is a praising song. For any song to become praise, it must meet the following five conditions.
1. You must be God’s own. Ps.22:3
Those who offer praises must be God’s personal possession. Strange voices are foreign to Heaven. For your song to become praise, you must be a child of God and purchased by the Blood of the LAMB. Your name must be in the LAMB’S Book of life. You must know that you are a new creature and old things had long passed away.
2. You must be led by the Holy Spirit.
God is a Spirit (Jn 4:24). Those that worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. The carnal mind is God’s enemy. Those who live in the flesh can not please God (Rom 8:7-14). If you do not praise God by the leading of the Spirit of Christ, your efforts may not go beyond your roof. Only those who are led by the Spirit of God are His children and they can live to glorify the Lord Jesus (I Cor 12:3) In every way, the Spirit leads them, (Jn 16:13-14) guides them into the truth, speaks in them and testifies of Jesus in them.
3. You must worship without offence
Since God is a holy God and commands that men must sanctify themselves and be holy (Lev 20:7) worshippers must without negotiation live without offence in their hearts before they approach God. The Lord Jesus taught that any worshipper who has an offence against his neighbour should first go back and settle the rift before bringing his gift of singing, money or preaching to the House. God had willed in I Tim 2:8, that all men should pray every where, lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubt. You must exercise yourself to keep a conscience without offence towards God or man (Acts 24:16) in all things. If you must praise God, you must rid your heart from every strife, bitterness or doubt.
4. You must Praise with Joy
You can never praise God with a frowned face. A genuine thanksgiving must be done with a smile. Beloved search for God’s words, find them, eat them, it will turn into your heart "The joy and rejoicing of your soul" (Jer 15:16).
When joy withers away from the sons of men (Joel 1:12) barrenness, dryness and frustration set in. The sources of joy are the word of God, the Holy Spirit, God’s testimonies of breakthrough and your righteousness. It is only with Joy that you can draw water (Isa 12:3) from the wells of salvation. Everything that you can access from God is possible by joyful countenance of the mind of Christ.
Many times, the way you look insulates you from His favours. Hannah changed her countenance (I Sam 1:18) before her miracle came through. If you do not serve the Lord with joyfulness and with gladness of heart (Deut 28:47) your abundance may be delayed.
5. You must Praise with Faith
Faith is essential in worship, praise and adoration. If you don’t believe that God is (Heb 11:6) you may not receive anything for God is only a rewarder of those who have faith in Him and those who understand that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him.
THE MULTIPLE EMPOWERMENT OF
RIGHTEOUS PRAISE
Having understood the process of praise and the fivefold prerequisites for effectual praise, we may now outline the multiple empowerments that result from the righteous and faithful praise of the possessor of the mind of Christ.
When you praise God, He increases your harvest (Ps 67:3-6) and He makes you to become a carrier of His blessings.
When you praise God, the whole earth stands in awe, dread and fear of Him (Ps. 67:7)
Praise and worship songs are twin conveyors of revelations. King Solomon sang 1,005 songs but he wrote 3,000 revelatory proverbs (Job 32:8, I Kings 4:32)
Praise attracts God to perform His wonderful acts (Ex 15:11)
Praise sang unto God compels His power to deliver from captivity (Acts 16;25)
Praise is a symbol of leadership, affluence, joy and insight by the possessors of the mind of Christ (Gen 49:8-12)
Praise commands the presence of God among His people for that is where He dwells (Ps. 22:3)
Praise causes God’s enemies to tremble at His presence and grants victories to His people (Ps 114:7-8)
Praise crushes hindrances and paves the way for God’s people to possess their possessions (Josh 6:20)
Praise is a statutory function of the redeemed, it is pleasant and good for the living. (Ps 147:1) It is therefore one of the reasons for your living and a guarantee for your longevity.
Praise compels God’s hand to take over your battles. (II Chr 20:22-25) and grants you access to the spoils of battle.
Praise destroys the demon of pride, self and flesh. It gives God all the glory for all things (Ps 115:1). The rich fool, (Lk 12) King Nebuchadnezar (Dan 4), and King Herod (Acts 12) all learnt their lessons in a hard way because they failed to give God praise and glory due His name. Mortify yourself and learn how to return glory to Jesus for everything.
Praise preserves your blessings from demonic attack and Divine curses (Mal 2:2, Eccl 3:14). The mind of Christ therefore praises God with this understanding.
Those who praise God are never afraid of evil tidings (Ps 112:7). God raises them from the dust and lifts them from the dunghill (Ps. 113:7-8) unto princehood, dignity and honour.
Praise increases anointing and the ministerial gifts of the Holy Spirit (Ps. 92:1-10)
Praise causes God’s glorious voice to be heard (Isa 30:29-31) for direction and victories (Isa 42:8-9 & 43:7)
Praise beautifies the redeemed with good reports from all fronts (Ps. 149:1-9) and judgment is executed speedily on the ungodly.
Praise provokes testimonies of defence, joy and help from oppression. (Ex. 15:2) Testimonies on their own are given for the following reasons:
a. It is a sign of eternal gratitude to God.
b. It is a memorial from generation to generation that God wrought such work
c. It is a conveyor of faith to the hearers
d. It provokes further of God’s works among the children of men (Ex. 12:14)
Praise expels evil and unclean spirits and restores a sound mind to the worshippers (I Sam 16:23)
Praise conveys manifold turn around to the redeemed. It increases their lots and portion, it defends them from oppression and draws them nearer to their Maker, Jehovah El’Gmollah. (Jer 30:19-21).
Beloved, these are the multiple empowerment accessible through praise from the mind of Christ. You can not carry the mind of Christ free from sin, strife, doubt and offence and not be a highflier in the affairs of life.
The heritage of frontliners is promotion and increase and that shall be your portion in Jesus name.
Prophetic confession
THE CENTRAL POSITION OF THE WORD
Prophetic Beginning
Thus says the Lord, "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God which was in the beginning with God. All things were made by the Word, without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him (Word) was life and this life was the light of men and the light shines into darkness and darkness could not overcome the light, this Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. (Jn 1:1-14).
The Word of God is the Son of God whose light shines into all hearts that they may believe and be saved. Constant access to the word of God releases God’s ability to man to solve the numerous problems man’s inability could not solve. The Word of God is the major ingredient which the Holy Spirit uses in framing and transforming the mind of newly regenerated saints to possess the mind of Christ.
At salvation the Holy Spirit leads the sinner to Christ Jesus and the Lord Jesus uses His blood to cleanse the person from all His sins and engraves the person’s name in the Book of Life. The Lord Jesus then hands the person in baptism over to the Holy Spirit whose duty it is to renew the mind of the person and guide him to the paths of the truth.
When we talk of the mind of Christ, we are actually speaking concerning the mind of the Spirit. The Divine name called Christ simply means the Anointed One. The Lord Jesus is the Anointed (Jn 3:34) and the Anointer (Jn 16:7) of the Anointing. Hallelujah.
It is this Anointing that quickens man from sin to righteousness; from sickness to health; from the bondage of bad habits to deliverance and from poverty to prosperity for posterity.
It is this Anointing of the mind that makes a believer a victor always. Many unregenerated church goers are Sunday Morning saints but Monday morning sinners. They have victory on Sunday but defeat on Monday. The anointing of the mind of Christ delivers all from nominal and transient victory in Christ to a life of constant triumph in Him.
ACCESS TO THE HEAVENLIES
It is through the Word of God that we can have access to the heavenly virtues and riches in Christ Jesus. In Eph 1:3, the bible says that God the Father had blessed us in all things in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus. In Heb 10:19-22, we are reminded that we have boldness to enter into the Holy of Holies in Heaven by the Blood of Jesus which Hehad consecrated for us a new and living way. We can now draw near with a heart washed with the water of the Word of God.
In Heb 4:16, we are directed to come boldly to the throne of grace to obtain mercy and find grace and help in times of need.
In Eph 3:12, our boldness, access, faith and confidence are by the Word of God which had cleansed us and freely justified us before Him.
THE MIRROR OF THE WORD
The Word of God is the mirror through which we see in order to change into His likeness and receive from the Lord.
In Ps. 34:5, you look unto God through the mirror of His Word and the Word gives you Light which removes shame from your habitation.
In James 1:22-25, you can see the process through which the Word of God not only forms the mind of Christ but also delivers good success to the believer.
If you are a doer of the Word that you hear or read, then you are not a hypocrite. If you are involved in hearing the word and not doing it, then you are like the man who looked on a mirror to behold his face but forgot what he saw on the mirror. The purpose of looking at the mirror is to check whether what should be is the same with what is obtainable. Many folks are like that. They behold and forget, what a tragedy!
But if you behold the perfect law of liberty in the Holy Spirit and continue therein, you shall be blessed in all your ways.
In Prov 27:19, the Bible says, that "as in water, face answers to face, so the heart of man to man". In effect, if you put your face in a bowl of water, you will see your face, even so, when you behold God in the mirror of His Word, you will see how you are.
In 1Cor 13:11-12, we are instructed to note that if we remain as children, we will continue to think and talk like children but as we grow in maturity through the orchestrated process of seeing Jesus through the mirror, we shall put away all childish things before we meet Him fully in Glory.
Moses wore a veil over his face so that the Israelites could not behold his face which was radiating the effulgent divine light when he returned from the mountain of God, even so, when the word was eventually read to them, their minds were veiled and darkened; however, in the new covenant, we behold Jesus as the Word of the Truth (Jn 14:6) and as we all with open face behold Him in the mirror of the Glory of the Lord, we are changed into His image and likeness from glory to glory as orchestrated by the Spirit of the Lord. Now, the Lord is that Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is Liberty (II Cor 3:17-18) for whom the Son sets free is free indeed (Jn 8:32-36).
The Spirit of the Lord who is the writer of the Word (II Tim 3:16) is the illuminator of the mind to conform to the image and maturity of Christfullness. The more word you receive the more glory of God you internalize. This cyclical process leads you to become like CHRIST (I Jn 4:17).
Abraham who is known as the triple father of faith of the Jews (Judaism) of the Moslems (through Ishmael) and of Christians, through the Lord Jesus did not know some of these depths of knowledge in Christfullness.
The Jews claim that Abraham is their father and they are right. The Moslems also lay that claim and they are right since they are children of Ishmael, son of Abram.
But, we Christians are children of Abraham only by faith through the propitiation of Christ. The Lord Jesus was begotten by Joseph (son of Solomon son of David) and Mary (Daughter of Heli, son of Nathan Son of David) so that Jesus became the stupendous inheritor of the house of David son of Abraham. Our faith is actually anchored on Christ who purchased us with His blood.
The Eternal Father taught Moses in Ex. 6:3, "I appeared unto Abraham, Isaac and Jacob by the Name of God Almighty, El’Shaddai, but by my Name JEHOVAH, was I not known to them." There were many things that the patriachs did not know including some of God’s present names which our children use to sing down there in the children’s church! The ultimate NAME Jehovah is not for everyone’s consumption, it is for those to whom it is meant for their deliverance and promotion by the "I AM THAT I AM" to what you may desire. (Ex. 3:14-15)
The purpose of this Divinely unctioned treatise is to unravel some of these truths so that the later day believer might know the glorious inheritance that he has in Christfullness.
The church is not actually going back to the great mind of Adam (before he fell into transgression) but the church is being consummated into the mind of Christ who is the second Adam that triumphed.
In Gen 2:19-20, we saw the great mind Adam possessed when God brought every fowl of the air and beast of the field to Adam. God saw what Adam would call them and whatever Adam called those living creatures, that was the name it became and this very thing pleased the Lord.
Uncle Adam possessed a very tenacious mind which no academic can possess even with the presence of modern documentation equipments of the print and electronic media of our supersonic age.
The Word of God made Adam to live in dominion until sin ravaged this inheritance. Beloved, when the issue of sin is effectually settled, the mind of Christ shall naturally surface and you shall walk in pervasive victory in every area of your life. This kind of God confirmed victory is obtainable by the word of God which is made active by the Holy Spirit who turns the written word (logos) into living word (Rhema) to bring about salvation, sanctification, healing, deliverance, victory, prosperity and good report.
THE WONDERFUL EFFECTS OF
THE WORD IN YOUR LIFE
We shall go on to study the itemized effects of the living Word as it occupies a centripetal position in your life. These effects were made possible by the propitiation of the Blood which turned the shadows of the old testament promises into realities. The new redemption package includes holiness and righteousness, deliverance and protection, divine health and prosperity. All these benefits that accompany a genuinely sanctified soul are accessible by the mind of Christ.
Beloved, we cannot over emphasize the utter simplicity of sanctification. The Greek word "Hagiazo" translated as sanctification simply implies setting apart of a vessel, animate or inanimate, from a profane or secular use to a sacred or holy use.
Every Christian who so identifies himself must walk in the light of the Word (I Jn 1:7) and remain set apart from the world unto the Lord so that his obedience would be complete from the inner man to every aspect of outward life. The word sanctify does not mean different things to Israel of the old covenant and to the church of the new testament. It means the same thing to both dispensations of worshippers and for this failure in being continuously sanctified, the Lord constantly punished Israel, the apple of His eyes. The church can not think that same judgment shall not come upon them if they disobey the Holy One who inhabits eternity. The only way to spiritual bliss in Christ is walking in the mind of Christ which is principally made effectual by constant illumination and entrance of the Word of Life whose effects we can now itemize as follows:
When the living Word of God dwells in you richly, you are filled with all wisdom which translates you into a preacher of the truth and a true worshipper in spiritual songs, hymns and gracious psalms in the Lord (Col 3:16). This is an eloquent testimony of the mind of Christ.
When the Word of God enters into you to transform your mind, you will be called to serve God in any capacity according to your ability. Thus says the Lord to every Pharaoh holding your destiny, let my people go that they may serve me. (Ex. 8:1). The Word of God therefore calls you to the Lord’s service in His vineyard and by this service your blessings can never run dry as you are abundantly satisfied with provisions, healing, multiplication, longevity and constant protections (Ex. 23:25-27).
When the livingWord of God does not depart out of your life, when you read and meditate upon the word in order to do the commandments therein, your ways shall be laden with prosperity and your life shall be filled with goodness and success from the Lord always (Josh 1:8) Academic or marriage failure is an insult on this level of redemption.
When you find God’s words and eat them, God’s words shall transform your heart and cause it to be laden with joy and rejoicing in the Lord always (Jer. 15:16). The is the mind of Christ for you where sadness, depression, fear, anxiety, bitterness and other temperamental pitfalls have no access to you. It is this spiritual level of constant joy in the Lord that the Holy Spirit, who is the writer of the Word of God, uses to anchor you to the topmost height; a supernatural apogee where your destiny can no longer be assailed by forces of darkness.
When this kind of joy is constantly manifesting in your soul, the Lord shall be your portion, your salvation, your strength and your song (Neh. 8:10). Therefore, you shall be able to draw revelations, directions, provisions and protections from the Lord. (Isa. 12:2-3)
When you incubate God’s words in your heart, it shall grant you life and health to your flesh and cause your paths to shine better and better in every area of your life until the perfect day. (Prov 4:18-22) These paths include academic and health paths, marriage and family paths, business and career paths and most importantly your spiritual paths.
When you incubate and by the Spirit hatch God’s living words in your heart, the word turns into power to insulate you from committing sin because the words hidden in the heart make you sensitive against anything that is unscriptural. With the Word of God, you cannot commit sin successfully (Ps 119:11). This is so since what you know guides you against unbiblical demeanour.
Since God’s word is settled forever in heaven (Ps 119:89), it eternally settles everything concerning your destiny. Anything the Word declares frames your mind and your mind rules the world. God’s word cannot be altered by any church, organization, individual or government. It is higher than all things . When you anchor your faith and frame your world by it you can also become higher than all things.
When my second child was in the womb, my wife was buffeted by the devil and she suffered all manner of attacks, including constant malaria and fainting spells. On one of such occasions, the doctor declared to us in the hospital that he could no longer hear the foetal heart beat. The implication was that we were directed to prepare for the evacuation of the dead foetus with minimum delay. I was very annoyed with the devil that I discharged my wife from the hospital and we went home to pray. I gathered a total of fifty nine scriptures settling God’s position on marriage, pregnancy, child birth, family life and a flowery ministry.
Between Friday night and early Monday morning when we were booked for the final scan and consequent evacuation, we were pleading our case before the Lord with the word. Before we left our flat on Monday morning, the child had started kicking again and we didn’t see that doctor again until the child was safely born. Her name is called PraiseGod, JigidemJesus Favour because He surrounds the righteous with Favour like a shield (Ps. 5:12).
This is the illustration of the mind of Christ made possible by the Spirit through the Word.
For the mind of Christ to be operational in your life, the word of God must without negotiation be accepted fully in your hearts. The reason is simple: The Word of God is full of living power, it is sharper than the sharpest double edged sword, cutting swiftly and deeply into every aspect of our inner most thoughts and desires and revealing to us what we are and to all things how they stand naked before Him (Heb 4:12).
When you accept God’s word, you can no longer walk in the dark since the Light of the Word can overcome all your failures, confusions and frustrations.
The Word of God that forms the mind of Christ is used by the Lord for warfare. He turns His word into fire, a raging flame that burns up every adversary like a wood (Jer 5:14). It burns up sickness, it ravages sin and it extinguishes the false fire of false doctrines. It causes your enemies to melt in His presence when it is spoken with faith.
God’s Word causes men to melt and tremble at His word (Jer. 5:22-31) and it exposes and condemns the pervasive influence of false prophecy. False doctrines over the years had remained the bane of the church from the old covenant days. False teachings produce six evil winds.
a. It lowers the standards of righteous living among the people because of the adulteration concomitant with such wicked doctrines like encouraging immorality, indecent dressing, fraudulent life style and covetousness in the name of modern theology.
b. It lightens the yoke and weight of God’s holy precepts
c. It sears the conscience with hot iron and thus insulates the conscience from obeying the word.
d. It takes away a grave sense of responsibility from the hearts of men in striving to obey an awesomely holy God
e. It equally takes away God’s responsibility in caring for a stiff-necked and disobedient man. When man fails to hearken to God, God’s mercy and grace become limited and this can result in His judgment.
f. Finally, it removes the fear of God from the souls of men.
The Word of the Lord transforms the mind unto the full measure of Christ by illuminating the mind with God’s light which no darkness can assail. (Ps 119:105). The word therefore becomes a light on every of your path in life and a lamp unto your feet in every thing you do. That light overcomes confusion, demonic assault and stagnation in life.
The living word of God gives insight into the deep things of God (Ps. 119:99). When you meditate upon God’s word, you grab understanding in the affairs of life. God’s word gives you access to wisdom more than your contemporaries. God’s word grants you empowerment (Grace) to live above sin and the pressure of worldliness. It is this understanding (light) that causes you to live an extra ordinary life far above failure and frustration. Those infected with sexually transmitted diseases could have escaped such a plague had they hearkened to the perfect law of liberty that commands humanity to stay sexually pure.
God’s word is a conveyor of faith which endears us to God. In Rom 10:8-17, the scriptures testify that the word of God in your heart which you speak out is the word of faith which saves from every affliction in life. Faith is the avenue to please God (Heb 11:6) and this word is the generator of faith and we having the same spirit of faith believe in Him and speak our way to victory, deliverance and rest in Christ. Beloved, this is the operation of the mind of Christ for your testimonies.
When the Word of God sanctifies your heart and life, it produces the mind of Christ which is always acceptable to heaven.
The word of God is the sanctifier of the soul. (Jn 17:17) from anger, lust, greed and fear. The word of God cleans the ways of men, thus making you sensitive and desirous to obey God always in order to harvest miracles in your life (Ps. 119:9). The word of God is used by the Lord Jesus to sanctify and clean the church like water washes a filthy object. This qualifies the church to be presented without spot to King Jesus on the day of the Lord. Nobody meets Christ with boldness without having His Mind. (Eph. 5:26)
The Word of God is the very source of your healing, divine health and deliverance (Ps 107:20). Beloved, as God’s word is sent to you now, you are healed from every infirmity and delivered from every destruction of sin, sickness, poverty and demonic oppression. If you dare obey Him, you shall surely spend your days in prosperity and your years in pleasure (Job 36:11).
The living word of God which cannot fail (Isa 34:16) is the source of wisdom and knowledge which makes you stable in the times of trials (Isa 33:6). The word grants you strength, makes the fear of the Lord your treasure and produces salvation for you in all circumstances of life.
The absence of the word of life produces ignorance, darkness and frustration which make men famished, dry and impotent. (Isa 5:13; Hos 4:6) Genuine productivity, creativity and profitability in life are accessible through obedience to the word.
When people lack the knowledge of God, destruction follows them. When people forget the knowledge of God, the Lord rejects them and hands them over to a reprobate heart. (Rom 1:28) Reprobacy, heresy, hypocrisy and apostacy are multiple gateways to eternal damnation. Beloved, your encounter with the mind of Christ is your sure deliverance from every pestilence and terror of darkness in Jesus Name.
The Mind of Christ which is a spiritual consequence of a word-driven heart can not pray amiss and would always break through in prayer any time.
The process of this breakthrough is simple. The mind of Christ is the mind that had been transformed by the Holy Spirit using the word of God. The mind of Christ therefore is a soul that pleases God. Owing to the fact that the word of the Lord resides in the one who operates in the mind of Christ, the believer has this confidence that whatever he asks in prayer according to God’s will, he receives from the Lord (I Jn 5:14) This is possible because the Holy Spirit (Rom 8:26) who lives in him, likewise helps him in his daily spiritual exercise of prayers.
Certainly, we do not know how to pray or what to pray for without the Holy Spirit. In Jn 4:24, the Lord Jesus declared that God is a Spirit and they who desire to worship Him, must worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. That Spirit is the Holy Ghost and that truth symbolizes the eternal light of the word without adornments, duplicity and insincerity.
The mind of Christ now employs the help of the Holy Spirit to intercede for the saint with naturally inexplicable groanings. But God who searches the hearts, understands the spiritual utterances of the Holy Ghost and grants your petitions because they are made in line with His will.
Brother Okechukwu, what is God’s will?
Beloved, God’s will is God’s counsel, God’s counsel is God’s commandment, God’s commandment is God’s Word, God’s Word is God’s mind in print. The Bible is a spiritual compendium of the total encapsulation of the mind of Christ for mankind. Every word you handle from the Bible is the will of God concerning the situation it dictated. You can not fail when you are loaded with His word. Give him PRAISE tonight! If you had read that only the pure in heart shall see God (Mat. 5:8), do not expect any sinner to see God because the Word had already declared God’s will on that matter!!
God’s word is a precipitator of joy (Jer 15:16). When you find God’s word and eat it, it becomes the capacitor of joy and the reason for the irrepressible rejoicing of your soul. It is with joy and gladness that you serve Him (Ps 100:1-2). Joy is indispensable in the realm of the deep things of God. (Isa 12:3) Without joy, you cannot go far with God for sadness, strife and depression are triple insulators of His presence.
The reason why I can preach at ten minutes notice is because I have kept His joy intact. The books I write and the messages I preach at least two times per week are all results of a joyful heart in the Spirit. With joy, I constantly draw revelations from Heaven and when I apply them to life situations, they make me a highflier.
I remember that many years ago the doctor declared that my baby in the womb was too big to be delivered normally. He appointed my wife for normal C.S. surgery by 6.00 p.m. We prayed and the necessary dilations were supernaturally quickened and the baby rolled out by 5.45 p.m. just before the doctor arrived. The prophesy of the supernatural strength of the children of promise in Ex. 1:19 was thus effectuated. Hallelujah.
The Word of God is a conveyor of prosperity and a baptizer of good success (Josh 1:8). It is by it that all good reports are harvested. God had sworn by no other Name than His glorious Name which is higher than all names, that if you anchor your life on His word, you will be strong, courageous and prosperous in all you do.
The one whose delight is in the Lord, who meditates upon His word and who separates himself from the world shall be like the tree planted by the waterside which bears fruits in season and out of season. (Ps. 1:1-3) Barrenness, sickness, unemployment, academic failure and stagnation, marital spells, business or career frustration and habitual misdemeanour are all plagues which the word of God destroys.
Apparently, when the mind of Christ is in operation, these things have a quicker terminal date.
The mind of Christ reveals God as immutable in character in Heb 6:18. This implies that when we trust upon His living word which is made up of his promise and His oath, we can completely count on Him to deliver us in every situation.
The second implication of this revelation is that with the mind of Christ, we can be trusted. Dishonesty, duplicity, insincerity, and double dealing are strange characters to Canaan Land. These traits of Egypt must be extinguished by the Word of God for Him to help us. You can never live wrongly and expect to get things right. The word of God which is the moulder of the mind of Christ produces a life that is almost impeccable, infallible, unimpeachable and incorruptible by the trends of this world. When such a character is in place, marriages and relationships can work, business contracts can not fail, academic endeavours can flower, health conditions can blossom and spiritual strength can deepen to a level where "deep calleth unto deep".
The word of God is the builder of greatness in lives, families, firms and nations (Deut 4:2-8). If you do not add or subtract from the word of God, but learn to observe them (Matt 28:20) and do them all without adulteration (Rev. 22:18-19) you shall be great. This is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations which shall remark that you are wise and have understanding. They will enthuse that great is your God who is so near to you with such marvelous words, laws and righteous judgments.
Beloved, keeping the words of the Lord generates a peculiar character that distinguishes one from the mob and builds multifaced greatness in us.
The mind of Christ reckons the will of God at all times (IJn 4:6, 2:27) because he possesses the unction of the Holy Spirit. This unction abides in you and teaches you all things and reproves strange doctrines. The word of God helps you to know the Spirit of the truth and every spirit of error. It is this gift of discernment that makes the mind of Christ which is generated by the word of God a frontliner in the affairs of life because he does always as occasion serves him, in the stead of the Lord Jesus, his Master and eternal Redeemer who causes him to bear luscious fruits in life endeavours.
The word of God calls us into the five-fold fellowship that makes our lives complete in Christ.
g. Fellowship with the Father (1 Jn 1:6)
h. Fellowship with the Son (1 Jn 1:3)
i. Fellowship with the Spirit (II Cor 13:14)
j. Fellowship with the Word (II Tim 2:15)
k. Fellowship with Brethren (Heb 10:25)
These communions, build, edify, correct, instruct and develop you into the maturity of the full stature of the Son of God.
The living Word of God produces the boldness that is turned into the power of God to save every one and in every situation. For the details of this salvation which the word of God produces, see "Ye are gods" 2008 page 149 for therein the sixteen accomplishments of the word of righteousness were outlined in detail.
The word translated save from the original Greek text; "Soteria", means to deliver and preserve. This is what the word does in you in every circumstance of life! It will deliver you and protect you from every danger and preserve you from fear.
Sometime ago, I had a growth in my right hand. I saw that thing grow steadily and one morning while I was in the bathroom, I rebuked it in the Name of Jesus. Few days passed, I noticed that the flesh was now flat and the bump or whatever it wanted to become had disappeared.
That is what faith in the word can do. It turns God’s word into power to deliver. It is this Anointing that breaks every yoke in this life (Isa 10:27) and keeps you free from every satanic bondage when you operate in the mind of Christ.
Finally, the Word of God is the conveyor of His Grace (Acts. 20:32). God’s grace is His mercy that understands man’s frailty, forgives man of his weakness and empowers man to overcome that weakness. When grace leads to unmerited promotion, it is called divine favour.
Beloved, I commit you into His charge for His protection by the Word of His grace, to build you up and elevate you to your rightful position filled with good reports and joy in Jesus Name.
THE PROCESS OF VICTORY BY THE WORD
We wish to graciously churn out from the scriptures the process wherein victory could be won by the word of God in this respect. They had been validated in every situation and they have high efficacy.
Check your life to be sure that you are qualified to access God. (Ps. 139:23-24). Confess every known sin, consecrate your life to God and plead the Blood of Jesus to cleanse you from all unrighteousness. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you.
Hold the word in that situation (Heb 4:12) Look for what the word is saying about your situation. If it is weakness, infirmity or sickness, locate scriptures on healing and use it to pray.
Come with boldness (Heb 4:16) Please do not access God with doubt or guilt. The righteous shall be bold like lion (Prov. 28:1) Your boldness has a great reward. It is with boldness that you receive mercy and find grace to help from the throne in the time of need.
Pray with praise and a thankful heart. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and unto his courts with praise (Ps 100:4). A thankful heart is a receiving heart and a praiseful heart is a sound mind . Do not grumble or compare your case with others in a negative way.
If the answer does not come speedily, keep your confidence (Heb 10:35) Do not cast away your profession of faith. Do not waiver for He is faithful who had promised to save you with heart warming miracles. It is by faith oiled with patience (Heb 6:12) that you receive your full inheritance and promises. Keep your confessions positive because the trial of your faith should work out patience in your heart and patience will make your character complete in Him. Do not despair, remember that Abraham eventually begat Isaac.
Look beyond your desires (Heb 12:2-3). There is a weighty glory that lies ahead. All things work out for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose. God is working out a greater miracle for you. Are you rapture ready? Some petitions are kept in view and to be preceded by the rapture of the saints. Rapture consciousness makes me holiness conscious. Some of my prayer requests would be settled by the rapture. When we get to Heaven, we shall understand. My partaking in the rapture is more important to me than any prayer point. Continue to look beyond your petitions, it will make your problems smaller and the smaller your situations become, the greater your faith to overcome that circumstance.
The just shall live by faith (Hab. 2:4, Rom 1:17, Gal 3:11, Heb 10:38). Many prayer petitions do not reach this level but when it does, the mind of Christ should remind you that since you are justified to live by faith, you can no longer draw backward for if you do, God shall no longer have pleasure in you and your earlier inputs would be lost.
Living by faith connotes walking by the word! Continue to serve with gladness, continue to praise, continue to live with faith, your miracle is here; it shall no longer tarry, it is coming soon; it shall settle it all. The road to success is not a five minutes drive. Anything that is good never comes easily. You have reached this level because you are too much, too valuable and His plans for you too weighty. For this cause (II Cor 4:16-18) you shall not faint for you are renewed by the Spirit from the inner man everyday. Your present light problem is transient. It shall work out an exceeding weight of glory for you: right here and in heaven above.
Finally, don’t look at the things you see. The things you see are mundane and ephemeral. The things you do not see are the real matters for they are eternal. This is the mind of Christ for you.
Beloved, you have overcome in Jesus name.
Let’s say it together.
"Greater is HE that is in me than all the problems of this life".
Yes, the measure of Heaven’s gifts in you is determined by you. Evangelist Okechukuwu, teach me how I can influence heaven’s treasures in my life.
Beloved, the level of God’s word in you determines your susceptibility to good reports or failures.
Put differently, your word intake which should be at the level of input overload always (Col 3:16), your faith, prayer and character all formed from the word are the very vibrant capacitors of good reports.
Finally, as those in the faculty of medical sciences give their patients prescription doses of medications to alleviate their ailments even so, we who know the Lord, had been in God’s commission of giving the Lord’s people, the required doses of God’s word which is capable of healing them (not alleviating their pains) and delivering them from every destruction of this life (Ps. 107:20). That prescribed dose is reading at least one chapter of the Bible per day, praying for at least one hour per day and living a godly life as part of your reasonable service to God on a daily basis. THIS IS THE MINIMUM PRESCRIPTION!
Brother Okechukwu, can you briefly itemize summarily the link between the Word of God and the Mystery of faith in Christ in relation to good reports in life?
Beloved, the following scriptural synopsis shall settle the link between the word of God (God’s will) and Faith in Christ (God’s attitude) as the former produces the later and the later generates victories, testimonies and good reports in life, marriage and ministry. (God’s work).
THE CORRELATION BETWEEN THE WORD
OF GOD, FAITH IN CHRIST AND MIRACLES
1. The word of God produces the faith that delivers one from the plague of sin, guilt and condemnation which act in concert to insulate humanity from their Maker; Jehovah Mekaddishkem (Rom. 8:1).
2. The Word of God produces the faith that releases the power of God for exploits in life (Isa. 53:1)
3. The Word of God produces the faith that subdues establishments, thrones, strongholds, kingdoms and obtains promises for the elect (Heb. 11:33-34).
4. The Word of God places the believer in an elated position where he reckons himself higher than the circumstances of this transient life (1Jn. 4:4).
5. The Word of God generates the God kind of life in the believer whose faith simply over-runs the numerous challenges of living on planet earth (1Jn. 5:4&12).
6. The Word of God is the sharpest and most potent weapon of warfare which uses faith in it to overcome the crucibles of life with effortless ease (1Tim. 6:12).
7. Faith in the Word of God baptizes believers with the many sided wisdom of Heaven which restores humanity to the path of true righteousness and victory. These encapsulated arrows in the Word include the Blood of Jesus, the Name of Jesus, The Spirit of Jesus, the Testimony of Jesus, the Praise of Jesus, the Service unto Jesus, feet washing as instituted by Jesus and the Prophetic verdicts of the Word of Jesus (Eph. 3:9-10).
8. The Word of God kindles the faith which man uses as an expression of confidence in a God that can never fail under any situation (Heb. 10:35-36).
9. The Word of God produces the faith that is a translating supernatural force with which humanity can connect with mercy, grace, and favours in life (Eph. 2:8-9)
10. The Word of God generates the faith which is described as the foundation of Christianity (11Pet. 1:5) and the final expectation of the Master when He returns to make up His glorious jewels (Lk. 18:8).
11. The Word of God baptizes believers with the kind of faith that quenches all the fiery darts of the hosts of hell. When this faith is in place, sorrow, grief, poverty, sickness, bad habits and affliction are swallowed up in the victory of faith precipitated by the word (Eph. 6:16).
12. The Word of God produces the faith that possesses substantial evidence of a better tomorrow which in turn pleases God to deliver the saint’s expectations and rewards (Heb. 11:1-6).
13. The Word of God which develops faith (Rom. 10:17) translates us from man to god (Jn 10:34-36) from carnal to spiritual (Rom. 8:9) from weaklings to conquerors (Rom. 8:37) in all things. The Word is able to achieve all these because God had exalted His Word above every other thing (Ps. 138:2).
14. The Word of God develops the faith that commands the Hand of God to perform all His promises to those who believe (Lk. 1:45).
15. The Word of God produces the faith which does not only convey eternal life to you (Jn. 3:16) but also turns you into the class of God, thereby making miracles possible for you (Mk. 9:23).
16. The Word of God generates the faith which prevents confusion in life endeavours, thus, keeping you focused, clear-headed and a candidate for victory in all circumstances (1Pet. 2:6).
17. The Word of God baptizes believers with the kind of faith which is the vital access we have to receive breakthroughs from God irrespective of demonic oppositions (Mk. 11:24).
Beloved, we can go on and on, but this is only a book. We shall continue next time as the Lord wills, but suffice it to say that without the Word of God dwelling in your heart, "thy life shall profit nothing" (Jn. 15:5).
CONCLUSION
The word of God is to the soul what oxygen is to the flesh. In Matt 9:21, an afflicted sister decided to touch the WORD and that lone encounter delivered her wholly. The New Testament has about 500 verses each on faith and prayer. When the verses are appropriated, varying degrees of demonic oppression, spiritual lethargy, laxity, complacence and gross waxed hearts (Isa 6:10) are cured. The Word of God does not return void. Even in temptation, it brings you forth as gold.
Henceforth, anything you declare shall answer light to you, you shall be wise inheriting His glory always. Every counsel of Ahitophel against you shall be turned into foolishness. You shall not go to the mortuary before your time; your portion shall be service in His sanctuary. Even in the midnight, you shall have a new song of victory.
In Heb 10:7, it was written of JESUS that He shall accomplish God’s will. You shall also live in His will. Poverty and lack shall be far from you as your sanctification, diligence in your career and giving to the work of the LORD are activated. These three factors guarantee your prosperity in Him.
You shall live out the kingdom life and demonstrate the virtues of redemption irresistibly. By the entrance of His word in your heart, His kingdom is already within you. You are blessed to be envied by men. You are redeemed to reign and not be pitied or reduced by affliction. You are born again to reign as gods with the mind of Christ over evil reports. (Prov 10:22).
Blessings, (nor sorrow) wisdom (not confusion) purity (not sin) divine health (not sickness) and freedom in Christ (not bondage satan) shall be your stupendous heritage from today in Jesus Name. Any nation that permits sin, kills it’s very soul. Bro Washington, a foundation President of America said that it is practically impossible to govern a nation without the Bible and no one can claim to be a true patriot without the word of God as a guide to living. Sin reproaches but righteousness exalts. Your attitude to the Bible determines your fate at the family, career and national life.
What is your decision?
THE SCIENCE OF MEDITATION
Historical Entrance
" I have more understanding than all my teachers, for thy testimonies are my meditation". Ps 119:99
This statement is revelatory. It simply shows us the way to the topmost height which is by meditating upon the word of the Lord.
The Lord had commanded Joshua that if he dared meditate upon His words, he would have good success and make his ways prosperous (Josh 1:8)
Meditation is the conscious effort to wriggle out of the word the hidden things which the carnal mind can not discern but which is the mind of the Lord behind every word in the Bible. The letter kills but the Spirit behind the word gives life. Meditation is that science that had been proved over the generations to bring to the fore the mind of the Spirit behind the letters. Meditation could have not been termed a science if it is void of facts, truths and verifiable evidence.
In Gen 13:14, the Lord directed Abram to lift up his eyes and behold the plains, northward, southward, eastward and westward and all the land that he saw would be his and his seed forever.
Abram was yet to have a seed. It took more than twenty years before Abram who later became Abraham begat Isaac. Abraham thought about that promise and saw his seed possessing the land. Spiritually speaking, to think is to meditate especially when it has to do with the scriptures. The conscious methodology of thinking through the word is what is called the science of meditation. When you think, you can see. To see means to understand. The spiritual force that accompanies understanding converts the ordinary letters and words into pictures that make the idea being conveyed clear. It makes you sharp intellectually. Spiritual meditation in the Word of God brings marvelous results just as intellectual cogitation produces wonderful technological breakthroughs and prodigies of learning and research.
Through thinking, cities were built and kings reigned. This is so because it is meditation that gives birth to wisdom for creativity and productivity. Negative thinking had made many rulers ruin their generational destinies but positive thinking had done much good to humanity.
Kings and leaders like Joshua, Moses, David, Josiah, Joseph had left unobliteratable foot prints because they reasoned well.
Bad rulers like the Ceasars reasoned evil;
Augustus Gauis Julius Ceasar, wrecked havoc in his empire and ravaged Palestine, 27 BC – 14AD, during the time that Christ was born. (Lk 2:1)
Tiberius Claudius Nero, AD 14-37 was the one who oppressed his subjects with vicious terror (Lk 3:1). It was the horrid dread of this particular Ceasar that Governor Pontius Pilate had that he condemned an innocent Jesus to death and eventually both Claudius Ceaser and Pilate died ignobly.
Tiberius Claudius Drusus Nero, AD 41-54 was the one who afflicted the Jews and expelled all of them from Rome (Acts 18:2)
Nero Claudius Caesar, AD54-68. He ruled with iron fist and initiated the persecution of Christians, slew many of them, crucified some, offered some to lions and ordered the execution of Apostles like Peter and Paul.
Titus Flavius Vespasianus, AD 69-79. He destroyed Jerusalem and put the city under siege and outlawed the name of and worship of Jesus, the very Christ.
Titus Flavius Domitianus, AD80-96. He rebuilt temples of idolatrous worship all over his empire, suppressed Christians and named himself a god to be worshipped.
Bennito Mussoloni, Joseph Stalin, Adolf Hitler, Idi Amin Dada to mention a few are a roll call of recent opprobrious rulers who thought wrongly and produced obnoxious systems. Some of these rulers like Hitler, Stalin and Lennin began their training in a Christian seminary but gave themselves over to the evil one and ruined their destinies. Until one is purchased by the Blood of Jesus, regenerated by the Holy Spirit and transformed by the word of God; he can never think well nor act right.
THE PROCESS OF MEDITATION
The scriptures testify that meditation is the door way to understanding and success. In Ps. 119:100, we saw that meditation is elusive without the conscious practice of separation. You cannot be unequally yoked and keep God’s laws. Ungodly relationships deter His presence. It is separation from the world that leads to an environment of meditation. Meditation leads to inspiration from the Throne of God. Inspiration provokes revelation. Revelation compels faith because revelation makes you to see and it is what you see that you believe and it is what you believe that you become. Faith therefore commands Divine performance for it shall be unto him that believes, a performance of God’s words (Lk 1:45)
Put differently, meditation is the conscious act that leads to Divine instructions which brings forth supernatural breakthroughs and encounters.
Evang Okechukwu, can you explain this process in another way? Beloved, it is what you hear or read that you know, it is what you know that you meditate on. It is what you meditate upon that grants you understanding of the issue at stake. Understanding compels you to see clearly what is being said. When you read that "he was wounded for your transgression" Isa 53:5, you meditate upon that verse and now you understand that sickness should no longer ravage your body, it is at this stage that you will see yourself never on a hospital bed anymore. Furthermore, what you see is what you believe and faith is the gateway to your destiny because it is what you believe that changes you to become what you have believed (Jn 1:12)
Certainly, if you believe that you can not be barren because the Word had said so, it shall be so for you if you operate in the mind of Christ.
NUGGETS ON MEDITATION
The following nuggets on meditation shall help you engage the science of that process for victories in life, marriage, career and ministry.
Meditation grants you access to what the Lord wants you to become and what you are created to accomplish. The mind of Christ therefore empowers you to locate your vision and your destiny. The books I write are all products of meditation on the Word. Ambition is what you want to become but vision is what He created you to do. (Hosea 4:6)
Meditation is the science of reasoning with God through the mind of Christ in His word. It makes you to discover your desired end and delivers you from frustration, confusion and a dreadful fatalistic end. (Ps. 119:97-99).
Meditation grants you access to spiritual directions, instructions and guidance (Ps. 32:8). With meditation you can not be faster or slower than your destiny. Sound minds are properly guided.
Meditation draws inspiration which compels revelation. Revelation makes faith automatic and commands Divine performance (Lk 1:45) You can not feed on His word and be stranded. Put differently, meditation is the mediator between the expected and the outcome.
Meditation is an age old practice. It was called "suwach" in Hebrew. It was the practice of bending down in body and mind in deep spiritual prayer and thought before Elohim. Isaac practiced meditation (Gen 24:63) and received wonderful results obtainable by sound minds.
Meditation requires separation (Prov 18:1). Separation is a functional pre-requisite to meditation. A man seeking wisdom and direction must separate himself from all other pursuits so that he can devote himself to his course. One desiring to become a successful man must become a voluntary recluse for the sake of his vision.
Meditation which is a result of the mind of Christ leads to insight. Insight makes one to see and it is what you see that you possess. (Gen 13:14) Herein is the correlation between the mind of Christ, meditation and exploits in life and career.
Meditation is a sincere analysis of the situation in order to get out of the crossroads. (Jer 6:16). When you stand in the crossroads of confusion, you should ask and seek the old path which is the good way and which gives access to rest. Without meditation, there is no genuine way out of the problems of life.
Meditation leads to good reports. When you apply yourself wholly to them, your profiting shall appear to all men (I Tim 4:15) There is no loss in meditation. God does and can not think for us, we must engage in the conscious process of thinking through the word. This is the way out of every loss in life.
Meditation is God’s command (Isa 1:18) He commands us to come and reason together with Him. Such invitation is to lead to justification and peace. Such reasoning is done in prayer and in the word. It sharpens the mind and makes you sensitive on spiritual matters to overcome the vicissitudes of life!.
Meditation restores dignity (Lk 15:17) The prodigal son is celebrated today because of the science of meditation. The Lord Jesus said that the prodigal folk "came to himself and reasoned and arose and said." Thus the prodigal son translated himself from profligacy to celebrity.
Beloved, if you can think well, you will act well and see things work out well for you. Meditation is a restorer of relationships, colour and dignity in life.
The Woman (Matt 9:21) with the issue of blood is another example of how conscious decisions can bring victory in life.
Meditation leads to wisdom (Eccl 1:13). It is a reasoning process that leads to discovery. Wisdom is a responsibility. God gave us brain so that we may give Him rest on trivial issues. God would not go to the bathroom for you. Irresponsibility leads to liability.
Wisdom which is a product of meditation is a deliberate and conscientious activity. Many creative men are said to be wise because they reasoned through.
Beloved, sit down and search out matters, you will over come. Stop practicing madness. Only mad people think nothing and they get nothing!
Meditation is the gateway to spiritual virtues. (Phil 4:8) It develops the character fruits of honesty, justice, purity, love, goodness, thanksgiving and good reports. You are commanded to think, reason or meditate on these and like things.
When meditation is not deliberately practiced, it means that the operation of the mind of Christ is absent. Lack of meditation leads to poverty and penury (Prov 24:30-34) A man who does not understand issues shall not only be poor but amenable to destruction. This is the reason for academic, career and marital failures. To buttress my stance, if all the troublesome spouses found in the church would sit down and think, they, like the prodigal son would arrive at a better decision and restore their marriages in line with the Word of our God to the path of peace, love, purity, joy and abundance. When meditation is meticulously practiced, third party involvement in crises management may be limited.
Meditation develops the mind of Christ. Thinking through achieves marvelous results. It takes one to the desired altitude in life, career and marriage.
Meditation is superior to supplication because it leads to instructions and compels Divine manifestations instantly. It takes us into the class of God, (Isa 55;8) where you can think on God’s ways. Meditation links us up into the level of God’s thoughts of peace and good reports.
Jesus practiced meditation. He often went to lonely places to pray and receive from the Throne. He directed in Lk 14:28 that every project planner "must first sit down and count the cost"
The deeper the thoughts, the taller the project.
It is through meditation that wisdom and instructions are received; wisdom is the builder of all things.
Every effectual thinker is a writer. Beloved, no temptation is beyond you. Sit down and think your way through the word of life. Other kinds of thinking can lead to anger, depression, lust or high blood pressure. Thinking in the word produces life!
The wisdom that meditation produces compels life over every dying aspect of you. Wisdom is a commander of wealth, longevity, health, protection and righteousness. For your meditation to be effectual, you must document (print or media) your thoughts so that it could be used. The relationship between the mind of Christ, meditation, wisdom and breakthrough in life is simple. The first leads to the second and the second produces the third which commands the fourth! It is the fourth stage that leads to joy unspeakable, because you can not have constant breakthrough and not glory in joy unspeakable!
THE MIND OF CHRIST AND JOY UNSPEAKABLE
We can not exhaust the issue of meditation without discussing the unspeakable matter of joy. It is what you think that makes you. As a man thinks, the same he is (Prov 23:7). Your thinking determines your countenance. If the mind of Christ thinks well, the man shall be well but if a carnal mind thinks his evil, then the person shall be vile. The word of God frames the mind. The mind frames the thought and the thought determines the mood.
Beloved, how delectable is your mood? Are you a Sister Melancholy or Brother Sanguine. Put differently, are you always truculent, critical and corrupt in your lifestyle or are you always cheerful, complimentary and pure in your countenance?
You have internalized the formation of the mind of Christ as purchased by the Blood, baptized by the Spirit and transformed by the word. When this mind is in you, you shall bear very delightful fruits. Joy is one of those vital fruits of the mind of Christ and it accomplishes the following in the believer;
The mind of Christ produces the delightful countenance and joy that makes our heart desires to be granted. (Ps 37:4, Prov 24:14, Prov 10:24& 28)
The mind of Christ produces joy and profound rejoicing that comes out of your meditating upon God’s word (Jer 15:16)
The mind of Christ provokes a relationship between God and His people where God is in your midst as the Mighty One that saves, rejoicing over you with joy and singing and resting on His love for you (Zeph 3:17). With this kind of relationship, you can never be frustrated again.
The mind of Christ compels you to serve with gladness of heart and continual praise. (Ps 100:2)
With the operation of the mind of Christ, you can joyfully access every other benefit of redemption. (Isa 12:3)
The mind of Christ produces the faith in God which makes the believer rejoice with joy unspeakable full of glory. (I Pet 1:8) This kind of joy can not be accessed with money, certificate or connections.
The mind of Christ produces an inexplicable joy even when the believer is undergoing a wilderness experience. The time when joy is rare in faces of men is when they are being tested but the mind of Christ compels joy which produces patience and worthy character. (Jas 1:3-4) which makes one stable during challenges.
This spiritual encounter is the conveyor of extra anointing above your contemporaries. (Heb 1:9) With this extra anointing you can become extra ordinary.
The encounter with the mind of Christ produces joy in the midst of contradictions which overcomes the world (Jn 16:33). This kind of cheerfulness is supernatural and is beyond human comprehension. It expels fear, sorrow and mourning (Isa 51:11)
The mind of Christ produces the stability of countenance and temperance which joyfully proves the Divine character of the Christian calling. (Lk 23:34&43). This kind of unassailable joyful countenance can forgive malefactors and not pray that his enemy should fall down and die like modern Pentecostals.
This kind of joy unspeakable is a health giver (Prov. 17:22). This is so because sadness or strife causes the flesh to die sooner than expected. See "Ye are gods" 2008 Pages 192-198 on the multiple consequences of strife on man.
Joy unspeakable is a keeper of God’s presence. (1 Thess 5:16). When you rejoice, praise and prayer becomes accessible and your anointing continues to increase.
The joy of the Lord is our strength (Neh 8:10) It is this strength that opens the door for you to excel unto high places (Hab 3:18-19) It gives you the pathway and speed to overcome irrespective of obvious contradictions.
Joy opens the door to God’s presence (Ps 16:11) The door shows the believer in Christ Jesus the path of life and pleasures of abundant life forever more.
Joy gladdens the heart and causes the flesh to rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. This rejoicing had wrought deliverance for the saints of old like Daniel in the lions’ den, Peter while he was incredibly found sleeping in prison, Paul and Silas who were amazingly found singing in jail, the three Hebrew sons in the burning furnace, David while he was in the wilderness etc.
The mind of Christ produces beauty for ashes (Isa 61:3) oil of joy in the place of mourning and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness and sorrow.
When these are wrought, you can be called three names in the Holy Ghost;
a. A tree of righteousness
b. The planting of the Lord
c. The one that glorifies Jesus.
This is what is called joy of salvation (Ps. 51:12), everlasting joy and gladness (Isa 35:10) Joy in Christ (Rom 5:11) and Joy in the Holy Ghost (Rom 14:17) which is the kingdom of God!
Beloved, these are obtainable through meditation which is made possible by the Word of God; the major instrument which the Holy Spirit uses to form the mind of Christ.
When your joy is always tampered with because of mundane circumstances, then you need a second touch.
COMMENDATION
May the Hand of the Lord touch you afresh to deliver you from every oppression of the devil in Jesus name.
What we have discussed here is beyond racial, denominational, ethnic and gender lines. It can only work by the word of God. The Holy Spirit uses His word to translate you from mere existing or at best surviving (with your ambition) into stabilized triumph with your vision in Christfullness.
As you sit down and learn of the Spirit, He will give you the stable character needed for exploits. The consciousness of the mind of Christ edifies the saint and delivers him from the defiling tendencies and oppressive shackles of ignorance. As it is written: "the one that wanders away from understanding shall dwell in the congregation of the dead." (Prov. 21:16). What a tragedy which is escapable by the conscious application of the revelatory expositions of this treatise. You are highly favoured because you are holding in your hands, the gateway to liberty, promotion and rest.
When you read the Word, meditate on the Word, the Holy Spirit shall give you light that would subdue the flesh (the greatest enemy of spirituality) and exalt Jesus to be glorified in your life, career and marriage.
Every covering that had hindered you from seeing the truth is removed today. Every planting of the devil in your life is uprooted today. Every enchantment against you is cancelled. It is your turn to shine in every area of your life in Jesus Name!
THE VICTORY OF THE TONGUE CHANNEL
Statement Of Problem
"Dearly beloved, let us be very careful so that we do not cause offence in all matters, if any person does not offend in speech, that person is a perfect man because he has self control, let every man be swift to hear but slow to speak and slow to become angry, for the tongue is a sparking fire." (James 3:2,6, 1:19)
The channel of the tongue is one of the primary proofs of a consecrated heart to the Lord Jesus. However, the very first impression that portrays you as a Christian is your dressing. The way you dress will show others how your heart is dressed. The Lord said that dressing is to cover nakedness and it is for His glory and virtue. (Ex 28:39-43, 20:26) In the old covenant, the penalty for indecent dressing that exposed nakedness was death. The command was given to Moses to hand down to Aaron the high priest, the priesthood and all the people alike because the way you dress can affect the way you are addressed!
Even before you talk, others have already assessed you; rightly or wrongly. Recently, a sister was returning from work. In the vehicle they were driving home on, a lady who was indecently dressed stood up and shouted: "Praise the Lord, let us pray". Most of the passengers in that bus screamed out on her to "shut up and sit down" because "you are not a Christian". ‘how can you who is a prostitute preach and pray for us." The modern Pentecostals have abused this issue of liberty in Christ. They dress anyhow forgetting that the Spirit of Christ is the Spirit of Holiness who commanded that whatever must be done must be done to the Glory of God; the same glory of Ex 28:40 which dressing must portray. Beloved, any dressing that falls short of God’s glory is demonic and anti-mind of Christ. Smartly following dressing is the issue of the use of the tongue.
When your words are negative, cynical, contentious and full of bitterness, your Christianity is suspicious and questionable. If your faith can not help you to speak well, then your faith is fake.
Your word is the outward manifestation of the abundance that is stored in your heart. (Matt 12:33-37)
If your heart is filled with envy, anger, resentment and frustration, your words will show it.
The scriptures say that no one mouth can proceed forth with blessing and cursing at the same time (James 3:10) because the mouth is a channel of only one cistern or fountain which is the heart. Put differently, whatever the mouth reels out is what the heart had stored.
You can not find a good tree that does not bear a good fruit. Correspondingly, you can not find a good heart that speaks hurting words constantly. A good person out of the good treasures of his heart brings forth good words, thoughts and actions. A wicked folk out of the demonic treasures in his heart churns out wicked words, thoughts and actions.
Beloved, your justification before God and men shall start from your words and so does your condemnation.
Some years ago, a relation of mine told me that the reason why he rarely visited home was because his parents, he alleged, were responsible for his frequent calamities in life. He insisted that their ungodly life and their ungodly curses (that you will not prosper, you are not well, madness will kill you, let the gods of the land deal with you, let diarrhea finish you etc) were all the instruments the devil was using against him which had made him supposedly receive enough of the vicissitudes and crucibles of life.
Any time my children hear older folks curse their children, they would ask me whether that person was born again? Apparently, those who curse their children at every little provocation do not know that the devil is using them against themselves because the devil will use those words spoken with parental authority against the children later in their life.
Similarly, those who sing worldly and immoral music or watch filthy scenes on the screen or do things in a worldly way that does not glorify the Lord Jesus cannot lay claim to the consciousness of CHRIST talk less of possessing the mind of Christ which is the epicenter of this revelatory treatise.
Many people do not know how to talk and they find it difficult to say "I am sorry" when they hurt others with their tongue. Instead of asking a friend "how are you doing?" they would retort albeit, cynically, "Is it how you are?" The problem of the tongue is with the heart. Until the fountain of the heart is renewed, strife in relationships, marriages, offices, organizations, governments and nations shall continue to exacerbate. Many wars could have been avoided if the tongue had been used discretely. The use of the words "Please," "I am Sorry," "Thank You" and such like courtesies of kindness and civility are fast sinking into oblivion because of the forwardness and haughtiness that had taken over the hearts of men in these perilous days.
SCRIPTURAL PRECEPTS ON
THE USE OF THE TONGUE
The way you use your tongue shall determine the extent you will go in life. Your life shall be satisfied with the fruit of your mouth, the more you speak, negative or positive, the more you are filled with the plagues that result from a wrong word or the blessings of a carefully chosen word. (Prov. 18:20).
Your destination after your life here is determined by the mind of Christ in you. Your renewed mind determines your eternity which depends largely on how you used your tongue. Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account of it on the day of judgment for by your words you are either justified or condemned. (Matt 12:36-37)
The source of death and life is in the tongue. Both death and life are much determined by the power of the tongue and those that use this power rightly or wrongly shall live or die by it. (Prov. 18:21)
Your stagnation beyond deliverance on earth is predicated on the use of your tongue. There are some words that can cause your destiny to be eternally doomed (Matt 12:31) All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven but blasphemy against the Holy Spirit shall not be forgiven neither in this world nor in the world to come. For details of this, see "ye are gods" 2008 Springfield Pub pp. 138-140 for the warning to endtime saints.
If you have the mind of Christ, you can not say things you know nothing about especially when it concerns spiritual issues.
The mind of Christ constrains us to speak words of faith only. (II Cor 4:13) What you believe is what you speak, you can not believe that because Jesus lives, you shall live also (Jn 14:19) and be confessing death, havoc, terror and fear always. Two can not walk together except they have concord. (Amos 3:3).
When your words are in line with the precepts of the mind of Christ, God will confirm them and perform your counsels (Isa 44:26) because you are His servant. You can not believe that Jesus was offered to take away your sins and resurrected for your justification (Rom 4:25) and still be involved in secret romance, lasciviousness, envy, pervasive dishonesty and bitterness.
When your words are in consonance with the mind of Christ, the Lord shall command it to come to pass (Lam 3:37). Your ability to harvest miracles depends on a large extent the words of your mouth which is a veritable proof of your consecration to the Lord Jesus Christ.
When your heart is sound, your tongue shall be sound (Matt. 12:34). This is what is called a sound mind. When your mind is sound, God makes known His ways (Ps 103:7) and reveals His secrets to you as His servant (Amos 3:7) for the things which God had prepared for them that love Him are released to you by the Holy Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, yea, even the deep things of God. (ICor 2:10) It takes a receptive mind to preach or write sound books like this. One of the primary indicators of the mind of Christ is the configuration of a sound life replete with good reports.
When you are fast to speak and always defend yourself when you are accused, then you are yet to die in the flesh. The Bible says that when Jesus was afflicted, He opened not His mouth (Isa 53:7-8). When He was brought as a lamb before the cruelty of the slaughter and denied justice, he did not fight back. Beloved, are you still fighting and defending your self to protect your image; then you have not died. You need to go back to the reality of Gal 2:20 so that you can learn to live in the mind of Christ by faith. Neither the warped opinion of others about you nor your defence counts in Heaven. Only two truths exist in heaven; your character and God’s decision on every matter.
One of the evil things that God hates includes a lying tongue (Prov 6:16-19) and the other is an abomination to Him, which is the soul that sows discord among brethren with a vicious centrifugal demeanour such that encourages denominational prejudice, party spirit, malice, envy, backbiting, variance, sedition, strife and hatred.
She/He is a talebearer (Prov. 26:22-25) whose words cause wounds in the inner most parts of the belly. She/He uses the tongue to scatter others and keeps deceit with his/her lips, her words are abominable and should not be believed because she belongs to the devil.
Postscript on Precepts for Right Speaking
Beloved, your words prove your faith. If your tongue kindles trouble and discord, then you are filled with iniquity but if it is a harbinger of peace and consolation, then you have the mind of Christ (James 3:5-13).
Put differently, when you are baptized with the Holy Spirit (Eph 5:18) and the word of God richly dwells in your heart (Col 3:16), it will become easy for your prayer life to flow (I Thess 5:17-18) and for you to bear forth to God’s glory the fruits of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23) which portray a life that had been changed by calvary.
Brother Okechukwu, how does one get properly formed in Christ? Beloved, it is easy to get transformed by the Spirit of Christ. The evidence that Christ is formed in you (Gal 4:19) is when you are rooted and grounded in the love of His will always and (Eph 3:17) in all things. It is at this level that "it is not I, but Christ" becomes a reality in one’s life. This is what the cross had accomplished for us.
THE CROSS, THE MIND AND THE TONGUE
Many years ago, there was a time that the devil wanted to steal my faith and the ministry of the word. He sent his agents to accuse me of what I could not have done, no, not even in my dream. Some children of the devil in the working milieu on campus devised false stories against me. The exercise was a psychic manipulation to make me sad, depressed and despaired of God’s work in my hand.
Shortly after a fellow minister in town announced to his workers in a church council that he was against me and he had seen my imminent downfall. A brother came to me and informed me that he knows that all those lies are from the devil and that I should go and openly defend myself by putting the records straight. I gently replied him that there was no need for such defence since the Lord Jesus was led like a lamb before the slaughter, he opened not His mouth but committed judgment to the Righteous One. (I Pet 2:21-25)
I advised the brother that it was wrong to revile back or threaten another in retaliation as a Christian. His reply that the folks in question had not yet reached that level of Christianity stunned me. As I was driving out, he informed me that we were not yet in heaven stressing that it is in heaven that such spirituality could be practiced.
I have meditated upon his words and reckoned that those who fight back, contend or defend themselves do not know that the battle belongs to the Lord. From the events of those encounters many years ago, I came to a conclusion that the cross, which is the central message of our faith must not continue to be a story to many. Until we are crucified, our tongue, our mind and our bodies can not conform to the image of the Son of God (Rom 8:29) that He might remain the firstborn among many brethren indeed.
Spiritual Antenna
Evang Okechukwu, what has the cross got to do with my flesh, my tongue and my mind?
Beloved, the cross has everything to do with the way you think, talk, dress and act. Truly, without the effect of the cross, you are an animal; brutish, cruel and untamed. The Greek word ‘Sarkikos’ translated as carnal simply means animal appetites, instincts and traits which are contrary to God.
Interestingly, the Greek word translated from ‘psuchikos’ to the English word "natural" man simply means a man who is sensual: to wit, a man who lives in the natural senses who has no antenna for spiritual values. This natural man (psuchikos) or carnal man (sarkikos) counts it the highest wisdom and achievement to live for this world and the pleasures, perversiveness and tendencies appertaining thereto. Spiritual things are foolishness to him. He cannot understand why somebody should return from work and carry his Bible and hymn book and proceed to the church for bible study, prayer meeting or evangelism.
This is so because he has no antenna for spiritual things with its supreme excellence. He is a dead man by every standard (Eph 2:1-9, I Tim 5:6) . But the spiritual man, in Greek "pneumatikos", lives under the control of the Holy Spirit and minds the things of the Spirit.
He walks in the Spirit because he keeps and minds the Word of the Lord. Put differently, keeping the Word of God is all it takes to walk in the Spirit! The mind of Christ is his hyper sensitive antenna with which he receives, discerns and esteems spiritual values above the ordinary, sensual and the depraved carnal issues. He is a new creature having been crucified on the very cross of Jesus to sins and worldliness and he is resurrected to newness of life in true holiness and righteousness (Eph 4:22-24). He had put off the former corrupt nature and is now renewed by the Spirit of Christ in his/her mind.
The cross had mortified his lower animal passions of deceit, lust, greed, fear, anger and such like carnal demeanour (Rom 8:12-13)
The cross had put to death, (the word mortify in Greek "nekroo" means to cause to die) the characters of a carnal nature such as evil speaking, lying, envy, concupiscence, coveteousness and such like evils.
The cross had made him/her to know that reviling back at accusers is of no need since it is God that has the fiinal say on every matter. Those who always contend are those who have not died in the flesh, the pride of self and the lusts thereof. Besides, those who indulge in strife can never have any spiritual victory because God does not fight, for those who can make it in the arm of the flesh. The cross makes a woman not to abuse her husband who paid the bride price to marry her with dignity.
With the cross, a man can no longer curse his children nor beat his wife at the slightest provocation. She can no longer speak evil against her pastor’s wife, when a church woman had encountered the power of the cross.
He can now forgive those who trespassed against him because he is a new creature in Christfullnenss and old things had graciously passed away. (II Cor 5:17-18)
Brother Okechukwu, what other victories can a Christian derive and appropriate from the cross?
Beloved, we can now itemize the victory of the cross that makes us more than conquerors in Christ Jesus as we use our tongue, mind and body in consonance with the Word of God.
THE VICTORY OF THE CROSS OVER THE FLESH
The cross crucified the weakness of the flesh because in the flesh, your mind and your tongue, dwells no good thing (Rom 7:18-24). The cross delivered man from the death which the flesh constantly offered man. A new Christian therefore should deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow Jesus all the way because the flesh by nature is carnal and offers nothing good (Lk 9:23, Eph 2:2-4) but beyond the cross is life eternal in Christ Jesus.
The cross is the instrument of termination of the old life, when you are crucified with Jesus, you only live by faith of the Son of God whose sacrifice took away your sins and weaknesses and replaced (Gal 2:20, Rom 6:1-6, Gal 6:14-15) them with newness of life in dominion over the former evil nature of humanity.
The cross is an instrument of generating a new life in Christ. This kind of life is the very nature of God which does not curse, abuse others nor revenge wrongs received (Rom 6:4-7, I Cor 6:19-20).
The cross makes the devil impotent and unprofitable (Jn 3:13-16, Col 2:13-15). It was on the cross that the Lord Jesus defeated the devil and went down to hades and hell to spoil principalities and powers to give you victory. On the cross, He blotted out every ordinance that was against you and triumphed over all the powers of darkness that held you captive.
It was on the cross that the Lord Jesus hung and finished the work of redemption. Thereafter you are no longer of this world (Jn 15:18-21, Jn 17:16, Gal 6:17, I Jn 2:15-17, Rom 12:1-2) and the passions thereof. The lusts of the flesh, the inordinate demonic speed of the tongue, the pride of life and the lusts of the eyes can no longer access you. The world henceforth shall be too small for you because you are higher than it and worldly values are not worthy of your attention anymore (Heb 11:38).
It is on the cross that you can discover the utter depravity of the flesh. (Rom 7:8-15, I Tim 5:6, ICor 15:31). The flesh smells, there is nothing good about it. When you reckon that it is only in Christ that your value can appreciate, the devil loses the entire battle on your mind, your tongue, your dressing and your ambitions. You can no longer fight, contend and struggle for worldly issues that profit nothing but vanity. When a couple understands this, they can live peaceably without squabbles and infighting because no one may receive from God or enter into eternal rest with a contentious heart.
The cross is the source of your victory (II Cor 5:15-17, Rom 6:6-19). It was on the cross that your enemy the devil was fixed eternally. This sacrifice then became the source of victory over the flesh, the mind and the body as you can no longer yield your life to sin but to the Lord in righteousness.
Beloved, the strength of demonic affliction is sin and the strength of sin is the law but thanks be to God who had given us victory over all of them by His propitiation on the cross. There is now therefore no condemnation to you in Christ because the law of the Spirit in Christ Jesus had set you free from the law of sin and death as you walk in the Spirit and never walk again in the flesh to use your tongue wrongly. Consequently, you can now appropriate the benefits of the cross and manifest the mind of Christ in your life for eternity.
THE MIND OF CHRIST AND ETERNITY
Eternity is a timeless period which is divided into three parts; the timeless past, the present period and the timeless future. For the purpose of this discourse, our concept of eternity shall be reminiscent more of the timeless future. Living in eternity here connotes living out in time, God’s kind of life which is translated from Greek "zoe" as eternal life which is anxiety free, sin free, sickness free, failure free and abundant life laden. To live this kind of life, one needs the mind of Christ which is the mind already set free from all the perversions of the flesh.
The following nuggets about eternity shall help you appreciate the fact that the mind of Christ is a principal gateway to the eternity where God had given His own children rest from strife and the struggles of this vanity laden life.
Eternity being referred to here is the timeless period in the future when only your character invested in this part of circumscribed eternity shall matter (I Cor 15:19) If our faith in Christ is only to acquire material miracles, then we are of all men most miserable, wretched and pitiable.
Since only the pure in heart shall see God (Matt 5:8, Heb 12:14) it follows that only the wise who walked and lived in the realm of the mind of Christ shall enter God’s rest in eternity.
Eternity is a place where your cars, certificates, children, profitable connections and such like earthly toys shall not have any effect or value.
Put differently, if any person of influence is informed that he/she had only five minutes to live on earth, only an infinitesimal percentage of such persons of repute would remember their earthly possessions in their last remarks. A substantial percentage of such persons of glamour would forget about their possessions and desire to make peace with God. I know all my rich friends and intellectual acquaintances, they never stop talking about making money, making friends and getting vertical mobility in their career rungs. But the moment any of them dies, they all become sober, melancholy and temporarily religious.
They know that in eternity, money, sex, degrees, position and profitable connections do not matter. The only that matters is your character in Christfullness while you sojourned on planet earth.
Preparing for eternity calls for not only accepting Jesus as your personal Lord and Saviour but also living out His life in holy conduct. It has come to this level where God is warning that the modern Pentecostal, charismatic, evangelical and even the sleeping orthodox trends, traits and tendencies that encourage material acquisition as an evidence of Godliness has no scriptural or eternal value. The Christianity of it doesn’t matter: talk any how, dress any how, behave any how is the faith that is not only fake but dead (Jas 2:26).
In effect, if we are Christians only to pass our examinations, wear good clothes, get profitable connections, live in opulence and affluence, acquire certificates, cars, properties, et al, and at the end proceed to hell because of a failure in Godly character, we are of all men most miserable. The Lord Jesus did not just save us to go to church and receive miracles of breakthrough, no, that is not enough. He died to gather an eternal body to Himself without blemish or wrinkle (Heb 9:28, Eph 1:9, Jn 14:3).
The Christianity of prosperity without righteousness is a perversion, an adulteration and a warped doctrination of the New Covenant. Those who think that they would continue in sin that grace may abound are living under psychic audio-visual hallucination. The time to cut a clean path between Godliness for eternity and religion for self aggrandizement is now. If you don’t, then the Lord says that you are miserable. To be miserable connotes being wretched, ignorant, inconsolable, disappointed, despicable, detestable and unfriendly. All these are not part of our calling in Christ, yet all these are what careless Christians are fast becoming through an orchestrated heretic manipulation and doctrinal error – without recourse to the Word of God. May the LORD grant you wisdom in these matters!
Missing out from heaven and from eternity shall be for those who continue to do wickedly, who live in corruption and who shall be corrupted in Hell.
Those who shall have rest in eternity are those who understand the word, who instruct others and live with the mind of Christ. This later class shall shine like the stars in the kingdom of their father where mundane things do not matter but righteousness. (Isa 51:6). They shall abide in that city whose solid foundation and builder is ELOHIM HIMSELF.
Those who shall spend their eternity with rest shall be those who lived their lives centre-pieced on the kingdom principles of God (Lk 4:43). For such people, they live what they say and hold fast the profession of their faith without wavering. If your name is Emmanuel (God with/in mankind) but you live in sexual profligacy and covetousness, then you are a dog and a devil in mankind. In Eternity, what matters more is not what you claim you are on earth but your character manifestation speaks and represents you. If your name is Joy but you are always angry, you have disappointed destiny and insulted the cross.
Eternity is a time where what man thought did not matter eventually becomes a weighty matter on the agenda as matters arising (from his/her life).
It is a time of reckoning when every unconfessed sin is listed for judgment and every person highly or lowly placed stands on line for accountability (II Cor 5:10). This calls for wisdom.
To live in eternity with rest, one must prepare for it. You may never get what you did not prepare for. You must rise early to encounter God everyday and live out His mind daily.
If you followed false religions and the people you followed were sent to the other agonizing part of eternity, you may not get a lesser judgment.
Those who want to live in rest in eternity must look up unto Jesus (Heb 12:2) the Author, the Mediator and the finisher of their faith. God is not cheap neither is He found without conscientiousness in all matters. Just as light travels faster than sound, so does your character travel faster and more than your words.
Anyone carrying God must not entangle himself with the distractions of this life (anger, lust, avarice, fear and other vanities of life). He must be hot for God. It takes a cold stove for spiders to set a web. If a stove is hot, no spider can access it. Your consecration level is the access you have to God and your tabernacling God in your heart is the victory you have over forces of darkness (2 Tim 2:4, I Tim 2:5, Ps 34:19-20)
Finally, the consciousness of the mind of Christ constrains you to live with eternity in view. Only a fool says that there is no God. Common sense shows any one who has brain cells that the earth and the galaxies did not just emerge and that they are being held by an unseen HAND and that unseen HAND shall soon re-order issues the way HE wills. (Ps 14:1-2, Eph 1:11)
The positive correlation between the mind of Christ and eternity is that the former compels a constant character transformation for positive participation on the later.
The mind of Christ therefore commands one to live on purpose, to wit, "that I may know Him" (Phil 3:10). May the Lord give you wisdom in this respect!
Consequently, the mind of Christ leads a character manifestation that is heavenly minded (Col 3:1-3 and Jn 8:29)
This is why you can then, live with the temple-of-God consciousness to glorify Him alone in your life style, ambition and endeavours (I cor 10:31)
This consciousness makes you check up everything from the Word (the major ingredient which the Holy Spirit uses to transform the carnal mind into the spiritual mind). The reason why the word must be made reference to always in all matters is because the Word is the judge of all persons on all matters (Jn 12:48).
Consequently, the mind of Christ carrier can not in view of eternity;
chose a job that will rob his time which should have been used for communion with God.
Work in an unbecoming environment like a job that produces or encourages immorality, alcoholism, violence and such like misdemeanour.
Marry outside God’s will or marry in concupiscence or marry into polygamy or the modern madness of same-sex-union termed gay-marriage or even lesbianism.
Do anything or dress any how that will question his faith and his entrance into eternal rest.
Compromise the Word of God for the idolatry of public opinion. The Word of God (Ps. 138:2) is higher than everything, what people say on every matter that contradicts the WORD should be repudiated as arrant nonsense!
CONCLUSION
Beloved, this the way the mind of Christ helps us to live in victory over our tongue, our flesh and our careers. The victory of the mind of Christ which was delivered to us at the cross is the gateway to righteousness, good health, prosperity, marital bliss, abundant life, liberty in the Holy Spirit and eternal rest in Christ Jesus.
Beloved, that God can save you from sin, sickness, poverty and demonic oppression are all lesser truths. The ultimate revelation is that God will not only heal you or deliver you BUT KEEP YOU in dominion over sin, sickness, poverty and psychic attacks so that like JESUS, you can (Deut. 28:13) live free from sin, live in divine health, live in financial abundance and freedom from demonic attacks. This is the ultimate plain which walking in the mind of Christ can promote one into. This ultimate revelation is the "raison deter" of this work which the Lord Holy Spirit had graciously downloaded to us.
Brother Okechukwu, does it mean that encounter with the mind of Christ can keep one free from afflictions, trials and temptations of life? Beloved, walking in the mind of Christ can deliver you from most of the problems of life which ignorance and lack of wisdom can bring to the saints. However, the mind of Christ may not prevent you from trials and persecutions whose intent is permitted by God to strengthen your character and take you to higher level of godliness. The mind of Christ will make your attitude to trials pleasant rather than bitter and quicken your deliverance from trial to triumph, from test to testimony and from fear and doubt to faith and confidence.
We have already discussed God’s will concerning trials and tests in our most holy faith in Chapter 12 of "ye are gods’ 2008, but suffice it to say that most of the problems we encounter today as Christians are simply and squarely, WISDOM problems.
Let Us Pray
Heavenly Father, make us to live with the mind of Christ blameless and irreproveable in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, Lord help us to shine as lights so that our lives shall redound glory to you in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Prophetic Declaration
THE DISCIPLINE OF PRAYER
INTRODUCTION
We are drawing the curtain on this Divinely unctioned treatise. Thus far, we have discussed the concept of the mind of Christ as it affects
the Christ like character of consecration.
the triumph of directions through the Lord Holy Spirit
the mystery of faith
The power of righteous praise
The central position of the Word of God in framing the mind for victories
The science of meditation in the word
And most recently, the victory that is obtainable by the channel of the tongue with positive and scripture laden confessions, which the cross, with eternity in view, offered us.
All these issues are important in the formation and effectual use of the mind of Christ. But there is one factor that is missing and this factor performs yet a centripetal function to make all these work well. This factor is the discipline of prayer.
Prayer is a communion or a fellowship which emanates from man and is directed to God.
It is the act of speaking to God with the intent of asking for help or giving Him thanks for benefits received from Him.
It is called a discipline because it is the practice of training people to keep faith with God. Prayer takes much of the credit when God blesses man and when He does not, it is often said that prayer was not sufficiently made. When good things happen, it is said that God had answered prayer and when obstacles and challenges are encountered, a call for prayer is made.
THE CHRIST LIKE PREPARATION FOR PRAYER
In Matthew chapter six verses one to eighteen, the Lord Jesus prescribed a pattern of prayer.
He started by outlining how true alms should be given without "sounding trumpets" about it like the hypocrites do.
He directed, as the Head of the Church, that prayer should not be made in the open to be seen and acknowledged by men. But when you pray, enter into your closet, shut your door and your Father who sees in secret shall reward you openly.
Furthermore, He warned that unforgiveness can cause a closed heaven when it is harboured in the heart of the one who prays.
Finally, He prescribed the correct fasting attitude. To the Lord, when you fast, please, anoint your head and clean up so that men would not decipher your countenance and your fasting becomes unacceptable to heaven.
THE LORD’S PATTERN OF PRAYER
"When you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking" Matt 6:7.
The Lord Jesus derided the use of vain repetitions and recitations in prayer.
He then outlined the pattern of prayer; "after this manner therefore you should pray" Mat 6:9-13.
"Our Father, which art in heaven,
Hallowed by 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 temptations
But deliver us from evil:
For thine is the kingdom and the power
And the glory for ever. Amen
This pattern of prayer is not meant to be repeated, chanted or sang. It is a pattern that is to guide our prayer sessions.
The first three petitions of the prayer are directed towards God with eight points while the last four petitions make sixteen points concerning our relationships with mankind.
It is our intention to undertake a brief exposition of the Lord’s pattern of prayer in order to sharpen the victory which the possessor of the mind of Christ must harvest in his/her walk towards eternity.
It is instructive to note that without the right prayer, many other spiritual constituents of the mind of Christ may become a struggle without results.
The disciples on the day of Lk 11:1 asked the Lord to teach them how to pray as John the Baptist taught his disciples.
The disciples had been watching Jesus and had come to know that His prayers were always heard and that the continual source of His power and utter freedom from the lusts of the eyes, the perversions of the flesh and the pride of life came through the all age secret called the school of prayer.
This created a hunger in them to know how to pray, so they rightly asked to be taught.
Consequently, we must all enroll in the school of prayer with Christ (not denominational creed or doctrines) as our Teacher and also appropriate the great benefits derivable from prayer with the mind of Christ as the Apostles and Disciples did.
1. OUR FATHER
This the very first words of the Lord’s failure proof pattern of prayer. They connote a relationship. Every word the Lord Jesus spoke was authoritative. No man or church has any spiritual right to add or subtract from it (Rev. 22:19, Deut 4:2)
For prayer to be acceptable, there must be a relationship. Strangers have no access to our Father. His Highway is called the way of Holiness. (Isa 35:8-10) That way is for His redeemed children. God’s answer to his children is limitless when there is a Father-child relationship, because when "you call upon Him, He will answer thee and show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not" (Jer 33:3) God has names, call Him by them when you access Him reverently in prayer. These names were discussed in pages 78-81 of "ye are gods" 2008.
2. WHO IS
Those words connote recognition that God is and He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him (Heb 11:6)
God is not an object. God is never inanimate. God is a Divine Person with Divine features. We had already used the first twenty four pages of "Ye are gods (2008) to do an indepth exposition on God the Father.
When you pray, you must understand that God is not an idea, neither is He a philosophical idiosyncrasy. God is the Eternal One Who is, Who was and Who is to come.
In Ex 3:14, He described Himself to Moses as ‘I AM THAT I AM" God is Holy (Lev 19:7) God is a Spirit (Jn 4:24) and those who must worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. God is Omnipresent, Omniscience and Omnipotent. Beloved, God is love (1John 4:8). If any one does not have love, he does not know God and if any one does harbour any thought that God does not exist, let him know that GOD IS THE ONE WHO IS" as revealed by GOD THE SON HIMSELF.
3. IN HEAVEN
This connotes the Abode or Destination or the Throne of God. God lives in the third heavens up above. God does not live on earth. He is not your contemporary. He sits upon the circle of the earth (Isa. 40:22) and while He dwells in heaven, the inhabitants of the earth are before Him, as grasshoppers. His thoughts are higher than your thoughts as the heavens are higher than the earth. (Isa. 55:9).
The heaven is about eight times more than the size of the earth. There are almost seven billion folks on planet earth. Yet the Almighty God dwells in that magnificent heaven where all prayers must be directed to. Any prayer directed elsewhere outside heaven is a prayer in idolatry and in futility. In Ps 65:2, God is the only ONE that hears all prayers and to Him alone shall all flesh come.
4. HALLOWED BE THY NAME
God’s name must be hallowed. He must be reverenced. This connotes adoration, praise, worship and adulation. If you wish to learn the secret of prayer that moves mountains and changes things, you must learn to praise God.
Once you start prayer, you must understand that your relationship with God through your faith in the finished work of Christ on Calvary is the access you have to the throne.
As you call God by His names with focus in Heaven, you must burst out in praises, worship and adoration. We enter His gates with thanksgiving. We enter His courts with praise (Ps. 100:4). Praise brings a fresh baptism in the Holy Spirit. (Lk. 11:13, IIChr. 6:12-14, Lk. 24:52-53, Acts 2:1-2)
Praise is the key to enter into His presence (Phil. 4:6, Lk. 17:17-18, Heb. 13:15). When praise graduates into worship, you have moved from the holy court to the holy of holies to receive from Him. It is at this realm that "deep calleth unto deep" by the Spirit.
5. THY KINGDOM COME
This connotes an anticipation that you desire God’s perfect will in your life. The kingdom life is the "raison detre" of the ministry of the Lord Jesus. The kingdom of God is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom. 14:17).
The kingdom of God does not come by observation or by symbols, the kingdom of God is within believers. (Lk. 17:20-21). The kingdom of God is the mind of Christ in the hearts of men. The gospel of the kingdom is the business of the kingdom today (Matt. 24:14, Acts 1:3-4).
Beloved, it is at this stage that you can pray for the church, the ministers of the gospel, and unity by the Spirit in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ (Eph. 4:3-6).
6. THY WILL BE DONE
This connotes praying for consecration. It is asking for sanctification of the heart from every sin and besetting temperamental weakness. Here, you must be sincere to ask for God’s will alone and not yours (Matt. 26:39). When you abide in Christ and live in the consciousness of His mind, you shall ask anything and it shall be done (Jn. 15:7) for you. The highpoint of His will for us is separation—from the world. (Jn 17:16) You can not go far with God if in character, you are a friend to this world. (Jas 4:4)
7. IN EARTH
This connotes the universality of the kingdom life on planet earth. The church does not stop in your village. If poverty and sickness are ravaging your lives in your neighbourhood and you are praying that the Lord Jesus should return quickly, you’ve missed it because the kingdom business is a universal one.
Some saints prayers are unanswered because they have a myopic focus of the kingdom. Some prayers are based on personalized issues. Even Elijah in 1Kings 19:4 prayed that he should die because of the persecution of that hour.
Beloved, we must intercede for the earth; the nations; states, institutions, governments and evangelical movements. Please do not use your situation to call for the rapture trumpet. Learn how to occupy the earth profitably for the Lord and the rapture shall come in His time. Put succinctly, do not be afraid of this perilous times. Be strong and courageous amidst contradictions. Courage is not the absence of fear; it is a resolute faith that God is able to see one through in spite of all odds.
8. AS IT IS IN HEAVEN
This connotes conformity with the dwelling place of God and the precepts pertaining thereto. Our prayers must be in line with Heaven and in consonance with Heaven’s constitution which is the Word of God. If you are praying for your enemy to fall down and die, it means that you are a religious witchcraft because in heaven, tender kindness and not cursing, love not hatred, peace not strife and unity not discord are practiced.
9. GIVE US
This connotes supplication. God is a Spirit but He created the physical world and put man who He created as a spirit to tabernacle in the temple called body. God knows that the body has genuine needs like shelter, food, clothing etc. God then asked man to pray for the supply of those needs. He did not say that we should ask for a year’s supply. He said, "Give us this day our daily bread."
10. THIS DAY
This brings us to the issue of definiteness in prayer. We must be definite in supplication. You may not ask for a vehicle. You should be definite about the kind of vehicle you need.
Besides, this day implies that we must keep a daily contact with Him so that we may learn more of His strength and power in sustaining us. Hannah was definite in 1Sam 1:11 when she requested for a "man child" from the Lord and when her request was granted she returned all the glory to the Lord of Hosts.
11. OUR DAILY BREAD
This boils down to necessity. Man must ask for the necessary things of life and not be covetous. Beloved, covetousness is madness because no person can spend the world’s goods on himself alone. Besides, daily bread includes the bread of life which is the word of God. Man does not live by bread alone but by every word of the Lord. The Lord Jesus is that Bread of Life (Jn. 6:35). You should with the mind of Christ ask for understanding of the scriptures on a daily basis. Scriptural illumination conveys innumerable spiritual blessings which academic accolades can never give. Those who despise the Bible and read other issues are ever learning but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth (IITim. 3:7).
12. AND FORGIVE US
This connotes penitence. It is the character of Christ. Jesus announced on the cross "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do" (Lk. 23:34). The Lord Jesus practiced what He preached. If you do not heartily forgive, you will be in danger of double torment (Matt. 18:35). Beloved, when you stand or sit or kneel to pray, forgive so that your heavenly Father shall forgive your trespasses also. (Mk. 11:23-26).
13. OUR DEBTS
This level of prayer demands an obligation. This is the platform to stand in order to receive. If you have not forgiven others their perceived offences against you, your access to God has been blocked. In "Ye are gods" (2008) we used chapter eleven to discuss the hindrances to answered prayer and lack of forgiveness was singled out as the most poignant and pertinent.
Brother Okechukwu, how many times shall my neighbour offend me before I retaliate. Beloved, the Lord Jesus said that it is four hundred and ninety times. He did not stop there (Matt. 18:21-35). He gave a parable to illuminate what he posited to show that only an unregenerated heart would record offences until it is up to four hundred and ninety times so that he may retaliate. The final Divine will on the matter is "As God forgave and still forgives you, so also continue to forgive till the day of rapture."
14. AS WE FORGIVE
This also demands forgiveness as work already accomplished in our hearts before we access the altar of prayer. The Lord says in Mk. 11:25-26 that when you stand in prayer, you must without negotiation or compromise forgive others anything for your Father to open the heavens for your blessings. Beloved, if you do not forgive, then your prayers shall become detestable and abominable before God and your sins shall insulate you from His grace (Isa. 59:2).
15. OUR DEBTORS
This level of prayer connotes love and mercy. The Dake Bible commentary noted that it takes a loving and merciful heart to forgive. It is true but it also takes a loving and merciful heart to access God’s throne of love, mercy and grace (Heb. 4:16).
Without the Holy Spirit, love is elusive for it is the Spirit that pours God’s love in our hearts (Rom. 5:5) and without love mercy is inaccessible because it takes a loving heart to be compassionate, understanding and merciful. Any human relationship that works is the one where love is cherished.
16. AND LEAD US
This is a supplication that expects guidance. We need guidance in this dark world replete with habitations of cruelty (Ps. 74:20). Oh Lord, let not the oppressed return from your presence with shame, may his entrance into your courts bring light into his circumstances so he shall be delivered out of all his troubles in Jesus Name (Ps. 34:4-6). This heart-felt prayer is for you.
The problem with the church is unguidedness. Many walk in the day like folks who grope in the night. This level of prayer is the solution to the confusion problem among brethren. David said, that the Lord is his shepherd and therefore leads him right at all times. (Ps. 23:1-5). Even today, I covet this kind of leading so that by His grace I may become a front liner in the affairs of the kingdom.
17. NOT INTO TEMPTATION
This is a definite request for protection. The Lord Jesus called the Devil the prince of this world (Jn. 14:30). Elsewhere in the scriptures, (1Jn. 5:19), it is written that the whole world lies in wickedness through an orchestrated web of trespasses and sins according to the course of this world as it is precipitated by the devil who is called in Eph. 2: 1-3 the prince of the power of the air.
If there is nothing else to ask for, I can ask for this deliverance from the wicked one so that my family and I can continually be protected by the Lord from temptations that lead to sin, sickness, poverty, demonic oppression and all manner of evil reports. Beloved, what do you ask for? Know ye not that protection is the springboard for provisions for it is the one that is alive today that may receive favours tomorrow.
18. BUT DELIVER US
This is the focal point of this level of prayer; deliverance, salvation and redemption from any thing that is contrary to good reports. The prayer of Moses in Ps. 91 was answered by the Lord in vs. 14-16. "Because he loves me, I will deliver him, I will set him on high because he knows my Name, he shall call upon Me and I will answer him, I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him, honour him, satisfy him with long life and show him my salvation in all matters."
Beloved, this is the true test of our covenant relationship with our Father. When we are not delivered, we should search for what is insulating us from this sure and faithful promise.
19. FROM EVIL
This is the crescendo of our walk with God, when we are shielded from sin, evil and unrighteousness. This prayer is an assurance to our Father that we desire to continue to live right. In "Ye are gods" (2008), we discussed the weighty matter of righteousness in chapter eight, giving the theme about twenty pages of discourse.
Righteousness is the only distinguishing factor between a Christian and an unbeliever. If you let go of your right standing with God, then you are an infidel. There are three things that go with a righteous life. The first one is the fruits of righteousness (11 Pet. 1:2-8). The second one is the effects of righteousness (Eph. 1:1-23; Isa. 32:16-18). The last one is the crown of righteousness (11Tim. 4:8) See "Ye are gods" (2008).
20. FOR THINE IS THE KINGDOM
This is a prayer of affirmation of faith. By this proclamation, you are returning every good report to Him who inhabits eternity. He is the owner of the kingdom because he is the Eternal King who created the domains for His pleasure (Rev. 4:11)
Secondly, you are affirming that God is in control of the spiritual kingdom of the entire creature and so you are safe and secured under His eternal Lordship and kingship.
Finally, you are confirming that God is in charge of the secular kingdoms of the earth at the political, economic, religious, academic, social etc. spheres of human governance and existence and so you are covered and protected from their evil machinations, psychic manipulations, ethos, whims, caprices, innuendoes, and selfish idiosyncrasies of the wills of mortal men in different levels of authority. For of the truth, Oh Lord, Thine is the kingdom indeed and thou alone can deliver us!
21. AND THE POWER
This calls for humility, meekness and submission to the eternal power of the "I AM THAT I AM". In Rev. Chapters two to seven and even beyond, it is reiterated severally that unto God belongs, power, strength, glory, might, authority for ever and ever. Shortly, after it was proclaimed that He had taken His great power and had reigned.
There is no other POWER but of God the Gracious Father, the Glorious Son and the precious Holy Spirit. We must zero in to this power to remain relevant in kingdom matters and harvest good reports in our academics, career and marriage always.
22. AND THE GLORY
This marks the beginning of the end of your prayer session. The emphasis here is on gratitude, thanksgiving and adulation to the ONE who alone can save.
The Ten Benefits of Thanksgiving:
A. When you return glory to God for the great benefits of His grace, He will bless you and protect your blessing from curse and decay (Mal. 2:2). This is His promise.
B. Secondly, when you pray with thanksgiving, God gives you peace that insulates you from anxiety before the miracle is harvested (Phil. 4:6-8).
C. Thirdly, prayer without thanksgiving is only a protest address to heaven. We are commanded to thank God always (Col. 3:17, Eph. 5:4).
D. Fourthly, thanksgiving opens the door to the heavens. When you praise and pray fervently with thanksgiving, he raises you from every dust of this life (Jn. 11:41-44). When the Lord Jesus went to raise Bro Lazarus from the four day journey into the grave, He only gave thanks and the heavens opened and Lazarus broke forth out of the grave.
E. Fiftly, appreciation brings instant multiplication. On the day of Jn. 6:11, the Lord of Jesus only gave thanks to God and He multiplied five barley loaves and two fishes to feed five thousand men besides women and children and there remained twelve baskets of fragments.
F. Sixtly, complaining instead of thanksgiving compounds problems. A renewed mind is the mind of Christ which cannot but win always. A winning mind is a heavenly material. The mind of Christ is a thankful heart. A grumbling heart is a heart that cannot receive (Rom. 12:2).
G. Sevently, when you are grateful, His grace is multiplied in your circumstances to overcome. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of grace (Heb. 10:29) that translates God’s grace into tangible good reports for saints.
H. Furthermore, thanksgiving brings the faith that strengthens the heart for exploits. You cannot be thanking and not be winning (Rom 4:20). This is the mind of Christ in action.
I. Continueing, thanksgiving conveys God’s defence and vengeance. Defence for His own people, and vengeance against their oppressors. (Jer. 30:19-22).
J. Beloved, remember that every genuine thanksgiving must be done with a smile. So thanksgiving enlivens your countenance, makes you younger, attractive, and desirable. It delivers you from appearing miserable when you are waiting on the Lord.
23. FOR EVER
This connotes the timelessness that repletes eternity. By imputing that God’s glory and kingdom are for ever, you are saying that your life is also for ever and not transient. This is the way King Solomon put it: "I know that whatsoever God does shall be forever, nothing can be added or taken away from it so that men must fear Him:" (Eccl. 3:14). Living and praying with eternity in view constrains the mind of Christ to live with wisdom, fear of God and obedience to God’s will because this is the whole duty of man for God shall bring every work into judgment with every secret thing, good or bad. (Eccl. 12:13-14).
24. AMEN
This is the conclusion of the whole matter. It connotes an affirmation that what had transpired in the past hour or so is confirmed. Prayer is to be made for a minimum of one hour per day either in the morning or in the night (Matt. 26:40). Other periods of prayer could be made any other time of the day. Short prayers of five or ten minutes are for babies in the Lord. You must consecrate an altar where the discipline of the twenty-four level prayer pact should be practiced on a daily basis for your life to have a meaning. The road to success is not a five minutes drive, nothing that is good ever comes without opposition which only prayer can dissolve. Besides, ten minutes prayer may not attract the grace that flows from behind the veil because in ten minutes you may still be operating in the outer court or at best in the Holy place. The real encounter happens inside the Holy of Holies where living spirits relate with each other with good reports.
Amen is used to enforce a statement. (Num. 5:22). It is a sanction that authenticates prayer (1King 1:36). God’s promises in Christ are yea and Amen (11Cor. 1:20). You must learn to cultivate a family or personal altar for prayer where you travail before God and hear from Him and read His Words. This is the operation of the mind of Christ as it concerns the discipline of prayer.
EXAMPLES OF IMPORTUNITY IN PRAYER
The following few examples are offered to validate that prayer changes things.
Abraham the father of faith was the one who interceded for Sodom and Gommorah effectually (Gen. 18:23-33). Furthermore, his prayer for a child was granted (Gen. 17:4) eventually.
Jacob wrestled with God’s Angel in prayer in a night vigil and his destiny was changed (Gen. 32:24-33).
Gideon prayed and asked God for signs to confirm His calling on him and God granted his petition (Judges 6:36-40).
Solomon prayed for wisdom and he received wisdom which is a commander of wealth and good reports.
David prayed for God’s hand to guide him and he eventually established the strongest kingdom on earth after God’s heart. (1Kings 3:9; Ps. 18:6)
Jabez distressed by the wickedness of his day, asked for a change of destiny and was heard and he was not grieved any more (1Chr. 4:10).
Jonah, the self-willed prophet repented in the belly of the whale and when he prayed, God granted him his request (Jonah 2).
Elijah prayed for the widow’s son and the boy resurrected (1King 17:20-23).
Daniel prayed for the restoration of Jerusalem. God granted him grace to live to see it. (Dan. 9).
Habakkuk prayed for revival and a great revival occurred in the kingdom of Judah (11King 23:21-25).
When the apostles were put in prison, the church prayed for them and an Angel released them miraculously (Acts 5).
Daniel was delivered from the lion’s den and the head of the scribery: Ezra, was delivered from conspiracy because he prayed (Ezra 9:5-6).
Benson Idahosa was heard by God when he prayed for signs, wonders and revival in Africa. Today, almost every ministry is enjoying the fruits of the labour of love that man of God sowed in the land amidst bitter opposition, misunderstanding and criticisms.
Bro Okechukwu was unknown but his prayer was heard and God had promoted him to limelight in righteousness.
What can we say that prayer has not done. It has delivered men from bondage of sin, sickness, poverty, affliction and even hell fire. Praise the Lord for His mercies and wisdom in instituting the spiritual order of prayer. Prayer uplifts men and helps them access the undescribable gifts of heaven like healing, prophecy, insight, faith and other gifts of the spirit.
THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT
The Son of God is preached to all as the express image of the Glory of God. For in Him, all the promises of God are Yea and Amen. Yes, it is in Him that God expressly established us and anointed us (11Cor. 1:21) and prayer makes us to increase. The source of this anointing is the Father who alone operates the diversities of the gifts of heaven.
The anointer of this anointing is the Lord Jesus who controls the differences of administration of the anointing in His Church.
The personification of this Anointing is the Holy Spirit who manifests the diversities to every saint within the counsel of His perfect will.
The new testament is the dispensation of Grace. It started with grace when God became flesh and ended with the grace of another dawn. The old covenant began with the creation and the fall of man and ended with a curse in Mal 4:6, except the grace of the Lord Jesus that intervened to remove that curse.
The Word of God is the principal instrument in moulding the mind of Christ and every other encounter in the new covenant. As physicians pump injections, capsules and other medications into the bodies of their patients with a view to finding a cure to their ailments, so does the Holy Spirit use the Word of God to deliver, save, mould, heal and transform man from the realm of the carnal to the realm of the spiritual.
Brother Okechukwu, what other ministry apart from the multiple things outlined in chapter seven of "Ye are gods" (2008) is attributable to the Holy Spirit?
Beloved, the following ministries of the Spirit are ascribed in scripture to the Lord Holy Spirit.
1. He glorifies Jesus (II Cor 12:3, Jn 16:13-14)
2. He inspires manifestations (II Cor 12:7 & 11)
3. He forms the Body of Christ (I Cor 12:13)
4. He energizes believers into service of the Lord Jesus (I Cor 12:13)
5. He imparts the love of God into the saints (I Cor 13:1-13, Rom 5:5)
6. He speaks mysteries in tongues of men and angels (I Cor 12:10, 14:2, 13-19, 21-23, 26-28)
7. He interprets the mysteries of tongues (I Cor 12:10, 14:5, 13, 26-28)
8. He edifies the church by the gift of prophesy (I Cor 14:3-31)
9. He edifies believers by the gift of tongues (I Cor 14:4)
10. He manifests gifts to believers in diversities (I Cor 12:8-10, Rom 12:6, I Tim 4:14) according to the express will of Heaven.
It is under this broad ministry that we have the nine kinds of gifts of the Holy Spirit.
"For to one is given by the Spirit the word of Wisdom, to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit. To another faith by the same Spirit, to another gift of healing by the same Spirit. To another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another diverse kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues by the same Spirit." (I Cor 12:8-10).
Brother Okechukwu, can one person receive more than one gift of the Spirit?
Beloved, yes. One person can receive more than one gift and in fact can receive all the gifts. However, these gifts are known to be manifesting in saints in many occasions in a graduated form, to wit, from one gift to another as the Spirit finds him faithful.
These gifts are nine in all and they are divided into three categories;
the gifts of revelation: wisdom, knowledge and discernment (didaskalia gifts)
The gifts of vocal inspiration: prophesy, tongues and interpretation of tongues (kerruso gifts)
The gifts of power: faith, healing and working of miracles. (therapeuo gifts)
A. GIFTS OF KNOWLEDGE
1. The Word of Wisdom
This is the supernatural insight or revelation into the Divine will and purpose. This kind of gift many times reveals how to solve a problem or access a closed door or obstacle. (I Kings 3:16-28, Matt 2:20, Lk 22:10-12, Jn 2:22-24) This was the wisdom behind the ministry of Paul (Acts 26:16).
2. The Word of Knowledge
This is the supernatural revelation or insight into Divine knowledge, mind, will or plan. This also includes the plans of others that man could not know of himself (I Sam 3:7-15, II Kings 6:8-12, Acts 9:11-12, Matt 16:16) This was what Peter possessed when he rebuked Bro Ananias in Acts 5:1-6.
3. Discerning of Spirits
This is the supernatural insight into the realm of the spirit world to detect them, understand their plans and activities and as well read the mind of men. (Matt 9:4, Lk 13:16, Jn 2:25, I Tim 4:1-4, Acts 16:16, I Jn 4:1-6). This was what Apostle Paul possessed when he withstood Elymas the sorcerer who sought to pervert the way of the Lord in Acts 13:8-12).
These first three gifts are called "didaskalia" gifts. The Greek word didaskalia simply means gifts of teaching. This implies that the first three gifts are revelational gifts which must accompany the teaching ministry.
The second three gifts of prophecy, diverse kinds of tongues and interpretation of tongues are preaching gifts. The Greek word translated as preaching here was "kerruso", which means to herald a truth. While preachers are called to herald the truth, teachers are called to unravel the many sided aspects of the truth in multiplied details! And that is what we are doing in this treatise by the gracious help of the Lord Holy Spirit because necessity is laid on me by Him to teach the Word!
Similarly, the last three gifts of faith, gifts of healing and working of miracles are all classed as gifts of "therapeuo". The Greek word therapeuo implies the act of relieving someone of his uneasiness and or illness. This level of gifts are for Apostles, Pastors, Evangelists and other ministers as the Spirit may wish to impart according to the perfect counsel of Heaven.
B. GIFTS OF INSPIRATION
4. Prophecy
This is supernatural utterance in the native tongue (I Cor 14:3). It is a miracle of divine utterance not conceived by human thought or reasoning and sometimes never known before to man. It includes speaking unto men to edify, exhort and comfort them (I Cor 14:3). When in the late eighties, Bishop Benson Idahosa prophesied that the iron curtain would fall in Eastern Europe, so that the communist enclave would make way for the Gospel, he was exercising this virtue. The date he gave was the time the Communists disintegrated. (Acts 3:21, ii:28, 21:11, II Pet 1:21, I Cor 14:23-32)
5. Diverse Kinds of Tongues
This is a supernatural utterance in other languages which are not known to the speaker. There are two kinds of tongues, the tongues of men’s languages and the tongues of Angelic languages. The first kind was the one that occurred in Acts 2:1-11 when the disciples received the Holy Spirit and began to declare the wonderful works (megalions) of God in the language of every nation under heaven present in Jerusalem. (Isa 28:11, Mk 16:17, Acts 10:44-48, 19:1-7, I Corr 12:10, 28-31, 13:1-3, 14:2-32).
6. Interpretation of Tongues
This implies to supernaturally possess the ability to interpret in the native tongue, what is uttered in other languages, not known by the one who interprets by the Spirit. This is a very rare gift. (I Cor 12:10, 14:5-28).
C. GIFTS OF POWER WORKING VIRTUES
7. Faith
This is a supernatural ability to believe God without human doubt, unbelief and reasoning. This very gift is endowed by the Spirit but increases by what I call "word imput over load". This simply means swallowing an overdose of the Word of God on a daily basis (Col 3:16) When I read about all the works that Smith Wigglesworth, Kenneth Hagin, and Benson Idahosa wrought in Christ, I know that they possessed this gift. Believing God that a dead person can rise with prayer is not ordinary!
(Rom 4:17, Jas 1:5-8, Matt 17:20, 21-22, Mk 9:23, 11:22, Heb 11:6, 12:1-3)
8. Gifts of Healing
This is a supernatural power to heal all manner of sickness without human aid or medicine. After the glorious ascension of the Lord Jesus, the Apostles continued to effectually pray for the sick. Today, as I watch cable network in the comfortable recess of my home, I witness a cornucopia of miracles from all Christian channels wrought by men and women of God committed to demonstrate the Lordship of Jesus over all circumstances of life. Recently, I was invited for a ministration by one Christian group and after the long revelatory exposition on the theme, a young man came to testify how a case of intractable heart condition was supernaturally healed when I prayed for him in the previous visit to their assembly. Such testimonies are not rare in this work; they are harvested often to the Glory of the risen Jesus. (Mk 16:18, Jn 14:12, I Cor 12:9)
9. The Working of Miracles
This is the supernatural power to intervene in the ordinary course of nature and which often counteracts natural laws. (I Cor 12:10-31, Heb 2:3-4, Ps 107, Ex 7:10-25, 14:21, 2 Kings 4:1-44, Math 17:20, Jn 11:43-44). I remember with complete joy in the Lord how a couple who were diagnosed by medical specialists as incapable of producing children became sudden joyful parents when prayer was made for them.
When Brother Paul raised Brother Eutychus from the dead, a miracle had happened because laws of nature were broken and the gates of brass were cut asunder (Acts 20:9-12).
When Elijah held the rain for more than three years in I Kings 17:1 by the word of the Lord, he wrought a miracle that broke the bars of iron and defied the laws of nature.
When Joshua commanded the sun to stand still and the moon stayed for a whole day so that the people of God completely annihilated their enemies, a notable miracle was wrought and the heavens shook in salute to the sons of God and the earth resonated in obedience to the word of God and the forces of darkness and demonic terrestrial hosts trembled in reverence to the God of Joshua, even Jehovah Saboath. (Josh 10:12-14). This calls for "eureka", a Greek work signifying a resounding cry of triumph at a great discovery!
When Moses divided the sea and the people of God crossed over on dry ground in Ex. 14, but when their enemies in vain pursuit of God’s people came, Moses lifted up his rod and stretched out his hands and the Egyptians were drowned with their thousands of chariots in an incredible scene that redounded glory to the "ETERNAL I AM" of all generations, a miracle was wrought.
Beloved, there is an incontrovertible correlation between the Word of God, the mind of Christ, the prayer of the faithful, miracles, signs, wonders and the outrageous display of the gifts of the Holy Spirit on earth.
Brother Okechukwu, what is this relationship like? The relationship is clear; the more you read the Word, the higher the mind of Christ in you; the deeper your prayers and the plenitude of miracles in your life.
The logic is simple, the more we release ourselves, the more extravagant His manifestations.
Let us Pray
Holy Father, we beseech you to give us grace to access your gifts so that we may show forth your praise on planet earth in Jesus Name!
Prophetic Declaration
THE VICTORY LADEN CONSCIOUSNESS
OF THE MIND OF CHRIST
PREMABLE
This chapter was diligently compiled for you. The aim of this enthralling chapter is to put a capstone to the centripetal concept of the mind of Christ in your Christian walk for unmolestable breakthrough in life. This chapter is divided into four for your special edification
the proofs of divine knowledge for exploits
The five-fold demeanour of the Lord Jesus for your emulation
The eight fold questions of eternal value for guidance
The divine revelations for dominion in life, marriage, ministry and career.
It is necessary to remind you again that you are born to win. Right from your mother’s womb, you have been winning. Medical science confirms that ever before your conception, your biological father deposited millions of reproductive semen cells into your mother’s uterus and right there, the journey for your survival began.
When I was an undergraduate more than two decades ago, a medical doctor, obviously talking from the empirically validated semen analysis of medical laboratory scientists, informed me that it takes no less than forty million reproductive cells in a single release for any man to procreate.
Apparently, all the millions of spermatozoa released at one count then struggled to survive but it was you that outran all of them and clave to your mother’s egg and fertilization took place. When the other cells saw your indefatigable determination, they gave up and died.
You survived the thick and thin of foetal development with its concomitant threats to miscarriage, the travails of birth, the crucibles of infanthood with all its pathological dangers and the precarious vicissitudes of youthful development. The fact that you are still alive is an eloquent testimony that all the concerted efforts the devil made against you was stopped by the Hand of God. You are created a winner, a victor and a conqueror.
Though, sin did weaken and debilitate you, now that you have known the truth, you must resume your walk in dominion. The first thing you must be sure of is that you have the following proofs of divine knowledge.
The purpose of this kind of knowledge is to develop your character and strengthen your charisma.
Your charisma represents your social traits, trends and tendencies that make you acceptable and likeable to the people. But your character consists of your mannerisms which comes as a result of your training or exercise in the word of God that makes you react the way you do either in emotional release of anger, debauchery, bitterness, vengeance, amorous conduct, lust, greed, fear or the one that makes you react with self control in these character propensities of human nature. The more you practice temperance, continence and equanimity in your behaviour, the more your charisma is validated and your access to God is quickened.
Friend, your character is more important than your miracles of breakthrough because miracles shall expire one day, even at your death, but your character is the major determinant of where you will spend eternity.
THE PROOFS OF DIVINE KNOWLEDGE
When we talk of Divine knowledge we are discussing the validity or evidence that you are aware of basic issues which heaven is believing that you have already known.
By knowledge we include all the levels of knowledge like awareness, comprehension, analysis, synthesis and evaluation of every revealed divine phenomena in the scriptures.
The word called knowledge or to know occurred more than 1,600 times in the Bible. It is used to connote the observation and recognition of a concept, event or an incident.
The Apostle John used the word 107 times alone in his five books of John’s gospel, I, II and II John and the great apocalypses called the book of Revelation.
The Apostle Paul used it 81 times in his 14 books in the Bible and the prophet Ezekiel used it 75 times in his lone treatise.
To know involves the spirit, soul and body. For instance, you can feel with your body senses what you know, you can also feel it in your heart or deep down in your spirit. In I Corr 2:12-16, where the theme of this book is taken from by the Holy Spirit, to know is to be taught by the Holy Spirit who is the Spirit of knowledge (Isa 11:2)
The ultimacy of knowledge is that we may know HIM. (Phil 3:10, Prov 1:7).
Any knowledge outside the knowledge of God is fake, ephemeral, superficial, transient and an adulterated knowledge. The correlation between Divine knowledge and the mind of Christ is that the former is the moulder of the later.
1. Every genuine knowledge of God must command God’s presence. (Jn 8:29) The Lord Jesus said that what He did was what He knew and learnt from the Father and that was always why the Father’s presence had not left Him. If you do not know God’s presence in your life, marriage, career and ministry, then you must seek to know Him. The tragedy is that when you depart from knowledge and understanding, you shall congregate with the dead (Prov 21:16).
2. Every genuine Divine knowledge must command freedom (Jn 8:32-36). Friend this is the secret of freedom from sin, sickness, poverty, failure and all the afflictions of life. This is the crux of the redemption story. It is the fulcrum upon which the mind of Christ is predicated. It is the reason for the propitiation of Christ on the cross.
No one who claims encounter with the epignosis of heaven can be entangled again with sin and demonic oppression of any sort.
3. The third proof of Divine encounter is that you are not struggling to keep His commandments (Jn 8:55). The Lord Jesus said that the proof that He knows the Father is that He keeps His Words. If you claim that you know the Lord and still cannot be extricated from immorality, strife, fear, professional fraud, greed and bitterness, then "thou art a hypocrite."
4. The fourth proof of Divine experience is that we are doing His works (Jn 5:36). The Lord Jesus said that the works that he did bore witness that He was from Heaven.
Brother Okechukwu, what were those works? He healed the sick, He preached good news to the broken hearted, He forgave His malefactors, He fed the hungry, He raised the dead, He blessed His generation et al. If we are not doing good works, then we are not of Him and we need another touch because we are still seeing men as trees, walking (Mk 8:23-26).
5. The fifth proof of Divine knowledge is that your spiritual antenna is active (Jn 10:27) to receive from heaven. The Lord Jesus said that "My sheep hear my voice and they follow me because I know them".
Beloved, when last did you hear God talk to you. Put differently, when last did you talk with God in a Father-child relationship? That communication has a lot to do with your academic, business and married life!
6. The sixth proof of Divine encounter is that your defence is sure (Jn 10:28)
The Lord Jesus said that those that know Him, He grants eternal life so much that no one can pluck them out of His hand to destroy them.
The implication of this statement that was uttered with Divine finality by God the Son is that if you are already heading towards destruction, it means that you plucked yourself out of his ABLE HANDS by your bad character and self will.
7. The seventh proof of knowledge of God is that once you encounter God’s words, you become aflame with eternal life here on earth (John 12:50).
The Lord Jesus said that God’s words generate eternal life which is sin-free, sickness-free, and abundant life-laden. Even when trials come, He makes a way of escape for you.
8. The knowledge of the Lord Jehovah Shammah is the conveyor of joy (Jn. 13:17). The Lord Jesus posited that if you know His words, you shall be joyful if you obey them.
Obedience to God’s words, therefore, is the capacitator of joy, eternal happiness and gladness of heart. Show me a child of God who is always gloomy and I will show you the one that is struggling to obey the Lord. It is such inner strife of contradiction that energizes sadness and depression. But we who know the Lord Jesus and obey Him shall continue in His Joy with a victory-driven consciousness all the time.
9. The knowledge of the Lord conveys the presence of the anointing (Jn. 14:17). The Lord Jesus declared that the Spirit of the Truth shall abide in the hearts of them that know Him. The blessed presence of the Lord Holy Spirit is all you need to move forward in life and when the enemy shall come like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall raise a standard against him (Isa. 59:19) to deliver you from academic, career and marital failure.
10. The knowledge of God is a generator of the kind of eternal life that makes you complete in the Father and in the Son (Jn. 17:3).
When you are loaded with scriptural matters, you become complete in Christ and the fullness of His Godliness (Col. 1:10) and you will become unassailable by forces of darkness. The Lord Jesus defeated the devil on the day of Matt. 4 on the mountain of temptation with "it is written" vs 4,7 and 10. The anointing of "It is written" is the entrance of light over every darkness of life. The more word you have, the more light and this causes you to move from glory to glory.
11. When you know the Lord, you will also know His servants (Jn. 17:25). The Lord Jesus declared that the world cannot know Him but those who know the Father through the Lord Jesus know that the Lord Jesus is the Way to the Father, the Truth of the Father, the Light from the Father, the Fountain and the Bread of Life.
This kind of knowledge enables you to discern the Spirit of the Truth from the spirit of error, the servants of the Lord from the messengers of satan (1Jn. 4:6) and the way of the Lord from the ways of this demon infested world.
12. If you know the Word of the Lord, you will believe that the Son of God is the Saviour of the world (1Jn. 5:13). What you hear or read is what you know and what you know is what you will believe and what you believe is what you will become.
If you hear that by His stripes, you are healed, you will believe that word and never become sick again. The active power of the word is what makes you "to become". That power is the Lord Holy Spirit.
13. Another proof that we know Him is that the very wonderful love of God is perfected in our lives (1Jn. 2:5) You cannot know Him and not obey Him and you cannot obey Him and not be baptized with His love. Those folks who claim that they know Him but they cannot forgive others but carry the impurities of anger, bitterness, strife and vengeance in their hearts must go for a second touch because they still "see men walking as trees" hence the Word of God which is sharper than all things had discerned their hearts properly (Heb. 4:12).
14. True knowledge causes you to escape the pollutions, the corruptions and the defilements of the world (11Pet. 2:20). The Greek word translated as pollutions in this verse is "miasmata" which means something that infects, defiles and corrupts. The world is pictured in scriptures as a putrid mess full of contagion of sin and uncleanness. The knowledge of God is an escape route from such perversions and depravity associated with a dying world. But if you know these things and return back to the world to be part of the lust, the inordinate ambition for position, material acquisition and self-centeredness, then your later end is worse than your former estate. A Christian couple who live like cat and rat should understand that they are practicing madness and not marriage because the knowledge of God’s will on marriage is the crescendo of love and affection.
By the mind of Christ, those who know the Lord have escaped from all the corruptions of this vain life. They are living in His righteousness and expecting the glorious appearing and the blessed hope of the faithful which is the rapture of the saints. We are not worthy of this world. Beloved, we are going to where we rightly belong, where the Light of the LAMB of God cannot be extinguished eternally.
We are far above sin, sickness, failure and demonic oppression because the Son of God lives in us (1Jn. 5:1-12) and has given us victory.
THE FIVE-FOLD DEMEANOUR OF CHRIST
It was December 2002. I was preparing for a major fellowship convention where almost twenty fellowship groups from different campuses were expected to congregate to worship the King of Kings. I was slated to deliver the welcome sermon and another seminar on intimacy with God the following day.
As I went to sleep, I was transported from this realm to a very big auditorium where I began to minister on the following theme "the five-fold demeanour of Christ"
When I woke up, I searched my Bible to study again the theme and eventually released that revelation in that convention with very weighty impact.
It has pleased the Lord Holy Spirit to graciously integrate that exposition as part of this victory-laden consciousness of the mind of Christ.
In Heb. 10:1-39, the Bible says that we are sanctified by the propitiation of the body of Christ on the cross once and for all. The priests of the Old covenant stood daily and offered the same sacrifice which never took away sins but made the worshippers filled with sin consciousness which prevented them from being made perfect.
But this man of Galilee, after He had offered one sacrifice for our sins, sat down on the Right Hand of God, having perfected for ever them that are sanctified. He validated this perfect redemption by sending the Holy Spirit to write His words in the hearts of those who believe because He remembers their sins no more.
Brother Okechukwu what are the consequences of this perfect redemption in Christ Jesus?
THE MULTIPLE CONSEQUENCES OF
OUR PERFECT REDEMPTION
1. This divine offering purged our conscience from sins for ever to live the righteousness conscious life.
2. Only the Blood of Jesus can cleanse and take away your sins. No other sacrifice is required at whatever level or magnitude.
3. This offering of the Body of Jesus on the cross sanctifies those that believe once and for all and makes them perfect.
4. The Lord Jesus shall no longer offer any more sacrifice. He is sitting down waiting for His enemies to be made His footstool in total submission and annihilation.
5. He sent the Holy Spirit as a witness into our hearts to testify that the work of redemption is "fait accompli".
6. The Holy Spirit testified that the Blood of Jesus had purchased a new covenant for us changing our hearts into the mind of Christ with His words.
7. This Blood covenant granted us boldness to enter into the Holy of Holies with confidence to receive mercy and grace on a-daily basis.
8. We are therefore, simply commanded to assemble together always to provoke one another with love and good works as the LIGHT of the LAMB of God on planet earth.
9. Furthermore, we do not cast away our access to God (which we have received freely) because of sin. Consequently, we are careful to maintain our relationship with the Father with holy conduct in our lives, works, families and ministries.
10. Finally, we will continue to live by faith waiting patiently for when He would come and rapture us back to himself. The Greek word translated as rapture or caught up is actually "harpazo" which means to carry away hastily or snatch up with power to an unknown destination.
The Holy Spirit revealed to us in 1Thes. 4:17 that this unfathomable destination is beyond the clouds!
Brother Okechukwu, what is this five-fold demeanour of Christ which must replicate in our lives so as to be caught up victoriously like He was in the day of Acts 1:9? Beloved, the answer is written in Heb. 7:26; to wit: "For such a High Priest became us who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens."
A. Holy: The word holy connotes being pure. Purity means living without mixtures and adulterations. To be holy is to fear God and be clean in your conducts, words and thoughts. To be holy is to be delivered by the Spirit of the Word of God from the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life (1Jn. 2:15-17). This is the demeanour of His mind.
B. Harmless: To be harmless is to live without evil, anger, wrath, bitterness, vengeance, envy, competition, evil comparism and contention. To be harmless is to be dead to the flesh of strife; not to hurt others and not to carry bitterness and vengeance when you perceive that you have been hurt. (Eph. 4:29-32; 1Pet. 2:23). Sir, this is the mind of Christ for you.
C. Undefiled: To be undefiled is to live without imperfection. It means that there is nothing low, base, carnal and unbecoming about you. It means that your name is not mentioned with the evil of filthy lucre, marital infidelity, examination, electoral, financial or medical fraud. It means that dishonesty, insincerity and duplicity; the triple vicious heritage of the modern society, have not accessed you. This is the demeanour of His mind (Eph. 5:3-11; Col. 3:5).
D. Separate: To be separate means to be sanctified from sin and sinners unto God. It is to be connected to godliness and righteousness. It is to be disentangled from unequal yoke or unrighteous mammon or evil conduct (IICor. 6:14). It is to live out Ps. 1:1-5; to wit: to walk not in the counsel of the ungodly (anti-anointed) nor stand in the way of sinners (unanointed) nor sit in the seat of the scornful (exanointed). Friend, you must endeavour to keep your delight on the things above where Christ sits on the right hand of Majesty (Col. 3:1-3). Beloved, this is the mind of Christ for you to prosper and never fail in any area of your life again.
E. Higher: To be higher than the heavens is to be connected through the fourth dimension of the Spirit to the realm of Christ and the class of God. This is the link where the Holy Spirit connects the spirit of man back to Himself by faith. Faith is the bridge between the natural and the supernatural, the earthly and the heavenly and from the carnal to the spiritual.
When you are higher than the heavens, you will never be afraid of anything or be assailed by doubts, sickness, anxiety and feebleness. You will be higher than demons, earthly fashions, worldly music and carnal short cuts to prosperity but you will have divine access to good success. You will be ministered to by Angels (Heb. 1:14) and live like a god of the Most High God. (Hab. 2:4; Eph. 2:6; Mk. 11:22-24; Mk. 9:23; IICor. 4:13; Jn. 10:34).
Friend, behold, the five-fold character of Christ which we must emulate to validate the mind of Christ which we have received in this revelatory treatise for our walk towards eternity.
The Eight-Fold Questions That
Guide Saints To Eternity
Now that we have known these things, the following eight questions should guide our thought life, our words, our dressing code, our actions, our work, our business deals, our marital behaviour and our service to the LORD with the mind of Christ. In all things, you must be able to answer the following questions because they capture the very essence of living for Christ.
1. Does your action or business or your utterance glorify the Lord? (ICor. 10:31; Col. 3:17-25; IThes. 2:10; 1Sam. 12:3).
2. Does your conduct, or dressing edify the church; the body of Christ and the house of God, the Pillar and ground of the truth? (Heb. 10:24; Gal. 5:24-26; 1Tim. 3:15).
3. Does your action or marital behaviour point sinners to Christ so that they can be saved? (Gal. 2:20; Gal. 5:1; 1Cor. 2:2)
4. Does your action or utterance nourish or hurt the Lord Holy Spirit whose temple you have become? (1Cor. 3:16).
5. Does your action or word make an example, a shinning light or a written epistle to your converts to emulate as unto Christ? (1Tim. 4:12-16; IITim. 4:5).
6. Does your behaviour draw you nearer to heaven at rapture or on your death bed? (1Jn. 3:1-3)
7. Does your conduct in your family, school, office or in the market earn you the Lords approval and pleasure or does it earn you His wrath and condemnation? (Col. 1:10; Ps. 50:16-22).
8. Does your thinking, speaking and actions make any scriptural sense? Put differently, can heaven justify your every step with the engrafted Word of life which is the moulder of the mind of Christ? (Phil. 4:8-9, Heb. 1:3).
Beloved, when we are able to answer these weighty questions of eternal pointers, we can now receive the divine revelations for dominion in life. Knowledge is higher than silver and gold. God is a God of knowledge (1Sam. 2:3). I gave my life to Christ on campus through reading Robert Liardon’s book "I Saw Heaven." Friend, there shall be no end to making books, especially books of the revelation of God. It is by the knowledge of God’s words that all actions are weighed and discerned.
Divine Revelations For Dominion In Career
Operational Definitions
Divine: The word divine is an adjectival clause which usually describes anything that comes from or is connected with God. It is always used to anchor on help from God to change or improve a deplorable situation.
Revelation: This simply means a state of awareness of what was obscure, secret or hidden aforetime. To reveal implies to make something known but the spiritual word revelatory connotes making people conscious of what was hitherto hidden from them. This book is truly my second revelatory book by the Holy Ghost who is the Chief Revelator of all things (ICor. 2:10)
Dominion: This word simply means to possess authority to lead and control. It is the accelerando of a series of words that started with influence and graduated into power and climaxed with authority. Dominion is higher than influence, power and authority because it includes all of them and extends to territorial sovereignty.
Career: This can be described as the series of functions in a circumscribed area of vocation or calling which a person performs that distinguishes him or her from others and from which he makes an impact in life. A career life is delineated by the period of time that one spends in his life working to make life delectable.
Divine revelations for dominion in life therefore means receiving from God, the basic precepts for living on planet earth, a life that is colourful, attractive, creative productive, profitable, exemplary, and unassailable. To be connected to God through the cross is to become a frontliner in life and a high flier in one’s career. The dynamic source of this connection is the BIBLE which is the repository of Basic Information Before Leaving Earth".
We can now discuss the five "Ps" which are revelational precepts needed to be appropriated in life to make living vivacious, radiant and resplendent in Christ Jesus.
1. Purity
No man goes far with God if he does not clean himself up. In Lev 20:7, God demands that we sanctify ourselves and be holy for the Lord is pure.
Purity attracts the presence of God and causes His holiness to tabernacle in man. God can not resist a holy life because holiness is His nature.
If you persist in living in hypocrisy, duplicity and insincerity, you shall continue to insulate His presence from your life and career. Sin short circuits the flow of the positive supernatural from the throne of God. When you walk in sin, you are short of God’s glory. In Col 1:10, the Lord demands that we should walk worthy of Him so that we can bear fruit in every good work and increase in the knowledge of Him.
In I Thes 4:3, God declared His will without negotiation; that you should live a holy life. If you do not say no to anger or bitterness, immorality and concupiscence, greed and unbridled coveteous instincts, indecent dressing and fraud of all sorts, you shall struggle all your life contrary to the dignity laden life of the mind of Christ. Your life, career or marriage can only be colourful when you have taken a decision against sin. The word sin was translated from the original Greek word "harmatia" which means missing the mark of God’s will in anything. This is why the Lord Jesus came to teach men how not to miss God’s mark in all matters (Jn 1:29).
Until you purify your life, there is no hope for you (I Jn 3:1-3). Purity conveys the mental picture that buoys your actual future. A clean heart thinks well, talks well, acts right and receives Divine benefits. Today, as you read this Divinely unctioned work, deliver yourself from pride, arrogance, vengeance, cultism, pervasive sexualism, academic, political or financial fraud, corruption and other forms of filthy lucre. Clean up and receive the mind of Christ so that you can graciously receive a radiant destiny from the Lord Holy Spirit. Change from one level to another is precipitated by a life that had been cleaned up. Purity is like an electrical diode that conveys God’s current of good reports to every area of your life.
2. Purpose
As purity identifies you for Divine touch, purpose locates you to where you are going. In Phil 3:14, the Apostle Paul declared that he pressed towards the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. You must have a target which God uses to work on your behalf.
Many folks are purposeless. They are like some folks in the motor park who are not going to any clear destination. By the time every vehicle had departed to their destinations, those folks continue to hover unashamedly around.
If you want to be a chartered Engineer, a teacher, a pilot, a banker, an administrator, or a minister of the Gospel, you must articulately purpose what you want to become in definite and measurable terms in your prayer and by your actions. You can not intend to be a medical personnel and be found learning the trade skill of carpentry. That is confusion.
A purposeless heart leads a frustrated life contrary to the mind of Christ.
The Lord Jesus Christ taught in Mark 11:23-26 that if you desire anything and pray about it, you shall receive same.
Surprisingly, some do not even know what they desire, they are confused, confounded and stranded in the valley of decision. Beloved, go back to the drawing table and take a decision on what you purpose that God should do for you.
3. Pursuit
As purpose guides you to your destination, it is through pursuit that you take steps towards that identified destination.
In I Cor. 9:24, the Apostle Paul declared that not all that run in a race may receive the award, so you have got to run without looking back so that you may obtain the reward.
The Lord Jesus said in Lk 9:62 that if anyone puts his hand in a plough and looks back, he is no longer fit for the kingdom nor the blessings pertaining to it. Beloved, it is good to say no to sin, it is better to have a clear cut purpose in life, it is best to take tangible steps to actualize the purpose.
There is no food for a lazy man, no not even in the kingdom of God. God the Father is a worker, God the Son works and God the Spirit works even now. Do not fold your hands and wait for the manna from above; it will not come, if you have the mind of Christ, please do something legitimate and God would prosper the works of your hands according to His words (Deut 28:12).
If you dare to be diligent, you shall surely stand before kings (Prob 22:29). I will surely see you on the other side where victory, testimonies and good reports are the order of the day and mere man have no access to that realm.
4. Persistence
While pursuit causes you to take steps towards your destination, persistence keeps you going until you get there. In my ministrations, publications and convention speeches, I always reiterate this fact that you don’t get anywhere without persistence.
The road to success is not a five minutes drive and nothing that is termed very good never comes easily. The prayer that imparts His anointing is not a two minutes prayer.
In Heb 6:12, the Holy Spirit says that it is with patience and faith that we can inherit the entire promises of God.
If you try and fail, you should try again. You are not a failure until you are found on the floor. If your strength fails on the day of adversity, then you need more anointing.
Do not postpone your day of testimonies, keep moving forward. Hope that is deferred makes the heart sick (Prov 13:12).
The Lord Jesus paid the prize for your victory. Do not be discouraged at your present circumstances. I used to struggle many years ago but today the Lord had delivered my feet from the mirred clay of ignorance and had set my feet on a Rock to stay with a new song in my lips for His glory forever.
I will see you on the top if you persist. The difference between my former failure and my present success is time. If you continue in Him, and refuse to quit, you will soon win. Keep moving, Jesus is by your side. I will personally relish to savour your breakthrough story. You are born to win and overcome; your only hindrance was that you did not see the future very well, but today you have known better because you have got the mind of Christ for career and intellectual victories.
5. Praise
While purity identifies you for Divine touch, purpose locates you to where you are going, pursuit guides you to your destination, persistence causes you to step towards your destination, with confidence and hope, praise keeps you alive to receive your crown of labour.
You can not reach your destination without constant praise, worship and thanksgiving to the ONE who inhabits eternity and who alone can give you victory. Without the garment of praise, you may begin to murmur and complain when things do not work out fast.
A praising Christian is a receiving believer. A murmuring Christian is a frustrated backslider. A complaining believer is a dangerous renegade in the battle of faith.
In Hab 3:17-19, the Bible says that even though the vision is yet to be fruitful, yet will I rejoice in the Lord of my salvation so that He will strengthen us and eventually cause us to walk in high places.
The greatest attraction of a praiseful life is that it attracts the presence of God and makes you a habitation of His Spirit and a candidate for multiple miracles.
In Ps 22:3, the Psalmist declared that God dwells in the praise of His own. You can never carry God and be stagnated. If you are sure of who you are habitating, you can not be afraid. The reason why many had made a shipwreck of their faith is because they are in darkness of the effulgent Light of life that was their portion.
In Joel 1:12, we discovered that when joy departs from man, barrenness sets in from all fronts.
Hear my beloved, hear, "the Lord in the midst of thee is mighty, He will save, He will rejoice over thee with joy, He will rest in His love (for you) and He will rejoice over thee (with your songs)" (Zeph 3;17).
One of the greatest consequences of a thankful heart is that it carries God’s favour. God blesses the righteous and with favour compasses him like a shield (Ps. 5:12).
Favour is higher than mercy and grace because whereas mercy locates your depravity and cleanses you, Grace enables and empowers you to stand on Holy Ground but Favour promotes you to the highest places in Christ Jesus.
Beloved, keep praising, keep thanking Him and keep living. You shall soon berth your miracle. Abraham glowed with favour, David blossomed with favour, Bro Okechukwu lives in favour, you are the next person on the line to flower!
The final part of your praiseful life is that you must be speaking what you sing.
If you sing that God is good and great, please also say that His goodness and greatness has affected you.
Don’t sing right and confess left. Do not read the Bible and live by the traditions of this world which makes the Holy Spirit of none effect (Mk. 7:13).
Speak out His word that says that victory, breakthrough and success are yours in Christ Jesus. King Jehoshaphat (I Chr 20) and Joshua (Josh 6) all passed through this path on the way to their victory. This is the mind of Christ for you!
By singing and speaking what you read in the word, you are:
Practicing your faith
Sowing seeds for harvest and
Committing God to perform His counsels
You can not fail if you are connected thus. Do not compare yourself with others, your miracle is on the way. It is not all that glitters that is called gold. Your covenant rights in Christ Jesus are stronger than the crucibles of this life. His blood shall keep and insulate you from evil reports. His Word shall guide you as a lamp unto your feet and the Holy Spirit shall lead you towards green pastures.
You are a god with the mind of Christ; you shall conquer, you have got the victory, THOU ART AN OVERCOMER!
CONCLUSION
Your present circumstance shall not make you to go under. You are going to cross over to your next level of victory. Your present location can not short circuit the flow of your Divine allocations from Heaven. On the contrary, your allocation of Divine favours shall locate you in your present location. You are rich in Christfullness!
There are three levels of poverty. The poverty of the head (which corresponds to illiteracy and ignorance in many matters), the poverty of the heart (which corresponds to lack of Christfullness commonly called the mind of Christ, this one is for unbelievers) and the poverty of your bag and pocket (which corresponds to one’s inability to pay his bills, feed, dress and live well).
Beloved, you are delivered from this triple poverty evil pact because of your contact with this revelatory book. Your life has changed because knowledge is power and wisdom is higher than the weapons of war!
COMMENDATION
May the Lord bless you and keep you. May my Father lift His Gracious face to shine upon you and be merciful to you. May the light of His countenance be endowed on you and on everything you set your hands to do in Him and grant you peace which passes human understanding, now and always in Jesus Name. Amen.
RES IPSA LOQUITUR
Beloved,
This book is a miracle: the fact speaks for itself! It is simply exhilarating that the book is published already. Two weeks before the solemnized presentation of Ye are gods last year, I was preaching in a Christian group on campus during their Weekend Discipleship Training Seminar, I informed them that I would be traveling to Kaduna for a conference and when I return, I would start writing my second book!
That confession was noted by Heaven which already had deposited enough marvelous spiritual insights in me in the past two decades. Shortly after, I received the title and the chapters of this book with the cover graphics just like it was delivered in the days when "Ye Are gods" was incubated.
On my return trip from Kaduna, I received and right there on transit wrote the preliminary pages and completed Chapter one of this book. This encounter with the Holy Spirit took place in the two hours thirty minutes journey between Kaduna and Abuja.
On return to my flat in Mgbidi, Imo State, I quickly purchased a note book and under seven weeks, the remaining inscriptions published as the Mind of Christ were released and downloaded from Heaven as I submitted my life once again to the pen of the ready Writer of the deep things of God.
Most of the chapters were written during midnight inspirations or sometimes at wake as the revelations came. This is the very way I write and that explains why my books look like a sermon being preached on the alter as many readers had already remarked.
The mystery behind such ministrations could be the result of a structurally consecrated heart and a mind transformed over the years through the science of meditation in the Holy Spirit using the Word of God as His active agent.
I bless you Spirit of the Truth for these things. I owe you more than my life for all the good reports you have transported into my life which shall positively impart and functionally impact our generation.
To you, by you, through you, for you and of you are all things. Let the Glory be returned to the complete manifestation of the GODHEAD; the Glorious Father, my Precious Redeemer the Lord Jesus and the Gracious Holy Spirit.
Now that you have read through this electrifying treatise called the Mind of Christ, you may wish to freely comment on any issue raised in this book. I shall deeply appreciate that for I still know in part and prophesy in part, but when that which is perfect comes, I shall be made completely whole.
I am praying for you. Very soon, your testimonies shall be harvested as you shall soon learn the seven reasons why you can never fail. You shall soon receive your miracle in full and when that is done, all the Glory shall be returned to the Lord who had wrought an awesome work in your life while the joy shall be yours in Jesus mighty Name.
Finally, remain focused on the cross for it is the fulcrum upon which God perfects His counsel in our lives. The cross is the forerunner of the crown. May none of the devil’s gifts come your way. May the money, the marriage or the connection that would obstruct your vision of the cross never come your way.
The Lord Jesus is interceding for us, we shall make it and celebrate His grace beyond the pearly gates of Heaven by and by. Shalom! My love, it is well with you. You have conquered because "WE HAVE THE MIND OF CHRIST."
Do not ever think that those who have progressed more than you in their own carnal eyes are higher than you. No, not everything that works is of God. The devil can transform into an Angel of false light. There are some things that are working, yet God is not there: native doctors have not all died. Occultic people are still marrying and having twins and triplets. Fraudulent civil servants, politicians and business men are daily buying new houses in choice places in the cities. I hope these people are not making you to lose sleep. They are prospering under God’s universal grace that is time targeted.
The Lord Jesus said that this kind of grace is released for the unjust and the just because of God’s extreme goodness (Matt. 5:45).
The Psalmist said that the prosperity of the wicked shall soon destroy them. The truth is that God had set their feet on slippery grounds soon to be cast into destruction, desolation and terror if they do not repent (Ps. 73:12-20).
Do not be foolish, the Lord shall increase your greatness and comfort you on every side. The Lion of the tribe of Judah who died on the cross for you shall soon roar in your defence.
For your present shame, you shall have a double portion of visitation. Do not murmur. Keep praising Him. He will raise you sooner than you think.
Get ready to harvest your miracles. The eyes of faith show that what you desire is what you will see and what you see is what you will possess (Gen. 13:14-17).
SEVEN REASONS WHY YOU CANNOT FAIL
Apart from all the keys that were released in the course of writing this book, these are the seven reasons why you cannot, yes, never fail.
God’s Promises
1. What God has promised, He is able to perform (Heb. 6:18-19; 11:6; Isa. 55:11; 11Cor. 1:20). His words are yea and Amen. They are immutable, more than the laws of Medes and Persia that could not be altered. Once God speaks, it does not return back to Him without performing the purpose it is meant to accomplish because His word is a sure anchor of the soul to rest on.
Our Weapons
2. Because you are established in the righteousness of Christ, (Isa 54:14) you can use the Divine weapons of the word in your mouth (Ps. 119:89, 105 & 130) the wonderful Name of Jesus (Phil 2:10-11). The Blood of Jesus (Rev. 12:11) the garment of praise (Ps 22:3) your testimony or your character (Rom 12:2) the Lord Holy Spirit (Isa. 34:16, 1Cor. 2:10-12 and service in His house (Ex23:25-27) to connect to God for unassailable victory in your academic and business endeavours.
Make Decrees
3. With the mind of Christ you can live like a god calling those things that be not as though they be (Rom 4:17, Heb. 11:3). I waited for almost one more year to be promoted to the exalted position of Deputy Registrar after being due in time. I prayed, I waited, I confessed that it was coming and began to call my wife Deputy Registrar’s sweetheart. During those months I printed 1000 copies of complimentary cards and kept it in my briefcase. I also printed from my system a bold name tag bearing my new rank which is the last feasible rung in our career cadre. The next position of University Registrar is plausible by external advertisement and political considerations so most folks normally retire as Deputy Registrars.
As I continued to call down those things that were withheld by Bureaucracy, written and oral examinations were eventually conducted by the University Governing Council and the result showed the son of God’s name on top of the hierarchy. The salary arrears of eleven months which the University paid to me was good enough that I only added a little money to it and returned with another car for my wife one evening. Please let the critics know this: we pray our ways to victories by the mind of Christ by declaring the end from the beginning and the things that were not as though they are.
Your Faith
4. You need to hold fast your confession of what you desire and the profession of your faith continuously (Heb. 10:23). If you desire to marry or beget children, continue to pray it, say it and even purchase materials in that respect. God cannot lie because He had already promised it (Titus 1:2). You have a High Priest in heaven that can be touched with your feelings. He knows how to fix you up again!
Your Access
5. From a regenerated mind comes the power of creativity, boldness, confidence and access to God’s throne on High (Eph. 3:12). The righteous shall be bold like a lion even during periods when your faith is sorely tested (Prov. 28:1). You are a son and not a slave, you have right to God’s goodly heritage.
Beloved, do not use your condition to deny yourself access to Help. If you shy away from God, who else can you run to? (Ps. 73:25, 75:6-7).
Live Like a god
6. The mind of Christ grants you the soundess, wellness and wholeness of a living god of the most High God.
Always pray relaxed prayers. Do not shout and strive when you pray. Nothing is too difficult for my Father. A crucified heart does not contend and struggle. We sing it always but we rarely act it.
Do not carry your burden to the alter and carry it back (Phil 4:4-8). My Father’s Name is El’shaddai. He is the ALMIGHTY GOD!
Be Patient and Grateful
7. True faith is oiled by patience and constant thanksgiving (Heb. 6:12; Ps 100:4, Jer 32:37-42). You shall soon harvest multiple portions. Do not be too impatient that you move outside God’s will.
Your thanksgiving shows that your heart is sanctified to live by His will no matter how long it takes for it to come. Hannah eventually begat Samuel, Elizabeth got John the Baptist, Manoah had Samson, Abraham had Issac and Isaac begat Esau and Jacob after protracted periods of waiting in all cases
Keep waiting for that is the way of the cross. Patience builds your character and makes you rapture ready which is the ultimate miracle. Do not wallow in a spectre of sorrow, self pity and depression anymore.
Finally, Beloved, do not be hasty and unpleasant in demeanour. Your connection to the Lord through the mind of Christ is of the highest value than the miracle of this age which though shall come but shall phase away with time. There is nothing that lasts forever apart from your character which is the result of your knowledge. Your character is the forerunner of your eternity.
Thus says the Lord:
"Let not the wise man glory in his (mundane) wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his (ephemeral) might nor the wealthy man glory in his (carnal) riches. But let him that wants to glory do it in this:
That he understands and knows the Lord who exercises loving kindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for in these triple things I delight" (Jer. 9:23-24). Beloved, that is it. These things are neither accessed in the University system nor in the government house. This is the thing that the carnal man cannot access or value.
There are four categories of people on planet earth:
(a) Those who do not know and they do not know that they do not know. This group needs deliverance.
(b) Those who do not know but they are aware that they do not know. This group needs to be taught.
(c) Those who know, but they do not know what they know and do not know that they know some things. This group are found in the church: they do not know what they are carrying so they inadvertently keep miscarriage alive all the time. This group needs help.
(d) Those who know and they know that they know. These are the instructors, teachers, and preachers in town (Dan. 11:32). They know that they are gods and they have the mind of Christ. They know that they cannot fail. They know that the Lord Jesus is interceding for them and very soon, they will cross their Jordan into the pearly gates of heaven where they belong.
Beloved, this is the "raison deter" of this book called The Mind of Christ because you have now known your group.
PROPHETIC EXHORTATION
Congratulations, for ye are gods and possess the mind of CHRIST, Res Ipsa Loquitur; the facts (of the Truth) of this revelatory book speak for themselves, so we confidently rest our case.
You are highly favoured and lifted up because you have encountered the mind of Christ. Your destiny henceforth shall be flowery and unmolestable and your career shall glow until it blossoms.
The Lord has not called the seed of Jacob to seek Him in vain so your spouse shall call you Gift and your seeds shall be luminous, bearing luscious fruits.
You shall not read stories of divine breakthroughs and not experience your own because the Lord shall command multiple deliverance for Israel, even you!
The word of God which you have read as they were fitly written in this treatise shall lighten your destiny. Surely, you now belong to the class of those who know and they know that they know. You may wish to please, instruct others. This is the debt which I owed over the years but which I am gradually defraying.
Christianity without responsibility is a liability. May the mind of Christ constrain you to discharge your responsibilities in the church with gravity of conscience, tenacity of purpose, gladness of heart and a doughty sacrificial spirit.
When I first wrote Ye are gods in early 1995, it was a hundred and sixty-one page book. Financial constraints seemed however my biggest obstacle. In 2007, I knew that my fullness of time had come for me to flower so I edited the manuscript and added a total of about eighty more pages in all the chapters and then sent it for publication.
In this year, 2009, we have the mind of Christ which was put together few months ago. Your present obstacles shall soon become miracles. Nothing shall be too difficult for you so long as you persist. Your scars shall turn into stars, your trials into triumphs and your tests into testimonies.
The LORD will surely turn your earthly trash into heavenly treasures. You shall soon begin to release instructions on planet earth because you belong to the class of those who know and they are the light that is already ignited to flame and shall no longer be hidden.
May your cup of blessing from the Lord run over so that your neighbours shall wonder; "What manner of person is this." And thou shall answer them with joyful acclamation thus: "This is what the mind of Christ had wrought in my life." Beloved, Lift God’s Praise in Excellent Glory for He is Good and His Mercies endure forever.
From now, as you pray and call on God, He shall answer you speedily because you are His own. The Hebrew words "eved YHWH" simply means servant of the Lord. It is used to connote slaves who placed themselves under the protection and authority of the one True Elohim (God) with a solemn desire to please Him and do His will.
Now that your cognition on the things of God is on the increase, you shall rejoice exceedingly. You now have a goodly heritage and He will show you the path of life with pleasure forever more because in His presence, there is fullness of joy. With the plenitude of words you have read in this book, you are on the way to the top. Moses had this kind of wisdom and that was why he chose the path of God than the fleeting pleasures of Pharoah’s palace. With the mind of Christ, you cannot accept every offer because hell is closer to you than heaven above, so long as you are still living in the flesh. Concerning your enemies, the Lord shall righteously recompense tribulation to trouble them. No more evil counsel against you can work because in vain is a net laid in the sight of a bird.
He has enlarged your coasts and given you rest because He delights greatly in you. It was for your sake that He became flesh and died on the cross. He will never leave nor forsake you. You shall no longer run around again looking for only miracles. You have now known how the word of God creates miracles for you on a daily basis to be following you and not you running after them like unbelievers.
Congratulations for ye are gods and now have the mind of Christ. Hallelujah.
THE SYMBOL OF THE HEART
You have already triumphed in your Spirit, soul and body. The symbol of the heart which adorned the cover page portrays the centre of life and living. That is where your victory must first be grounded.
The heart of man spiritually consists of the soul and spirit of man which is called the inner man (Ps. 51:10; Matt. 5:8; Rom 6:17; 1Pet. 3:4) or his conscience (Mk. 8:17; Acts 24:16; 1Tim. 1:5; Rom. 2:5; IITim. 3:9) all from the Bible. It also includes the mind of man which is the seat of thoughts and imaginations (Gen. 6:5) perception (Gen. 8:21) understanding (1King 3:9), wisdom (Prov. 2:10) meditation (Lk. 2:19) and purposes (Acts 11:23). The heart symbol also connotes the soul which houses the desires of man (ps 37:4), joy and gladness (Deut. 28:47) and grief (Gen. 6:6).
It is at this heart realm that the evidence of genuine salvation is validated. When the heart has not been framed and transformed with the word of God by the Holy Spirit, the heart is the terror that should be dreaded. The unregenarated heart is desperately wicked and that was why the LORD destroyed the world of Noah’s generation with a deluge in order to do away with the vilest imaginations of their day.
To continue in the Lord, you must continue with daily word bath. The more word you take, the more glory you receive, the more strength of the Lord you live in and the more victorious you become.
In the apostolic generation, the word of God so mightily grew that it prevailed (Acts 19:20). It conquered all distractions, strictures and inhibitions. It converted the priests and made them obedient to the Lord Jesus instead of the law of Moses.
The mind of Christ is one of heaven’s final revelations of the new covenant. The word of God, the Spirit of God and the blood covenant were all prevalent in the old covenant. The only difference was that the blood of the old covenant was the blood of animals which foreshadowed the perfect blood of Jesus.
In the New Testament, the precious blood of Jesus purchases a soul and the Spirit of Jesus’ uses the word of God to transform the person’s heart, soul or mind into the mind of Christ. If you possess this, you can now freely know God’s will or mind in all matters. The easiest and most valid way to discern God’s will is by crosschecking the issue in the Word of God which is the most authentic source of God’s will. Prophetic utterances on the pulpit and denominational doctrines should therefore be diligently validated by their level of concord with the impeccable Word of the Lord.
At this level, you have become the king of the Most High King JESUS, the Priest of the Eternal High Priest: JESUS and a god of the Most High God: Jehovah El’yon, hence your exaltation.
THE NINE FOLD EXALTATION
OF THE MIND OF CHRIST
1. The mind of Christ is exalted because it is the mind of the Creator of all things and the Eternal model of our sinless Redeemer (Jn. 1:3-4; Heb. 1:10; Col 1:16; Heb. 4:15).
2. The mind of Christ is the crescendo of the supernatural mind which operates by the instrumentality of the Spirit (1Cor. 12:7).
3. The mind of Christ is the mind of the eternal One who was raised from the dead and shall never die again. Living with His mind is therefore an elated privilege (Jn. 21:14)
4. The mind of Christ is the mind of the One who sits at the Right Hand of Majesty on High. The mind of Christ is therefore higher than every other mind because you are sitting with Christ in the heavenlies, thinking like Him, talking like Him and acting like him. (Eph. 2:6, Mk 16:19).
5. The mind of Christ is the mind of the One who has authority over all powers in the heavens, on earth and under the earth. He has therefore graciously given us this power to reign with Him far above sin, sickness, failure, demonic attack and evil reports. (Eph. 1:19; Phil. 2:9-11; Matt 28:18).
6. The mind of Christ is the mind of the One who possesses the highest Name ever, so that with the power of Attorney in His name, you can do exploits, cast out demons, cancel evil reports and live a delectable life in godliness (Heb. 1:4).
7. The mind of Christ is the mind of the One who had conquered all things and put them in subjection under His feet. With this mind you can put all sickness and psychic attacks under or in subjection to Him (Heb. 2:5-18; I Cor. 15:24-28).
8. The mind of Christ is the mind of the One who is the Head of the Church and has made the church, which is His Body invincible by the gates of hell. Being a member of the Body of Christ, you can no longer be defeated by demonic hosts or human machinations (Col. 1:18; 1Cor. 11:3).
9. The mind of Christ is the mind of the One who is the Judge of all. You cannot encounter the mind of Christ and your spiritual cognition would be drab, dull and not be very sharp or sensitive. With the mind of the Supreme Judge of all, you can freely discern, test, assess, examine and evaluate all matters to the glory of God. (IICor. 5:10; Acts 17:29-31; Jn. 5:22; Rom. 2:16; Matt. 25:31-46). This is made possible because the mind of Christ is a soft and tender heart that is sensitive to the Spirit of the Counsel of God.
Beloved, I am resting my case for the truth of this treatise are so glaring from the scriptures. We are not running out of words but out of print limitations so that this work shall not be voluminous.
With the mind of Christ, you can no longer watch dirty films and ungodly channels on any screen. Since sin uses death to pay salary to its slaves, you must escape from her snares (Rom. 6:23).
Continue to praise Him, He will surely raise you beyond your imagination. You are certainly going to the next level of lifting. The mind of Christ is a grateful heart. Remain grateful for every little favour in life, your family and your salvation. That you lie down and sleep is God’s Hand. That you sleep and wake up is His hand. There may be sedative drugs that palliate insomnia but only God can wake you up.
The mind of Christ is your newest capacitor for righteousness, divine health and prosperity because your reality is a product of your thoughts just like your mental picture determines your actual future.
What we have discussed in this revelatory book cannot be accessed by government house connections nor by winning the visa lottery to travel abroad. Our utterances are beyond those mundane realms.
As you wait upon the Lord, He will renew your strength. God is not a respecter of persons. In any nation, any one that fears Him is accepted and blessed by Him. (Acts 10:34). You are already on top. You shall remain above only as you persist in Him.
As you cleanse yourself from every defilement of the mind of Christ and perfect your holiness in His fear, you will see His glorious presence in your current situation. He will uplift you to your next level and give you rest round about. God said in His word that we should trust Him for He is able to deliver and bless!
Continue to put Him in remembrance of your desires, He shall certainly justify you (Isa. 43:26). Your victory shall consolidate your joy in Him. All things shall work out together for your good. Do not forget His words so that He will not forget you (Hosea 4:6). Produce your strong reasons from the word (Isa 41:21). Do not depend on the arm of the flesh (Jer. 17:5-6). The flesh profits nothing and cannot save. The power of right words from the scriptures can produce wonderful testimonies (Job 6:25).
Continue in fellowship for therein is your strength which is renewed from day to day in multiplied grace (Ps. 84:7). Do not shy away from church services for where two or three are gathered in His name, there He is. Do not be hounded by fear that you may not succeed. The mind of Christ cannot fail. Your present status is higher than failure. It has a fifteen-fold state which I shall reiterate for your edification as we draw the curtain on this work.
THE FIFTEEN-FOLD SPIRITUAL
STATUS OF THE MIND OF CHRIST
1. The mind of Christ is the one who is incontrovertibly in Christ Jesus (Eph. 2:13; Col. 3:3). You cannot be in Him and be defeated.
2. The mind of Christ is the mind that was drawn near to God by the precious blood of Jesus Christ (Col. 1:20). You cannot be living next door to God and fail.
3. The mind of Christ is the mind that has peace with God (Eph.2:14). Only those who are querulous against God are susceptible to frustration.
4. The mind of Christ is the mind that is a spiritual Israelite, a spiritual seed of Abraham and a beloved apple of God’s eyes. (Eph. 2:14-16; Gal. 6:16).
5. The mind of Christ is the mind that is a member of the church of the Lord Jesus Christ that cannot be stranded (Eph. 2:15-16) in the affairs of life.
6. The mind of Christ is the mind that is reconciled to God and is in the ministry of reconciling others to Him (11Cor. 5:18-20).
7. The mind of Christ is the mind that has unfettered access to God through the blood covenant and by the Spirit of Jesus (Eph. 3:12; Eph. 2:18). He is therefore at home with signs and wonders!
8. The mind of Christ is a fellow citizen of heaven with all the saints glorified already (Eph. 2:19). The devil, who is the prince of this earth is his junior by every standard.
9. The mind of Christ is built upon the solid and true foundation by the word of God with the Lord Jesus as the Chief cornerstone (Eph. 2:20; 1Cor. 3:11).
10. The mind of Christ is the mind that tabernacles the anointing of God by the Spirit. (Eph. 2:22). He can therefore break every evil yoke easily.
11. The mind of Christ is a priest to minister to God, King to reign in the stead of Christ on earth and god of the Most High God. He cannot fail (1Pet. 2:9; Jn. 10:34).
12. The mind of Christ is a victor, an overcomer and a conqueror in this world over failure, barrenness, poverty, sickness and demonic assaults. (1Jn. 5:4; Rom 8:37). You cannot be frustrated anymore.
13. The mind of Christ is the mind that is an oracle of God in utterance. The Greek work "logion" translated as oracle here simply means possessing a divine answer to the questions of life. It implies a purely celestial speech in which man has no part. The word of God (logos) is the oracle of God and speaking by the inspiration (Rhema) of God is the infallible revelation that is the portion of the mind of Christ Jesus (1Pet 4:11). We cannot be confused when we live thus.
14. The mind of Christ is the one that is Christ’s ambassador (IICor. 5:20) on earth. An ambassador is the accredited representative of a kingdom or a country in a foreign land. He represents his home nation’s head of state or government. He has no opinion of his own other than what his nation stands for. As an ambassador, I do not cherish any desire contrary to the word of God which is my home country’s constitution.
15. Finally, the mind of Christ is on a mission on planet earth. The final destination of the mind of Christ is Heaven where the Lord Jesus has been preparing an abode for him ever since He ascended (Jn. 14:2-4). The mind of Christ is therefore higher than the earth with all its vicissitudes, vagaries and transient pleasures which has no eternal value.
You must continue in this your wonderful status with the full spiritual consciousness pertaining to the mind of Christ with all its victorious traits, trends and tendencies.
Now unto Him who is able to grant you victory in this life and in the one to come, give you eternal life, be glory, majesty and adoration forever, Amen!
You are blessed and lifted up.
IMPARTATIVE DECLARATIONS
The present level of your mind set in Christlikeness is all that is required to move forward in every area of life and in every situation.
The mind of Christ which is one of the very last revelations of the new covenant is the multiple solution to the sin problem. It is heaven’s answer to the believer’s major hindrance to boldness, faith and perfection. It buoys you as a god that cannot be molested and reproached. It is the answer to the doctrinal cleavages in the Body of Christ.
The mind of Christ is the mind of faith by which you can pervasively please the Lord. Life on its own answers to faith. The Lord Jesus declared in Matt. 9:29 that it is to everyone according to his faith. Faith failure is equivalent to heart failure. What the heart is to life naturally speaking is what faith is to your spiritual life. When your heart fails, your die physically. Correspondingly, when your faith fails, you shall spiritually die.
The mind of Christ anchors you unto Zech. 12:8 where the Lord defends His own in every area to the extent that you become as strong as David, the mightiest king of Israel, the anointed of Jehovah El’Adonai.
Henceforth, strangers shall fade away at the word of the Lord in your heart and mouth. By the instrumentality of the mind of Christ, you have become exercised in godly character to the extent that this diligent persistence accesses victory for you always.
As we have said before, life is a responsibility, until you chose that path of the mind of Christ, you may end up a liability. It is this spiritual responsibility which the Spirit uses the scriptures to convey, that teaches your enemies the many sided wisdom and power of God.
The mind of Christ is for all. It leads you to the eternal city of refuge. It makes you victorious all the way. Carnal methods may take you some of the way, but the mind of Christ gives you victory continuously. It is for the sick; to guarantee their healing. It is for the sinner; to access their salvation. It is for the oppressed; to provide their deliverance. It is for the rich in Christ, to validate that their godly prosperity continues from strength to strength, from grace to grace and from glory to glory.
Modern preachers have so much parochialised the gospel message as if the gospel is for the sick, the poor and the oppressed alone. No, it is not so. His name is called Jesus, because he saves humanity from their basic problem which is sin. Every person has a problem with sin and so everybody needs to encounter the mind of Christ.
If Christianity is for the oppressed, the poor, the sick and the proletariats so to speak, then many of us in the Ivory Towers of the Academia, political and economic positions may not need to go to church. But, it is not true. These people are the ones that need the Lord more, even though they are not poor, sick and oppressed.
Why do you say so Brother Okechukwu? Beloved it is these people that are the highest sinners because all manner of fraud are perpetrated by them. The sins of immorality, occultism, academic fraud, electoral misconduct, economic crimes and brutal wickedness are their stock-in-trade. This book is actually for them so that they would not experience the fate of the rich man in Lk. 16:19-31 who became the last and eternal beggar. The poor godly man only begged in his lifetime but the rich ungodly man became an eternal beggar of all ages; begging for a drop of water without success. But you have hope because you are joined to the Living Lord. (Eccl. 9:4). You have a plethora of good testimonies ahead.
You are moving forward to a higher plane; from fair to good, from good to better to best, to perfect, to excellent, to glorious; in that order. Tough times do not persist only a resilient folk trained in the school of the mind of Christ survives tough times because his God is higher than all circumstances. His name is Jehovah ELYON. As Ancient of Days, He is older than that issue. Your present challenge is not your problem. The devil our enemy "numero uno" uses the unpleasant demeanour of the unregenarated mind to afflict Christians, hence, the need for sanctification.
THE RECURRENT ISSUE OF SANCTIFICATION
When you are saved, you become victorious over the sins of lust, greed, lies, bitterness, truculence etc. However, after sometime, you begin to feel some uprising in your heart and your former victory over sin becomes seriously threatened.
Unforgiveness returns, the lusts of the flesh comes back demanding urgent attention. Envy assails your heart when others shine more than you. Pride ravages your flesh as you may begin to seek recognition and status all over again.
It is at this point that you may need to go back to the altar of sanctification for inward cleansing and deliverance from the last vestiges of Adamic sin.
In Eph. 5:25-27, the Lord declared His ability to sanctify and cleanse His own with His own blood and Word. In Jn. 17:17, you are sanctified by the word. In 1Thes. 4:3, sanctification is His will for all Christians. In Titus 3:5, sanctification is as a result of the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Lord Holy Spirit.
Sanctification is both instantaneous and progressive. Owing to the fact that it is the inner cleansing and deliverance of the heart from the Adamic fallen nature, it must be experienced genuinely in one day and must continue until the last garment spotted by sin is consummated before the rapture.
For sanctification to be effectual, four conditions set out in scripture must be fulfilled.
(a) You must first be saved by believing in Christ’s propitiation on the cross. (Jn. 3:16, Jn 1:12).
(b) You must intentionally consecrate yourself to God. Consecration is the total surrender and yieldedness which one does to present his life, character, finance, vocation, relationships and body to the Lord as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to Him (Rom. 12:1-2).
(c) You must have faith that it is possible. If you do not mix God’s word with faith, you shall not have any profit for without faith, your efforts are fruitless (Heb. 4:1-3, 11:6). As you read the word and pray it in, it will sanctify you.
(d) You must be persistent. This is an attitude that refuses to quit in spite of opposition. It is a perspicuous expression of an unrelenting, resolute and dogged fighter who would not let God go, unless He blesses him (Gen. 32:26).
Spiritual persistence must be practiced with tenacity of purpose, steadfastness of character that is anchored on the word and with an unrepentant trust that the Spirit of the Lord is able to see you through to victory with joy unspeakable.
It is this attitude that conveys sanctification which delivers the believer into the multiple benefits of the spiritual city of refuge: the final portion of the mind of Christ.
THE MYSTERY OF THE CITY OF REFUGE
In drawing the curtain on this chapter, the mystery of the city of refuge must be expounded for spiritual profit to the mind of Christ.
A. Scriptural Insight Into the City of Refuge
The mind of Christ is an uncommon revelation. It was written under a heavy unction of the Holy Spirit. It preaches faith with biblical audacity and illuminates the issue of holiness of character with spiritual sagacity. The mystery of the city of refuge is the last of the many revelational releases of the mind of Christ.
In Josh 20:1-9, the Lord reminded Joshua of His earlier directive to Moses in Numb 35, to appoint "cities of refuge so that if any Israelite killed his country man unwittingly and inadvertently, the slayer may flee to that city that the blood slain may not be avenged."
The message was to avoid shedding double blood for a death that occurred unawares. The slayer was to dwell safely in the city of refuge and stand before the congregation for judgement and if he was vindicated, he would be delivered from the hand of the pursuer and avenger of blood and the slayer would live in the city of refuge until the death of the High Priest when he would be restored to his former city as a free man.
Six cities were then appointed in Israel namely: Kedesh, Shechem, Hebron, Bezer, Ramoth and Golan chosen from six tribes of the nation. The mystery of the city of refuge is that the new covenant that established the mind of Christ gives every sinner a second chance. The law of Moses posited death for every sinner. However, the mind of Christ gives the sinner a second chance to go and sin no more (Jn. 8:11).
Now that the High Priest, the Lord Jesus died and resurrected to intercede for His own, the sinner, is delivered from the avenger, to wit, the devil, and the sinner is forgiven and strengthened with the Holy Spirit to overcome further temptations to fall back into sin and depravity.
In Jn. 10:10, the Lord Jesus declared that the avenger of blood, the devil comes to steal, to kill and to destroy, but He, Jesus, had come to give us life abundantly. While the devil’s manifesto is to steal the mind of Christ from humanity, kill the victim and destroy him in hell, the Lord Jesus offers life in plenitude, life in cornucopia and an outrageous release of extravagant life replete with good testimonies.
Brother Okechukwu, since the Lord Jesus offers this kind of beautiful life, is He now greater than the city of refuge? Yes beloved, the Lord Jesus, our High Priest, is not only our new covenant city of refuge, His Word, His Name, His Blood, His Spirit and His Church are the greater new cities of refuge where we can enter and boldly obtain mercy and find grace, help and rest in times of distress (Heb. 4:15-16).
In Prov. 18:10, God’s name is that strong tower of refuge which the righteous man runs into and becomes safe from every reproach and agony of this life.
In Ps. 18:1, the Lord, Jehovah Nissi, is the Rock, the Fortress, the Buckler, and the High Tower of refuge which we can freely access for all round salvation at all times.
In Rom 1:16, the gospel of Christ is the Anointing of God that saves every one that believes irrespective of his background.
In Acts 4:12, the NAME OF JESUS is the only name given under heaven for deliverance of all sorts and elevation to higher grounds.
In Matt. 16:18, the Church of the Lord Jesus is the dunamis and the eternal rock which the gates of hell cannot prevail against.
In Isa. 10:27, Jn 14:26, 16:8-14, the Holy Spirit is the destroyer of yokes, teacher of all things, guide into all things of God and the only ONE by whom Jesus can be glorified by our victories.
In Rev. 12:11, the Blood of the Lord Jesus and the Word of the testimony are the sure access we have to overcome the devil in every situation, they are our certain cities of Refuge.
In Mk. 16:20, the Word of the Lord Jesus is the harbinger and conveyor of signs and wonders to those who believe. The word is the surest evidence to access the spiritual resources of the city of Refuge and it is the heaviest carrier of the weighty issues of eternity (Ps. 138:2; 119:89) because it is higher than the heavens.
B. Scriptural Qualifications for Habitation
in the City of Refuge
There are three major pre-requisites outlined in the Book of God for this city habitation for the possessor of the mind of Christ.
i. Salvation: In Jn. 1:12, the Bible says that even though the Lord Jesus came unto His own people and they received Him not, as many as received Him, shall receive His Spirit to become His children, gods of the Most High God and eternal habitators of the city of Refuge.
ii. Holy Ghost Baptism: Secondly, in Acts 1:4-8, baptism in the Holy Spirit is another indispensable credential for effectual city habitation in Christ. You must receive power after that the Holy Spirit has come upon you so that you may become CHRIST’S ambassador on planet earth. The Holy Spirit is the Administrator General of the City of Refuge and He is the River of Life that makes glad that city of God (Ps. 46:4; Jn 7:38).
iii. Be Strong: Finally, in Eph 6:10-18, the possessor of the mind of Christ, who must dwell effectually in the City of Refuge, must be strong in the Lord and in the power of His Might.
He must put on the whole armour of God so that he might stand against the wiles of the devil.
He must be clothed with the truth of the Word at all times, live in righteousness, peace and Joy of his faith in Christ by which he will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the avenger. He must war a good warfare by the Holy Spirit in prayer and with all wisdom to remain victorious in the affairs of life at all times. This is what is called the spiritual mountain top encounter and experience in life. What a glorious life!
C. Benefits of Dwelling in the City of Refuge
As a legitimate citizen of the household of faith dwelling in the city of refuge on earth, the Lord is your chief partner in every thing you do. He is your room Mate at home, your Chief counselor in the office, and the Eternal Bishop to whom worship is given in the church. He is the Mighty One who consistently gives you victory round about (Ps. 132:13-14).
Secondly, the City of Refuge is a place of rest. It is a habitation of peace, joy, serenity, calmness, quietness and an assured dwelling place free from strife, anxiety, bitterness, lust, greed and the vanities of life. (Isa 32:17-18, 26:3-4, Math 11:28, Heb. 4:8-13, 11:10, 13, 14, 38).
Thirdly, it is a habitation of strength and divine health for the people of God. The city of God is a dwelling place that is weakness free, infirmity free, and affliction free. It is heaven on earth (Ps. 84:7, Ex. 15:26).
Fourthly, it is a place where the Blood of Jesus speaks better things for the increase, defence and perfection of God’s people. In that City, the expiatory blood of Jesus, is the guarantee of an unending life. (Heb. 12:22-25).
Finally, the city of refuge is a habitation of revelation for all round elevation of God’s people. Your revelation in the things of God is the assurance of an unmolestable and colourful destiny. What you know is what you become in Him. The devil does not fear your educational or financial background. No, he fears only your revelatory access to the deep things of God and how you excel in life by them.
If you are educated or rich but you do not know that God heals diseases, when sickness ravages your body beyond medical therapy you shall surely die. But if you know Jehovah Ropheeka, he shall heal you and deliver you from every destruction because you share the same mind with Him by His grace. The height you shall ever reach in life is determined by your mind illumination by the Spirit. If your mind is darkened, it is because you are far from the Word of God. When your mind opens (Lk. 24:45) you will know God’s will and discern all things properly with a victory-driven consciousness.
Your revelation is your guide to abundance. If God called you as a missionary doctor, please do not try to become a business man in an inordinate ambition to make more money. The mind of Christ is content and satisfied with God in all matters. You shall never go under again (Is. 25:6-8; Ps. 46:1, 7, 11; Ps 32:6-11).
CONCLUSION
Ye are gods and the mind of Christ makes you a consistent overcomer in all things. Fare thee well my beloved for you are on your way to the top. He has given you the hind’s feet to outrun your contemporaries. Your strength is higher than the strength of the eagles. The knowledge of the mind of Christ is the indubitable baptizer of all round victories in this life and it is a stupendous inheritor of the kingdom of God where the righteous shall shine like the stars with the FATHER!
Every covering on your life is henceforth removed in the Name of Jesus. Once again "who knows the mind of the Lord that the Lord would guide and instruct him? But WE HAVE THE MIND OF CHRIST"!! Halleluyah.
THE LIGHT OF THE MIND
This chapter is written as a postscript. Having rested our spiritual case in the last chapter, we intend to give you the clue of the mind of Christ concerning almost all life situations. It is therefore, a compendium of the word of God which the Holy Spirit uses as the light to overcome every challenge in life. The word of God is therefore the light of the mind (Ps. 119:11) the light that cleans all ways of men (Ps. 119:9) the life of men (Jn. 1:1-5), the way and truth of men (Jn. 14:6), and the spiritual walk men ought to live in (1Jn. 1:7). The Word of God is unarguably the light of the world (Jn. 9:5; Ps. 119:105’ Ps 119:130) and the ultimate will of God on all matters of life concerning the ways of men.
1. When You Feel Weak: I can do all things in Christ Jesus who strengthens me. (Pil. 4:13)
2. When You are in Need: The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want (Ps. 23:1) for He shall supply all my needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:19) and no good thing would He withhold from the upright. (Ps. 84:11)
3. When You Lack Wisdom: The Lord Jesus is my wisdom (1Cor. 1:30) and God gives me wisdom generously when I ask (Jas. 1:5, Prov 10:2).
4. When Your Miracle Delays: And this is the confidence that we have that whatever we ask according to His will, He hears (1Jn. 5:14) for by faith and patience, I shall soon inherit His promises (Heb. 6:12) for my life is complete in Christfullness alone.
5. When You are Afraid: God did not give me a Spirit of fear, He released into me the Spirit of Power, Love, and Sound mind (IITim. 1:7). Fear thou not, (Ps. 105:14-15). God can not allow anyone to do you wrong. He shall reprove kings for your sake with the following decree: "Touch not my anointed and do my prophets no harm."
6. When Sickness Comes: Christ had suffered in the flesh for me (1Per. 4:1). By His stripes, I am healed (1Pet. 2:24; Matt. 8:16-17; Isa. 53:5).
7. When You Lack Faith to Forge Ahead: God had given me a measure of faith (Rom. 12:3) to move from glory to glory (11Cor. 3:18).
8. When You Feel Discouraged: God is the strength of my life (Ps. 27:1) and they that know their God shall do exploits (Dan. 11:32).
9. When You Feel Confused: For it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to do His good pleasure. So I shall not complain or grumble (Phil. 2:13-16) but I shall hold forth His word continually.
10. When Demons Threaten You: Resist the devil (1Pet. 5:9) for greater is He that is in you than those rampaging demons (1Jn. 4:4)_
11. When You Feel Defeated: Thanks be to God who gives us victory through our faith in Christ (1Jn. 5:4) and helps us to have triumph through my knowledge of His word (11Cor. 2:14).
12. When You are Depressed: Why are you disquieted Oh my soul, hope thou in God (Ps. 42:11) for His steadfast love never ceases and His mercy never ends (Lam. 3:22-26, Ps. 37:4).
13. When the Future is Precarious: I am sure that He who began a good work in me will bring it to completion very soon (Phil. 1:6) for His blessing adds no sorrow (Prov. 10:22) and His presence is filled with joy forever (Ps. 16:11). As I remain in Him, He shall show me things to come in an encounter where "deep calls unto deep."
14. When Sorrow Comes: I will pray the father to send the Holy Spirit to comfort you (Jn. 14:16) for I have overcome the world for you (Jn. 16:33).
15. When Suffering Buffets: Nevertheless, I am not ashamed for I know whom I believe and I am persuaded to say that He is able to keep my commitment with Him (11Tim. 2:12) and shall surely deliver me (Ps. 91:14-16).
16. When You are Tempted to Sin: For sin shall not have dominion over you (Rom. 6:14) but God is faithful to make a way for you to escape what you cannot bear (1Cor. 10:13)
17. When Fear Comes: Be strong and of good courage (Josh. 1:8) for whoever draws near to Christ, He shall not cast out nor any person pluck out of His Hand. (Jn. 6:37, 44, Jn. 10:29).
18. When False Witnesses Rise: And they overcame them by the Blood of Jesus and the testimony of their mouths (Rev. 12:11) without reviling back (1pet. 2:21-23; Isa. 53:7).
19. When Guilt of Past Sin Assails: If I confess my sins, He is faithful and just to forgive me and cleanse me from all unrighteousness (1Jn. 1:7-9). Blessed is the one whom the Lord had forgiven (Ps. 32:1-2) and redeemed from destruction with loving-kindness (Ps. 103:3-5).
20. How About Anxiety: Casting all your cares upon Him for he cares for you (IPet. 5:7; Ps. 34:5,19). He will send the rod of the Anointing forth from Zion; begin now to rule in the midst of your challenges. You shall no longer be afraid of evil tidings because your heart is fixed with trust in the Lord (Ps. 110:2; Ps. 112:7-8)
21. The Issue of Emergent Bondage: Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ had made you free and do not be entangled with the yoke of bondage (Gal. 5:1) for where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (11Cor. 3:17).
22. Are You Condemned: There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk after the Spirit who set me free from sin and death (Rom. 8:1-2) for old things have passed away (11Cor. 5:17-19).
23. How about Loneliness: Lo, I am with you always (Matt. 28:20), I will never leave nor forsake you (Heb. 13:5). Let brotherly love continue (Heb. 13:1). The Lord is with you; you shall soon possess your possessions. Do not despise the days of little beginnings because even though your starting days be small, your later days shall greatly increase and multiply.
24. Is any Curse Agonizing You?: In Christ, I am redeemed from the curse of the Law (Gal. 3:13-14) who gave me power over every kind of demonic oppression (Jn. 1:12).
25: Is it Covetousness? I can be content in every circumstance (Phil. 4:11) for we brought nothing into this world and we shall carry nothing out when we shall go (1Tim. 6:6-10) for your possession is not your life (Lk. 12:15 & 21).
26. Are You Feeling Insecure and Molested?: All things work out for good for me because I love God and was called in consonance with His purpose to conform to Christ’s image (Rom. 8:28-29) for His thoughts for me are for peace and safety (Jer. 29:11). I owe no one nothing but love (Rom 12:18-21; 13:8-10) because my destiny is bright and colourful in Christ Jesus.
28. How About Delayed Promotion? Nothing is too hard for the Lord (Jer. 32:17; Gen. 18:14) for nothing is impossible with God (Mk. 9:23) who shall soon promote you (Ps. 75:6-7) to be head and not last (Deut. 28:1-14).
29. Do You Feel Inferior?: I am God’s righteousness in Christ (11Cor. 5:21), ye are a god (Jn. 10:34-36); with the mind of Christ (1Cor. 2:16) a peculiar king and a priest for the Lord (1Pet. 2:9) a chosen ambassador for Christ (11Cor. 5:20).
30. Are You Afflicted?: He sent His word to heal and deliver from every destruction (Ps. 107:20) for I am the Lord that heals you (Ex. 15:26) your refuge, your fortress and your strong tower (Ps. 91:5-12; Ps 46:1).
31. When Distress Comes: And he that believes on the Lord shall not be confounded (1Pet 2:6). He shall make a way for me (Isa. 43:2 & 19) because God is for you and no one can be against you (Rom. 8:31) for the Lord is in the midst of you as the Mighty One to save (Zeph. 3:17). He will give you peace (1Cor. 14:33; Isa 9:6) and guidance for you are a conqueror in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:37; Ps. 36:5-9).
32. If Hardship Ravages Your Destiny: Through much tribulation, you shall enter into the kingdom of God (Acts 14:22), God shall deliver you from this affliction (Ps. 34:19). This temptation cannot overcome you because you are in the light (Jas. 1:2-5). The Holy Spirit shall work out godly character in you (Rom. 5:3-5). By two immutable things of His word and oath, (Heb. 6:18) God cannot lie in His promise to save you (Titus 1:2; Numb. 32:19) for He cannot break His covenant (Ps. 89:34).
33. If the Devil Attacks Your Spiritual Life: No enchantment shall succeed in you (Numb. 23:23) for you are the Israel of God (Gal. 6:16) and you can condemn every tongue that had risen against you (Isa. 54:15-17) and quench every fiery dart of the evil one against you (11Cor. 10:4). They that wait upon the Lord, shall renew their strength for exploits (Isa. 40:29-31) against sin (Col. 3:3) and iniquity (Matt. 5:8) because you have known the truth (Jn. 8:32-36).
34. How About Barrenness: There shall none be barren in the land (Deut. 28:1-13), you shall not have miscarriage (Ex. 23:25-27) nor your enemies triumph over you because you are a fruitful vine (Ps. 128:3) a joyful parent (Ps. 113:9). The Lord Jesus is the Head of principalities and powers. As I walk in Him, no power can afflict me with any evil report.
35. When You Need Serious Help to Live: I shall not die but live to declare God’s work (Ps. 118:17) because He lives, I shall live (Jn. 14:19). Even my death is precious in God’s sight (Ps. 116:15). He shall satisfy me with long life (Ps. 91:16). My God shall help me and uphold me and never forsake me (Isa. 41:10-19).
36. On Deliverance: He will deliver you from the dominion of darkness (Col. 1:10-20). God’s word shall surely take you to your next level (Ps. 62:11-12). He will keep you in perfect peace because you trust in Him (Isa. 26:3). Put your trust in Jesus (Jn. 14:1). His peace shall keep you (Jn. 20:19) because you are the apple of His eyes (Zec. 2:8). He shall deliver you even if you are a lawful captive (Isa 49:24-26).
37. Who Shall Fight For You?: Don’t be afraid. Only believe (Mk. 5:36). He will fight for you in your academics, career and marriage and give you victory (Exd. 14:13-18). He shall restore to you food, joy and anointing (Joel 2:17-25). He is the High Priest that can be touched with the feeling of our problems. He shall touch you with His grace and mercy (Heb. 4:4-16) and deliver you from terror and pestilence (Ps. 91:4-16) because you are the redeemed of the Lord (Ps. 121:3-8). His anointed (Ps. 105:15); His loved one that shall bring Him glory (Isa. 43:7). All your enemies shall soon be put to shame (Isa. 41:11-13) because you are His god with His mind of excellence (Dan. 5:14).
38. No One Loves You?: I created you and redeemed you. You are precious in my sight, you are the honourable one whom I have always loved, therefore, will I give men for thee and people for thy life (Isa. 43:1-4)
39. Who Will Fix the Devil For Me?: And the God of Peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly (Rom. 16:20). I give you power over every unclean spirit to tread on serpents and scorpions, to cast out demons, heal sicknesses, and nothing shall by any means hurt you at all (Lk. 10:19-20) for you are for signs and wonders (Mk. 16:15-20).
40. Final Destination: However, rejoice not on these victories over satanic hosts, but rejoice that your name is written in the Lamb’s book of life for eternal life. He is coming to collect us (Jn. 14:1-3). We shall soon go home, my beloved! (ICor. 15:51-58; IThes. 4:13-18)
Congratulations! This is the highest thrust of all spirituality: that you are born again, sanctified, victorious over evil reports, filled with the word of God to demonstrate the potency and efficacy of the mind of Christ among sons of men and your name is in the book of life in Heaven for eternity.
Thank you Lord Jesus, for giving us Your Spirit to teach us these things so that we can now answer convincingly that we know the mind of the Lord that He can instruct and guide us because "WE HAVE THE MIND OF CHRIST".
50. The Issue of Sanctification
51. The mystery of the City of Refuge
52. And Lots More
