[A warning...this is a long one, but oh so good!]
I was whining to God a few days ago...why does it seem that one day, I'm full of faith, the next I'm down in the dumps, racked with anxiety and fear? Why can't I just be stable, full of faith, all the time? After all, I'm full of God—I'm one Spirit with the Lord, I have the Mind of Christ and I'm sanctified spirit, soul and body. What's the deal?
In a flash, I heard "You don't think like Me. You need to think like Me." [refer to related post Think Like Jesus]
I understood exactly what He meant. Right now I'm just overlaying things I see in the Word over my still unrenewed [stinkin'] thinking! The key is to make a conscious decision to make the paradigm shift...to think like God!
What???
Is this even possible? Are we supposed to? Isn't this heresy?
A couple of passages come immediately to mind:
'But just as it is written, "Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him."
‘For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.
‘For who among men knows the thought of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.
‘Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thought with spiritual words.
‘'But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.
‘But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one.
‘For who has know the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him: But we have the mind of Christ.' [1 Corinthians 2:9-16]
'...and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.' [Ephesians 4:23,24]
'Have this attitude [or mind] in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus...' [Ephesians 2:5]
‘As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him. [1 John 2:27]
We are told in Romans 12:2 'And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
It would seem, then, that it is God's very purpose that we think like Him, to prove His good and acceptable and perfect will!
How then, do we think like God?
I'm convinced that the Mind of Christ is in the Spirit...it is not in our natural minds. Jesus said His words were spirit and truth—His mind, the will of God—all are contained in the Word and in the Spirit.
Obviously, God's thoughts are limitless. But I believe we can look at specific ways that He thinks and adopt them. Or, as Ephesians 5:1 says, 'Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children.'
It is Finished
Jesus said it on the cross..."It is finished."
There are speculations as to exactly what He was referring to...the old covenant, the work of redemption for all mankind...possibly His immediate suffering and imminent triumph over satan. Maybe all three, maybe lots of other things that we haven't seen yet.
But God thinks this way too. Jesus is called the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world! [Revelation 13:8] From the foundation of the world, God's works were finished [Hebrews 4:3] and we were chosen in Him [Ephesians 1:4]. The kingdom was prepared for us from the foundation of the world! [Matthew 25:34]
"I am God, and there is no one like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, 'My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure'" [Isaiah 46:9,10]
I think this is what Jesus meant when He told us to believe we receive when we pray. In this same passage [Mark 11:22-24] He tells us to believe that what we say will happen and not to doubt in our hearts. In other words, it is finished when we speak it! Job 22:28 tells us to decree a thing and it is established—it does not say it might be established—it will be established!
The Hebrew word amen has been transliterated into every language. That means the word and its original meaning has passed untouched into other languages. The original meaning of the word amen is so be it! Or, to put it in God-speak...it is finished!
God calls the end from the beginning. This is faith power undiluted—it is the power of 'it is finished,' seeing the end from the beginning. It's one powerful way that God thinks, and we are told to think this way as well.
But thinking this way requires a complete shift. If we just overlay these thoughts from time to time, reverting to unbelief and doubt when circumstances don't change immediately, we become what James describes as double-minded, unstable in all our ways, receiving nothing from the Lord! [James 1:6,7]
Love
God doesn't have love, He is Love! Therefore, His thought are thoughts of love.
1 Corinthians 13 tells us that it doesn't matter what we do, or don't do...without love, it means nothing. In other words, legalism [or the law] has been superseded by love.
Faith, or the spiritual power that brings spiritual things to pass in this natural world, works by love [Galatians]. That's why faith based on the wrong motives doesn't come to pass. God is love—therefore faith works by God!
God's thoughts are love thoughts. So if we are to think like Him, our thoughts must be love thoughts, too.
Mediate on 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. It describes love succinctly.
‘Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all thing, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails...'
Now we know that, in our spirits, we are one Spirit with Love...filled up to all the fullness of Love! Believe it, proclaim it over your life.
Think like God thinks! Think Love!
Beautiful Thoughts Only...No Ugliness Allowed
This is a no-brainer. Philippians 4 summarizes nicely...
‘Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near.
‘Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
‘And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
‘Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.
‘The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.’ [Philippians 4:4-9]
God thinks beauty...loveliness, health, wealth, peace, angelic protection, favor, power, wonder. No ugly thoughts allowed!
He created babies and sunsets and flowers...young love, the stars and moon...waterfalls and mountains...kittens and puppies! Friendship, families, kindness, goodness—all His creations.
I know we've been taught that He kills babies and destroy houses and burns down churches...the Christian-speak for this is 'takes for His purpose' or 'sent to teach us' but let's call a spade a spade. John 10:10 says it all: "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly [or have abundance]"
That's Jesus, telling us straight who's doing what. If it's beautiful, it's God. If it's ugly, it's the thief. Think like God.
All Things Are Possible, Nothing is Impossible
God thinks limitlessly, without restriction of any kind. Do a word search on the phrase 'all things' and you will be surprised how many times it appears in the Bible. He is an 'all things' God, and He told us that all things are possible for us, as well. [Mark 9:23]
Jesus said "And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive." [Matthew 21:22] He expanded on this concept in John 14-17, repeating it several times in different ways, as if to a large group of slow learners. God doesn't think in impossibilities, only in all-things-possibilities. And we should, too.
In fact, the only restriction of any kind placed on New Testament believers is the law of love. Faith works by love, and it should be our only motive. Think like God—all things, all possibilities, all the time!
Power and Authority
God knows who He is. He thinks from a place of complete power and authority. Satan knows who He is, too...and he knows that he is completely defeated.
I've got news for you. Both God the Father and Satan the Adversary know who we are...we're the only ones who remain clueless.
They both know that we're in Christ Jesus, one Spirit with the Lord, strengthened with all power in our inner man. They both know that we have authority over all the power of the enemy. But as long as we don't know it, we're no threat to anyone!
God thinks power. Hebrews 13 says that Jesus upholds all things by the word of His power! Not by His power...just the word of His power! And He's in us, and we're in Him! 'You are from God, little children, and have overcome them [evil spirits, v. 1-3]; because greater is He Who is in us than he who is in the world.' [1 John 4:4]
Think power! Think authority! Think like God thinks!
Favor
God's will for us is favor. Favor is a big theme for God, particularly in the lives of the patriarchs. Noah found favor...and Joseph and Abraham and David and Solomon...this is obviously HIs will for His people. David said it wonderfully in Psalm 5:12: 'For it is You who blesses the righteous man, O Lord, You surround him with favor as with a shield."
We can tell by their lives that favor from God is a good thing. Every blessing, including favor with those in power.
God obviously believes that His own should have favor, with Himself and with others. Think like God...think favor!
No Doubt, No Fear
God doesn't doubt, and we are told not to doubt. Doubt is the anti-faith, and since faith is the spiritual force that accesses all things, doubt is not a God thought.
Some of us see doubt as an option, an intellectual choice. Others see it as some kind of internal thought pattern that we just can't help. Still others see it is our Christian duty...to be realistic, intelligent, rational. These are deceptions.
We see this clearly in Mark 11:23.
"Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him."
Got it? No doubt.
Fear isn't a God thought, either. There is no fear in love, and God is love. We are told throughout the Bible to 'fear not.' Why? Because fear has torment.
‘There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.’ [I John 4:18]
Hebrews 10:14 tell us that by His one offering, He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified...so we know that we've been perfected in love in our spirits. Our reborn spirits are one with Love, so this must mean that if we fear, we are not perfected in love in our minds or in our flesh. We don't understand that we are perfected in love, and we don't understand the fullness of what that mean. So, we fear.
We fear, even though Jesus has already born the all of the punishment for every offense. We fear because we don't know what the love of God—true salvation—means.
Neither doubt nor fear are God thought...they shouldn't be your thoughts, either! 'As He is, so also are we in this world.' [1 John 4:17]
An aside here...in the Old Testament, we are instructed to fear the Lord. This word actually means to revere, or reverence Him. I wonder how it got translated this way? Hmmm...
The Creative Function of Words
God knows that words create. Wisdom is the sum of this one thought...read Proverbs 8.
He knows how the system works, and He told us how to work it. Read the entire book of Proverbs, the Psalms...and every other book, while you're at it! He knows that He created the physical earth through Words, and He told us in Proverbs that we create our life through words, too. Remember Job 22:28: 'Decree a thing and it will be established for you.'
Commanding physical reality by the power of words [the yad or hand of the mouth] is a God thought. For more background, read Yad, The Yad of God and The Yad of God 2.
Eternally
God thinks eternally. God knew, from before the foundations of the world, that He would make a covenant with Abraham to bless His descendants, both natural—the Jews, and spiritual—Christians.
So He placed a well in the desert so that when Hagar needed water for Ishmael, it was there...all the angel had to do was reveal it! See Quantum Possibilities and Believe You Receive 2.
He placed water in rocks for Abraham's descendants in the wilderness so that when Moses struck them water would flow. He knew that, in Christ, all things belonged to us, richly to enjoy! They are already there, waiting to be revealed. How are they revealed? When we use the power or hand of our mouths to bring them from the spiritual plane into natural existence.
Everything is made by and for Him—Jesus, and we are one Spirit with Him, His body in the earth. All things are possible to us when we believe—they are standing at attention, our servants, waiting to be commanded.
This is why Jesus was always so bold—He did nothing in secret! His boldness and authority came from His thinking like God!!
He told His disciples He needed a room for Passover, and He told them to go and get it. He knew it was there, because someone built it for Him, because He knew His words were eternal, both backwards and forward. He knew every need was already met, and that when He gave the word it would be manifested!
What about the colt He rode into Jerusalem on on Palm Sunday? In Matthew 21, He tells His disciples...
"Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied there and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to Me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them, and immediately he will send them."
'This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: "Say to the Daughter of Zion, 'Behold your King is coming to you, gentle, and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.'"
This is a prime example of God calling the end from the beginning. He knew from the foundation of the world, where Jesus was slain as a lamb for the redemption of mankind, that He would need a donkey to enter into Jerusalem on. And, in the words of Captain Picard [Star Trek, the Next Generation], He declared "Make it so!"
[Well, to be technically accurate, Picard was quoting God...the Hebrew word Amen means 'so be it.' I just threw that in for any trekkies that might be reading this.]
So, we see that this need was met before the foundation of the world. He had the prophet Zechariah speak it into the natural, to get the ball rolling, so to speak. Once again, He is thinking eternally...calling the end from the beginning!
He looked across the ages and saw a man who would 1) have the donkey and colt, and 2) give it to Jesus without question. [He probably saw lots of men with donkeys, but knew which one would obey...yikes! I don't even want to go there...]
In fact, Jesus fulfilled all of the Old Covenant! Every spoken or written word of the first covenant was fulfilled in Jesus, and then, in us! Jesus was the Word—all of it! And we are the Word multiplied! Romans 8:4 says that '...the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit!'
We know that Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law [Galatians 3:13,14] so that we might receive the blessings of Abraham! In other words, He bore the curse that came with breaking the law, so we could have all the blessings! All the blessings, no curse! 2 Corinthians 1:20 puts it this way: 'For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen [so be it] TO THE GLORY OF GOD THROUGH US.'
Please note: this verse does not say, 'sometimes the answer is no.'
What is the glory of God? The heaviness of His goodness...honor, abundance, riches, splendor, dignity. His glory is all things, given to us richly to enjoy!
In fact, the first use of the word 'glory' in Genesis meant physical wealth!
To sum it up, God thinks eternally—all things, all the time. Every need, every desire, already met from before the foundation of the world. Isaiah had a lot to say about this, but no where more beautifully than in chapter 25, verse 1:
O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt You, I will give thanks to your name; for You have worked wonders, plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness. [Isaiah 25:1]
God had Zechariah declare it for Jesus, and Jesus has declared wonderful things to be fulfilled in, by and for us! Read John 14-17 and then put it into this eternal perspective! Read all of Ephesians and Colossians, and Romans and I John...read ALL of it! It has been declared for us that nothing shall be impossible for us! That we should speak to trees and mountains and wind and they will obey us! Hallelujah!
Think eternally! [Read Keys of the Kingdom]
Holiness
God thinks holy...He is holy. Holy means sacred, set apart, sanctified, undefiled by sin, free from wickedness.
We know God is holy and we are not. Some of us try really hard to be holy, while others don't want anything to do with holiness because they think they won't be allowed to have any fun and will have to dress weird.
Listen to this...we are referred to repeatedly as His saints. The Greek word Hagios means saint...a most holy one.
We are the most holy ones of a most Holy God! Not just kinda holy, or the least holy...His most holy ones And I don't even have any weird clothes from the 1800s!
God thinks of us as His most holy ones. Think like God, about yourself and about your brothers and sisters.
Are We Done Yet?
Probably not, but I need to stop. The moral of the story—think like God. It's His will, and it is wisdom. Remember, Jesus became to us wisdom from God [1 Corinthians 1:30] and the anointing we have from Him teaches us ALL THINGS [1 John 2:20,27]
