Jesus Is Not Part Of My Thoughts

Notes

As Christians, we have been given the 'mind' of Christ.  How might we cultivate the 'mind of Christ' so that Jesus is not part of our thoughts, rather, He is ALL of our thoughts?

Some crucial observations about our 'mind'...

1. Your mind is a GIFT from God.
2. Your mind is INFLUENCING your actions more than you know.
3. Your mind is a BATTLEFIELD.

A few ways I'm learning and growing in cultivating the 'mind of Christ.'

1. Fascinated with the Gospel.
2. Filled with the WORD of God.
3. Fixed upon eternity.

Verses

{“Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” James 4:8 NIV}{For, “Who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to teach him?” But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:16 NLT}{“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” Philippians 4:8 NLT}{“Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.” Romans 8:5-6 NLT}{“I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.” Romans 7:22-23 NLT}{“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:5 NLT}{"What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?... Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?... And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord... And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 8:31-32, 35; 12:1-2 NLT}{My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.” And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.” Psalm 27:8 NLT}{But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” Mark 8:33 ESV}{“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” Colossians 3:1-3 NIV}

Quotes

A.W. Tozer : “Without doubt the mightiest thought the mind can entertain is the thought of God.” (The Knowledge of the Holy); Matt Chandler : “It’s Him – not the favorable resolution of our problems. It’s Him – not the removal of every worst-case scenario. It’s Him – not an easy, breezy, adversity-free lifestyle. It’s Him. It has always been and will always be Him.” (Recovering Redemption); Charles Spurgeon : “The more you read the Bible; and the more you meditate on it, the more you will be astonished with it.” (Sermons); Brother Lawrence : “I drove away from my mind everything capable of spoiling the sense of the presence of God.... I just make it my business to persevere in His holy presence... My soul has had a habitual, silent, secret conversation with God.” (The Practice of the Presence of God);