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Christlikeness, discerning the spirits, experience, eyes of the heart, God, heart, Jesus Christ, marriage, mind, new creation, old creation, relationships, Satan, spiritual power, T.A. Sparks, the devil, The Holy Spirit, the mind of Christ, the new self, the old self, thought life, true faith
“Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.” (Heb 10:22 KJV)
Photo by Susanne Schuberth
We all might have heard about the difference between the male mind that works rather ‘left-brained’ (logical, purpose-oriented, and goal-focused) and the female mind which is said to be quite ‘right-brained’ (emotional, empathic, and all-round perceptive). Since women and men are pretty different as to how their thought life and feelings proceed, a lot of misunderstandings between them are inevitable… unless they have the mind of Christ! What I mean by that is that our old and fallen nature thinks it knows it all better than the opposite sex. How many marriages and relationships fall apart because men and women have given up on trying to relate to what the other one is really saying! The bad news is that there is not much hope as long as we cling to our old nature which, whether we realize it or not, usually submits to Satan. In fact, our thought habits that spring from the self-centered old creation are filled with suspicion, doubts, fears, worries and all other negative tendencies you might think of. Just trying to watch one’s own thoughts for one or two minutes only and counting how often negativity pops up might leave you completely discouraged.
But there is hope, brothers and sisters, since the new creation that was fully designed in heaven will be enabled by God to really think good thoughts, even exclusively. Our own efforts won’t help us here since this supernatural ability is quasi inherited by new birth from above. This new creation has nothing to do with gender, either. We won’t lose our female or male identity, of course, but you might have read that those first Christians after Pentecost “were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common.” (Acts 4:32 ESV). Actually, their old self had died. Being of one heart and soul is a unity that comes from being filled with the Holy Spirit who is the only ONE who can make us one with God and with one another also. However, we can only be filled if we were emptied before, emptied of our old mind and equipped with a new heart from God, then filled with new wine in new wineskin by the renewing power of the Holy Spirit (see Mt 9:17 for instance). Regarding this new and God-given unity, the apostle Paul admonished the Ephesians to be “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Eph 4:3 ESV) One might raise the question here about how to maintain continued peace? It is impossible without God’s help, once again. Yet God who writes His law on our hearts also enables us to walk in ways that please Him and helps us more and more listen to His gentle guidance instead of paying attention to the devil’s disturbing insinuations. The prophet Isaiah gave us the answer as to how to keep God’s peace. He said,
“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” (Is 26:3 ESV)
So what then might be an indication that we have begun to think the right thoughts which sprang from the mind of Christ? T. Austin Sparks offers a helpful explanation.
The apostle Paul writing to the Philippians said “Whatsoever things are PURE, think on these things” that’s the mind of Christ. That’s the mind of a character of Christ “let this mind be in you… whatsoever things are pure, think on these things… whatsoever things are lovely” for here it is; that is what He is like! A mind, that is, the mind of Christ, not our mind, is something that is a very strong thing where God is concerned. If we can only get the viewpoint of the Lord, if we can only see as the Lord sees, if only we can get the mind of the Lord about a person or a situation, we’re in a tremendously strong position. Let me put that the other way, so much of our weakness and our failure and our breakdown is our WRONG mindedness, isn’t it like that? We’ve got the wrong attitude of mind, we haven’t the singleness of mind for the glory of God, we’re affected by how things touch us. Well, He was never like that, He was never like that.
http://www.austin-sparks.net/english/books/001024.html
Below you can read the whole Scripture Sparks was referring to and another one that reveals the filthiness of our old minds. It does not seem as if the mind of Christ would know the slightest whiff of fallen man’s natural negativity, right?
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. (Phil 4:8 KJV)
Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. (Tit 4:15 KJV)
You might have realized that Paul equated a defiled mind and conscience with the state of an unbeliever. Oh, may God give us the purity of heart and mind that is a characteristic of the true believer!
I enjoyed this, Suzanne! Men and women really fascinate me, we are God’s works of art. so different, but pretty amazing.
I am actually a left brainer, my left brain is far more dominant than the right side. So, far more reason based, skeptical, analytical, math and science oriented. God is full of surprises however, He can flip our brains around in an instant. So it is somewhat miraculous that I am able to embrace the spiritual, grace, His sweet fragrance. In theory I should be a total legalist, scoffing at the very idea of talking hands or burning bushes, but oh, do I believe.
Marriage is another amazing part of God’s design, living with someone so different from you and trying to understand one another can really bring some harmony to our brains, some clarity to how we perceive Christ Himself. It’s no accident that He often speaks of Himself as the Bridegroom and His church as the bride. There’s a division between men and women that happened in the garden, a reuniting that happened on the cross, and a wedding that happens in the end. I love that!
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Thank you, Gabrielle. Regarding your blog’s name, I have known that men and women fascinate you. 😉
In fact, some women are more left-brained and some men are more right-brained; it was not our choice to be this or that way, was it… Your insight that you, by nature, would be “scoffing at the idea of talking hands and burning bushes”… that made me grin. 🙂 And yes, trying to understand one another can bring more harmony and balance to our minds. Yet without being nudged by God’s Spirit to do so, would we ever have tried?
I love what you wrote at the end of your response. You said,
“There’s a division between men and women that happened in the garden, a reuniting that happened on the cross, and a wedding that happens in the end.”
Very thought-provoking and something to mull over, for sure. We are born into this natural division that can only be reconciled if we indeed have died to our old nature on our personal crosses; our habitual self-centeredness won’t do any longer. Finally being married to God through Christ, our heavenly Bridegroom, will make our earthly marriages eternal because our spouses, even if still unbelieving, are sanctified through our own faith.
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The differences between men and women are indeed fascinating. God designed them to be extraordinarily complementary. Yet we live in a time and a culture in which so many people are aggressively trying to pretend that the differences don’t exist. They have succumbed to the Grand Deluder. What do you think?
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As for me, I think you are right, Lloyd. Men and women were created by God to complement, not to replace each other.
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Having the mind of Christ – how great is that? Thank you for the blog. The truth of the believer having the mind of Christ is beyond my ability to make a comment.
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You are so welcome, dear Pat. Yes, it seems to be too good to be true. But if we only think about the fact that it is all God’s doing to change our hearts and minds, everything should be possible for Him who can do away with all impossiblities in our lives. If we are indwelt by Christ’s Spirit and have died to our old nature, it is God who acts through us. You might know that I have been thinking of this “It is no longer I who live…” as Paul said (cf. Gal 2:20).
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Loved this! Thanks Susanne- great truths to meditate on for me.
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You’re very welcome, David. Glad you liked the post. 🙂
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Yes Sue your post is so correct—I had a dream the other night where Dad and I were having a conversation and He kept saying to me—Ken your not living on earth anymore–your living in Heaven–and I kept saying to Him–no I am not! I am living on earth–He kept saying–no your not–your living in Heaven!–that’s been a few days ago–and then this post?–oh boy do I need to have my thinking fixed–love that statement by Gabby too!
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What coincidence, Ken! I would say that was a funny dream God gave you. 🙂 And yes indeed, I need to get my thinking fixed as well!
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If I think of the mind of Christ as the thoughts of Christ, I have more comprehension. The Old Testament says that God’s thoughts are not our thoughts. Jesus truly is our way to the Father, even His thoughts.
I love His thoughts.
I love Him and I love people. I can love you whom I have not seen because I love Him whom I have not seen.
Thank you, Susanne
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Very well put, Pat! ⭐
Indeed, as far as Christ is God, we cannot understand Him. But Jesus is fully man too. What does that mean? As far as I am concerned, I think I have not yet fully considered his manhood in all its bearings.
I love you too, dear Pat. ❤
In Him,
Susanne
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“For in him we live, and move, and have our being…”(Acts 17:28, KJ2000). It is interesting to me that Paul said here, in Christ we have our BEING, not beings, just as we who are His are of one Mind, the mind of Christ. This is what makes it true that IN Christ there is no longer Jew or Gentile, bond nor free, male nor female, but a NEW creation. Old things are passed away and all things have become NEW. Satan divides, but the cross of Christ unifies us in His Spirit with the Father.
Thank you, Susanne for sharing this message about the unity that is ours in the Son. ⭐
IN Him,
Michael
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You’re very welcome, Michael. I fully agree with your deliberations, my brother. ⭐
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