The Simplicity that is ours IN CHRIST

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beholding God, discerning the spirits, dying to self, encouragement, entering his rest, experience, faith, following Jesus, freedom, Jesus Christ, mind, new life, purity, revelation, simplicity, spiritual power, T.A. Sparks, the cross, The Holy Spirit, the mind of Christ, walking by the spirit

The simplicity that is ours in Christ is not the exact wording Scripture offers since the apostle Paul voiced his misgivings when he said the following,

“But I am afraid that, even as the serpent beguiled Eve by his cunning, your minds may be corrupted and led away from the simplicity of [your sincere and] pure devotion to Christ.” (2 Cor 11:3 AMP)

If our Christian life does not always appear to be that easy or simple, maybe, there is a reason why we sometimes struggle so much. This Bible verse above suggests that our focus might turn out to be the root cause of our conflicts. As an illustration, let us think for a moment about a small baby that has just started to explore the life in which it was born. During their first year on earth, babies seem to be intrigued by everything and everyone that comes into view. With big round eyes they gaze at whomever and whatever could be looked at. And how very long they can stare at the object observed! If they watch a human being keeping eye contact with them, they will often start to smile in an irresistible way at that.  😊

Exposing the Enemy by Exercizing Authority in Christ

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authority, deception, discerning the spirits, entering his rest, experience, following Jesus, freedom, knowledge, Lily, peace, prayer, Resisting the Devil, rest, Satan, Submission to God, T.A. Sparks, Taking our Thoughts Captive, the angel of light, the devil, the enemy, The Holy Spirit, the Kingdom of God, the mind of Christ, the presence of God, the whole armour of God, thought life, walking by the spirit

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It was only today as I have started to see more clearly how Satan keeps our minds busy and worried all day long. Not that I had not heard about it before, however, the theory once learned has come alive now, so to say. What I am referring to is the simple pattern Satan always uses to pull us down on his level as soon as we have begun to relax in the presence of God. You know this pattern that starts telling us to distrust God by asking, “Hath God really said?”

Who are the 144,000?

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ambition, aspiration, desires, discerning the spirits, dying to self, emotions, encouragement, entering his rest, experience, eyes of the heart, following Jesus, God's love, joy, light, love, mind, Mount Zion, peace, soul, suffering, T.A. Sparks, the 144.000, the Lamb, the mind of Christ, the will, walking by the spirit

Several Christians over the last centuries have had thoughts and ideas about who these particular people mentioned in the Book of Revelation might be. Even a cult (Jehovah’s Witnesses) claimed this whole group of believers for their own purposes. But can it be that easy?  🙄 Is there a single Christian denomination or a ‘Christian’ cult that would be able to comprise those 144,000 who seem to occupy a very special position, maybe, even the best position possible as to their closeness to God?  🙄

I saw in my last post where I mainly published longer excerpts from T. Austin Sparks that it does not make much sense to go on doing so. It seems I should offer some explanations combined with my own experiences or insights regarding all topics so that the whole article gets more vivid. Actually, I know myself how tedious the simple reading of facts without enlightening examples can be.  😉 So I decided to include only short excerpts by TAS where I thought it might be helpful and to also offer my own ideas as to the following Scriptures. As for these 144,000, the apostle John describes what he saw in the Book of Revelation.

Where Does (Self-)Deception Lead To?

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A Wilderness Voice Website, church, deception, discerning the spirits, encouragement, experience, following Jesus, George Davis, God's guidance, God's love, Humility, Jesus Christ, love, mental sickness, Michael Clark, Oneness, Satan, Self-Deception, spiritual gifts, T.A. Sparks, the devil, the god of this age, The Holy Spirit, the mind of Christ

Sometimes I have been wondering why I am often misunderstood. No, I am not referring to my private life here. Instead, I have encountered this strange occurrence when I share spiritual insights with other Christians. Even if I try hard to explain what I have been talking or writing about, I am confronted with either silence or another misunderstanding. It was only today that it began to dawn on me where this conflict might come from. What helped me out here were the following Scriptures below. Let us just look at what had happened on Pentecost.

Silence… A Secret Way to Wisdom

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anger, discerning the spirits, evil spirits, experience, fear, following Jesus, Liberty, life, obedience, peace, prayer, the devil, the mind of Christ, walking after the flesh, walking by the spirit, wisdom, worldly spirits

I guess many of you know how bad you feel when you said something of which you immediately realized that it was the wrong thing to do. Even if what you uttered was the truth, either the timing was not right or the statement was not spoken in love. Recently the Lord made me aware of certain Scriptures regarding this. Maybe, I will mention some of them further below. What He taught me in practical terms, instead, appeared to be a bit unusual at first.

Mind Pollution vs. A Sound Mind

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discerning the spirits, encouragement, experience, feelings, following Jesus, God's love, Jesus Christ, peace, prayer, spiritual power, T.A. Sparks, the mind of Christ, thought life

I might be wrong but I imagine that the mind of Christ must be, and must have been as Jesus walked on the earth, like a deep, clear water that could not be moved by anything else but by the voice of His Father. We know that we as believers should be like-minded as we share the mind of Christ. Yet how often do we experience the opposite of clarity in our minds? Are we continually filled with good thoughts toward life, toward our neighbors (even our enemies!) and toward ourselves? 🙄